Show TAXATION OF MORTGAGES When some of the Republican papers pa-pers and stumpers in i this territory during the campaign of last November assailed the Democratic legislature of 1812 for repealing the tax on mortgages mortga-ges we supposed it was simply a po tical trick like others then resorted to and that there was no other object in view than to turn votes to the RepublIcan publIcan party The argument used was that by repealing the tax legislation was had for the benefit of the rich money lender len-der to the detriment of the poor barT 9 n T rower The answer was plain ando and-o ght to have been sufficient for any ordinary mind The tax fell on the borrower because the lender always took care to include in the mortgage or trust deed an obligation on the part of the borrower to pay all taxes expenses ex-penses of collection and so forth thus putting the burden on the poor man invariably But it had its effect because papers and orators that knew better kept up the din and made quite a number of people believe their sophistry and so prejudice was created against the Democrats Dem-ocrats This was doubly unjust because be-cause in the first place the repeal of the tax was fair and right and in the next place it was not a party measure but recommended by Democrats and Republicans alike The board of equalization equal-ization for the territory advised it and all the Republicans upon the board endorsed the repeal measure One of the most persistent of the declaimers against the Democrats for passing the repeal bill was Jacob Johnson of Sanpete who made it a chief point in his political stumping for election to the legislature Judge Reid who was his opponent and who completely answered all his alleged arguments ar-guments withdrew from the contest on finding that he was ineligible because be-cause he was the Probate Judge of the county This gave Johnson an advantage advan-tage which he was not < < slow to seize and because of the change of Democratic Demo-cratic candidates toward the close of the campaign Jacob Johnson now occupies a seat in the lower House of the legislature In order to make a show of consistency consis-tency we suppose Mr Johnson has moved to restore the tax on mortgages It is to be hoped that some of his Republican Re-publican associates will l put a flea in I his ear which will agitate his brain I until he sees that his effort if it should prevail would accomplish the very opposite of what he professes to intend The whole question was gone over pro and con at the last session and we believe there was scarcely an exception among men who understood the question that the repeal measure was right and in the interest of the poor man the borrower and not the lender The member from S npete will have fulfilled his pledges by introducing the measure It is to be hoped that he i will deem that sufficient If not as this is no party affair in reality his associates should sit down so heavily on his bill that it will be flattened I out before it goes to the Council It ought never to go further than the committee It is no good And after the thorough discussion it received in 1892 lengthy debate upon it at this session ses-sion Will be only waste of time |