Show BONDING THE COUNTY Tho taxpayers were somewhat startled on Tuesday morning when they read that the county court had ordered a special election to decide the question Shall negotiable coupon bonds of Salt Lake county to the amount of 300000 in the denomination de-nomination of 1000 each payable twenty years after date rede viable ten years after date and bearing interest at the rate of 5 per cent per annum be issued for the purpose of constructing the new county courthouse and a now poorhouse infirmary infirm-ary and poorhouse farm for Salt Lake county and for making other permanent county improvements The taxpayers had understood that the county was Ih splendid financial condition They know that a couple of years ago there was a largo surplus in the treasury Indeed In-deed the county was so flush that it was the common talk that it would probably prob-ably loan the city money to pay some of the latters proportion of the cost of the joint public building We say tho taxpayers tax-payers knew these things and they didnt I know and dont know of any extraordinary expenditures which have consumed the enormous current revenue and exhausted ex-hausted the big surplus If the county has been making costly improvements it has kept the public in total Ignorance of the fact The taxpayer do not now know what it Is that has brought the county in so short a period from wealth to povert from the status of a creditor to the condition condi-tion poverty pnd a borrower It may be all right We are charging nothing wrong Wo are simply saying the public doesnt understand the m alter Wo will say further that unless a better explanation shall be given than was conveyed in the resolution ordering tbo election we believe the bonding proposition will be overwhelmingly voted down The preamble declares that it is necossary to construct the joint city and county building build-ing which is a plain and easily understood under-stood proposition although everybody thought the money which bad been a cumulated cum-ulated and laid aside for the purpose was still bold But when the court goes onto on-to construct a new county poorhouse and infirmary and establish a new poor house farm for said countY4 and purchase the ground thereof and to make other county improvements the matter mat-ter is not so easily J understood Tho taxpayers want to know you known What is tho matter of the present pres-ent poor houco and farmt The latter is large enough it seems to us in view of the fact that few if any of the patients are able to work it boing necessary to hire labor to till the soil It is possible > some extension of the buildings may be necessary neces-sary but the poor bavo not becomo BO numerous all of a sudden as to require an cztracrdiaary expenditure to provido for their accommodation For months past rumors have been in circulation to the effect that parties not lemotoly related to tho county court have tracts of land for sale which they think would be suitable for poor farms We know nothing of tbe matter but we suggest there are people who might Insinuate that It was not exactly the proper caper to bond the county for money to buy land from a county official for a poor farm when the county ii the owner of a farm which serve tho purposes of the c6unty very well Then what are these othsr permanent im prov8mtMltrfl that it is necessary for the county to make THE HKHAIO does not propose to antagonize antag-onize this bonding < < proposition if it can be shown that the Immense sum of money which hssjKce in and out of thecounty treasury during the past two y3 rs has j been wisely expended and 300000 is BOW I I needed IB addition tothe ordinary revenue Bat on th showing to far made this paper asata majority of the taxpayer will op the bonding proposition It ought nob tone be to-ne tary for Salt Lake county to borrow bor-row a ocfit fer aoy purpose It BM tw tbat it i BCOMMTJ but bus fact wust U i ct S v u shown before the pocpJo will Bs ° cnt to the proposition The bonding mania seems to be in the air but fortunately in this case the people rather than reckless officials can decide J |