Show SCHOOL TAXATION Representative Bennion Gives His Views on the Subject Salt Lake City Feb 17 To the Editor of The Herald Dear SirYour editorial this morning morn-Ing championing the cause of cities of the first and second class as against the alfalfas in the matter of school tax prompts the inditement of these few lines in their defense I the support sup-port of your paper were confined to these cities we would hardly deem a I defense worth while But as i has a deservedly extended circulation in the country we feel that both sides should lave a representation As alfalfas al-falfas we feel that our chief arguments argu-ments are eliminated from your report of the discussion We maintain that if under the free school system Salt Lake City with its superior wealth may separate itself from the poorer portion of the county then the richer districts of the country should be permitted per-mitted to withdraw their support from the poorer districts around them Carr this principle to it ultimate results and it would take the support of the rich man in the district from the poor man with his large family of school children and thus destroy the whole free school system There is a line of school districts running south through the center of this county favored with the presence pres-ence of two railroads with the accompanying accom-panying smelters sampling mills lead works etc yet these railroads are supported by outlying districts as well as by those through which they run These latter districts have the advantage advan-tage in the local special tax Is not that sufficient without giving then the tuition tax Would you advocate such a wide difference of educational opportunities oppor-tunities between these districts because be-cause of their geographical differences Were the country school districts of this county 50 miles from Salt Lake City they would have their stores wholesale whole-sale and retail farm implement houses banks in fact all their commercial interests in-terests with them for both general and special taxation but as it is all their commercial interests are centered t here in this city which fact together with the free school principle constitutes tutes a double reason for county support sup-port from the city The proposition of one of the city members to favor this county school tax i the country would consent to a general city tax only indicates the weakness of his cause He thus proposes I pro-poses to exalt the advantages of city luxuries such as waterworks sewers police and fire protection etc to the same level as education You speak of Salt Lake and Weber counties a being the only ones affected by this legislation Utah and Cache counties legislaton countes are affected similarly the difference being only In degree and the principle princi-ple is a matter of state controversy as Is evident from the vote I is evident T to the alfalfa mind that If cities o the r third and fourth class should be taxed for county school support that cities of the first and second class should bet be-t treated likewise Under this regime all the districts of each county fare t alike and if any district city or county chooses to make its schools superior r to other they may do so by a special tx i taxEvery argument bearing on the equity of the state school ta as a general state school fund will bear With equal weight in favor of the l f county school tax as a general county school fund The argument that a state tax alone Is more equitable than a state and county tax Is fallacious The cost of teaching and living in the more populous counties is higher than in the rural counties and the local tax simply equalizes these differences HEBER BENNION From Mr Van Cott Salt Lake City Feb 1 1897 To the Editor of The Herald Yesterday the members of the house voted almost unanimously in favor of submitting to the people of the state an amendment to the constitution in relation to the school tax question There are three kinds of taxation for the support of schools the state school tax which Is 3 mills the county school tax which is 2 mills in Salt Lake ccunty for the present year and the district ta the maximum rate ot which is 20 mills The recent decision of the supreme court based upon the word maintained main-tained in the constitution has liber consttuton lber ated all citizens of the first and second class from paying the county school tax thus leaving such cities but two kinds of taxes to pay for the support of the schools while other dlstrists no matter how rich must pay three kinds of taxes to maintain the schools The city school tax In Salt Lake City corresponds to the district school tax in school districts outside the city and in Salt Lake county and is not so high as is paid in many of said country districts Take for example District 40 Farmers ers ward the district school ta levied there is 5 mills 610ths of a mill lower than Is levied in the city but remember remem-ber that the 2 mill county school tax levied in District 40 but not in Salt Lake City makes Its tax 7 mills or 1 410 mills greater than is paid in the city Yet Farmers ward is many times richer than the other districts in Salt Lake county outside the city I pays a much in proportion to its value a does Salt Lake City to support the schools of the state and has always paid more into the state school fund than I received back The rich in the district are taxed not only for the poor but for the poor of the state and the county The same is true of Sugar Murray Sandy and other districts Should it not be true of Salt Lake City and Ogden I the rich cities are to be excused from taxation on the I ground that they pay more than they receive back should not rich country districts be excused for the same reason rea-son and would it not follow that the rich individual be also excused We do not ask of these cities more than we are willing to give but we insist that the burdens of carrying the free school system fall equally upon all The business and educational interests Inter-ests of Salt Lake county are so closely identified with those ot the city that a blow struck at the growth and pros perity of either will surely be retroactive I retroact-ive on the other working an injury to our growing fame a promoters of education edu-cation True the city has annually paid some 16000 into the county school fund more than it received back but do we county people not give much toward to-ward the building up of the city We were taxed to build that magnificent city and county building We are taxed I to maintain and that too in the city I our entire county government All our roads lead to the city All our produce finds market there but whether we sell or buy the profits remain where the city is enriched The entire county banks in the city Can the city not afford the slight expenditure of 16000 per annum In order to surround Itself with an army of nearly 7000 educated boys and girls grls I The legislature will do nothing butts but-ts duty in submitting the proposed amendment to the constitution to the people of the state I am informed by many members or the constitutional convention that they never intended section VI article X of the constitution to do more than to I separate the supervision of the city schools from that of the county Make it possible for the schools of both city and county districts to continue il Amend the constitution OSCAR VAN COTT I I |