Show THEY DESERVE GRET CREDIT The Herald stands on the same ground it has always occupied on the bounty question and the loaning of public credit for private purposes It believes that to be wrong in principle and that what is wrong in theory cannot can-not be right in practice The Republicans led by Mr Varian who in the constitutional convention united with the Democrats to prevent the loaning of public credit for private purposes are accused by a RepublIcan paper which says it is not a Republican Repub-lican organ of going straight back upon the principles of their party and says they did so to win for themselves them-selves Democratic approval Those gentlemen supported a proposition propo-sition to place in the Utah constitution a provision which is incorporated in the constitutions of a score of Republican Repub-lican states The Herald quoted those provisions at the time If that is going straight back on the principles of I their party those Republicans are in good Republican company Nearly every new state admitted for a number num-ber of years has embodied that restriction re-striction in its fundamental lawMan law-Man states have amended their constitutions con-stitutions so as to establish it The provision is necessary to protect the state from the bankruptcy which impracticable im-practicable persons like the assailant of the Republicans referred to would plunge it into by overwhelming debts constructed for private purposes Men who have no compunctions at running into debts they never expect to pay may be expected to favor public pub-lic debt to any amount and for any wild speculation But prudent men foreseeing the evil seek to avoid it The few Republicans led by ilr Varian Var-ian who helped to put that clause into the constitution have saved the state from prospective ruin If it had not been for their action the state as a whole and every city county and incorporated town could have pledged its credit in aid of private corporations corpora-tions and spculatlve capitalists and no mortal could safely predict the extent ex-tent of the catastrophe which would have been the consequence They deserve de-serve the thanks of the conservative people of Utah of every party and persuasion Was it done to gain the approval of the Democrate No reasonable reason-able person believes that It is the common com-mon failing of some folks to suspect i others of their own failings And it was better to gain the approval even of Democrats by the support of a prudent measure than to spend time in seeking to gain the applause of Democrats or Republicans by playing the clown and simply cracking jokes The Herald never approved of the violation of a contract by the government govern-ment or a private person The paper that says it has even done so is wilfully wil-fully mistaken Nor has The Herald ever objected to a bonus for the establishment es-tablishment of a laudable enterprise I A public bonus however should be for a public benefit A private enterprise enter-prise if aided by a bonus should receive re-ceive its aid from other than public funds That has always been our position on that question If our morning contemporary cannot I distinguish the difference between that I and the bounty system we cannot help it That will not be a matter of surprise even though it may be a matter of regret But Utah is saved from the gigantic evil of loaning Its credit for private benefit and also for many years from spending public money for private uses in that there is no reason for regret |