Show KILLING THE GOOSE fifty years ago this great western empire of towering mountains and fertile valleys was a wilderness indians roamed its mesas and wild animals lurked in the fast nesses of its peaks and ravines the sagebrush of its lowlands concealed the rattlesnake the scorpion and the tarantula even as the greasewood does to this day in death valley and kindred regions and they and the festive woodtick wood tick were but a small percentage of the pests which made life miserable for the early settler the pioneers of that time were making a desperate fight against odds and it was a good fight even though the advance of civilization was scarcely perceptible but they were poor pitifully poor and the never end ing struggle was a heartbreaking heart breaking process which slowly undermined the courage and confidence of even those indomitable men and women they were poor because there was little money in circulation and no way to create money for that reason tile the products of their farms and handiwork sold for practically nothing for it is an inviolable law that a shortage of money increases its purchasing power both in goods and in labor and so there were no comfortable homes in the land no real schools or churches and small outlook of any ever being constructed the inhabitants were even forced to do without the simplest comforts and conveniences conditions began to change when it became known that gold and silver and lead ore had been found in the surrounding hills capital came in to develop the deposits and soon a stream of money was coming from the mines and with the increased supply of money the farmers received good prices for their products and they and their sons as well as the rush of newcomers were paid well for working underground civilization advanced with a rush from that time on and prosperity has ruled throughout the west wherever the mining industry has flourished much of the surplus funds from the hills has been invested in our cities comfortable homes and numerous mansions have been built and magnificent ent churches schools and business blocks former luxuries are now necessities and the people are happy and prosper ous us the honest man is willing to admit that it all can call be traced directly or indirectly to the mines now a body of men has come forward with the proposition that the taxation of the mines should be trebled in utah notwithstanding the fact that the present law was drawn by the best talent available and with the experience and laws of other states as a guide if such a law as that proposed had been passed fifteen years ago this city would still be a village if it passes now it will not only cripple the industry which has made the state but it will stop our advance and fifteen f years from now the city will be found to have gone backward instead of forward an eminent writer has said show me the country that has no mines and I 1 will show you a people sunk in the degradation of poverty the prosperity and advance of this state have been founded upon mining and now the attempt is made to kill the goose which lays the golden egg vote against the proposed mine tax amendment next week |