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Show I1 If SOME THINGS 11 FOR TAXPAYERS 1 I I Unjust Assessments ; I and Abatements. , ! jjj Those Who Bear the Burden J of Home Government :l Not Safeguarded. : 1 ; ; I Unbusiness-Liko Methods Make Ta:c ij j Bates "Unnecessarily Ettgli in jjj I Salt Lake County.: . There Is nothing In tho realm of public J I administration so sacred In the eyes of ; I tho people as tho department of govern- , jj I men! that has to do with tho assessment I of property for taxation. ; jj I Jf It becomes a conviction that there Is i; J discrimination; If It appears that ono S man or class of men la favored to tho j'ja dertlment of another, then tho unrest that , 1 ' fj follows becomes a fever. That fever bc- ' ' X'tfi comes Infectious and lr Is" not long until ' wj It spreads beyond the limits of tho af- anil illcted district and Injures tho entlro com- I munlty or commonwealth. :rj There Is an undercurrent opinion that 1 jfi!j there Is not a fair and business-like as- ,'jjjja segment of the property of Salt Lake for i j I ill taxes. There Is reason to believe that this , Htjjo Is true and Tho Tribune expects to throw Ijjjfl some light on this subject beforo tho closo ,. jjjlll of the campaign. TjB But as a llttlo matter for the taxpayers !; fiyll to rellcct on we reproduce this morning ' i fjji somo figures showing tho cost of tho Salt i ! fjji Lake County Assessor's offlco during tho 1 ; iil past eight years. , : i Why tho Added Cost? i RIB The first four years wero tho admlnls- i t ' tratlon of non-Mormon officials and tho ' J BjB last four years Mormon officials. Here Is ! i HJl the way the reports of tho Auditor and 1 , L hM Treasurer will disclose It: i 5dm ISO' the cost was $ 6.C7-I.20 I . !)RB 1S3S tho cost was G,29.3S jtftlB ISM tho cost was 5.029.21 4 j flM 1D0O the cost was C.C0O.O1 J25.-I53.S3 t t Hill 1901 the cost was $ 7.SSI.S1 I Hi 1902 the cost was 9.2SS.00 , I Sfl 1903 the cost was 9.907. G3 ! fill 13W the C03t will be .... 10.G77.-H 37,557.97 BH 1 1 V. fl Total for eight years $S3,311.0 PH 1 j " ) J Or a total Increase for tho last four ij. SJ years over the first four years of $12.-K)2.14. ij Commissioners "Wilson and Standlsh. to 1 j 'jjl whoao attention this was called, say thjit ( I' n KTi20 of I he Increase Is chargeable to an J 1 if M act of tho Legislature of 1901 which rc- j j l quires that certain statistics bo collected. :v j II Have ITot looked Into It. kii They do not know, they .ny, how to j'' j B account for the balanc6. HI ' if It Is a small Item, of couiso, and has i ' H II never attracted the attention of thy PPJ i j fl county board. ,1 , jj IB County Commissioner James H. Ander- PH i j IB son was out of tno office and could not 1 P ! 1,0 soan H ,s always ready with an BH j 1 I ja explanation, no matter wheth.tr the ex- PBj ! ,;. I II cuso Is water-proof or full of blow- I ,( ij liolcs. Ho Is always ready. But since ! 1 jtjjjl Chairman Andersen Is busy with cam- HL "I ' Yum palcn duties The Tribune will publicly j fl ask hirn If tho Increase Is not chargeable ' Hn almost wholly to the abuse of the patron- 1 ntH age possibilities of tho Assessor's offlco. BH j.i ! DM and If it Is not true that in this case, as Bflfll Li HBB ,n many others, that the greater part of BBBBT I EM -he funds aro diverted Into church clrn.i- BflBI ' 1 i BIH ncis? BH ! HlS 11 m,lst- 1x1 understood that one-half of BBBJ ;. Bin tllQ cost o- tho Assfsor's offlco Is paid BH i 1 IhB out f lho Stato Treasuhy, o that this BH '! IMiH doubling up pr--cess Is not only a county BH ' rtlllH matter but a- Stato matter as well. Tho BH I.1 itHtfll sreatcr part, because of tho property BH 'j jfilflj valuation, Is paid by Salt Lakers. H P SuKf Abuse and a Eemedy. BH iI' i'iHiBI Whll-i on tho matter of Iho Assessor's BH 'iliM offlco attention Is called In a general way BH i ' iMi 10 11,0 Policy of the Board of Equallza- BH H49 tInn to lhe remitting of taxe3 to "Indi- BH Blfl gents " BH ! " Bifll ln 1M1 tho amount remitted was 52109.ro. BH .! J BH It Jumped to Jl-779.71 ln 1902 and to 5293 i;i BH j ' ' BH 1'i,a J'ear tnc board deducted from BH i 1 Bifll tho property of persons held to be "lndl- BH fin i cents" tho sum of $3707X0. BH Hul Almost doublo tho amount of tho first BH -!i ' BH 5oar ' l'10 administration of tho present flH i ' Bill chief of affairs of Salt Lake county! BH 'v' B-jm -'ct t,,,s Is tnc "business man" who BH 1 Bill vent about tho Stato In his campaign flH ' RlH tralnst Ileber M. "Wells and James T flH '! Bfll Hammond and advised tho retirement of flH Bin these two officers on tho grounds that BBB lr'' BH 1)10 People needed a "business admlnls- BBL fi ' Hill tnttlon'" Bnr 'j,;' ' BH What a plcklo Utah will bo In If John BH BH c" c,lller 's elect-d Governor and James 1 li W9 H. Anderson Is his chief advl&nrt Tim Bflfll '. 1! n Stato can hardly muko both cnd3 moot flH i I H a ls- flH Ml I B In four y61" taxes wero remitted to BBB M, 1 "Indigents" of Salt Lako county to tho BH ' .'i , ff amount of ELEVEN THOUSAND, NINE flHf " t1 If HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE DOL- BH .I r B IARSl Remember that thla ls to bo- flflfll '!': f called "Indigents." Will any one insist flflflj '! fl that this ls good administration? flH fl Look at thl3 caso for a moment. Por- BH ; 3 ft son3 who. own real estate go beforo tho flH " ' B board and make the plea that they can- flflp '; 1 not pny the amount of taxes assessed BH !i i ,' B against them. They ask for an abato- flflfl l ?n. fl ment. In nearly every instance tho ro- flflfl Ik l fl Hof granted means that tho private prop- flfll i :i fl urt" 13 wholly exempted from taxation, fllfl rl'l I Is tho system a Just ono? H " I I Unfair to Taxpayers. H 2!; I It will bo urged that ln most of the flfll J'; I Instances the practice Is employed In tho BflU , fl cao of widows or aged persons who aro HI - V I not producers, BH r-, fl It will bo stated that many of them flfll i, J!.- 1 fl have but a Hfo right in their homes: that flH ' fr gfl at their death the property will go to flfll .SjU- II their heirs, and, wc arc informed, in flfll . iij, II several cases to the dominant church BflL " t'k I yi,s 00 truo' wh' should this pr'op- BjH ; ;;! B cty e turned over to the heirs or to Bflfll 'I'.- fl the church free from Incumbrance? In it Bflfll fi!!r fl JUBt to those who pay their taxes? BjB 'ai- ..u. Is nt a suggesUon of The Trlbuno Bflfll Sii, 1 . that the taxes be hold as a lien against BflH . 3 I property and tho property sold for the flflfll ?i- f . taxes. That ls an unnecessary plan and BBBBB i ' 1 11 would -work a hardship to many poor Bflfll VI fl persons. But it is not unjust that the BflBH J , I amount from year to year bo added om a flH 51 B ,,c.n unU1 tho dcath of tho owner or tho flH 5 B voluntary sale of the premises. flH A. I 11 1 certainly not right that the heirs flfll !!;r- fl come Into possession of such propcrtv fljB R ' fl ' frco r a tax lien. flH ! B lf tho 8U"Ke3tlon made wero carried flH i I out' tnc heirs would hustle around and BH '3fl Pny thc taxes, and pot depend on tho BHk. ftn generosity of the public In bearing tho BBB ii burden for them. flflfll flt Not a dollar should be remitted on nf DH realty on account of "Indigence." Every in I dollar so remitted Is unjust to thoso who nH o pay. m f |