OCR Text |
Show AFFAIRS OF SALT LAKE COUNTY. The taxpayers of this county cannot 'havo failed to note the exposures of mismanagement and profligacy that have attended the present county ad-minlstratlonfi ad-minlstratlonfi as made recently by TJio Tribune. Those exposures have been definite, specific. Thoy have cited actual vouchers, vouch-ers, and have pointed out wherein they are an Imposition upon the taxpayers, and are violations of tho Jaw. They Jiave not In any way been vague or only general, but havo been direct, positive, and havo named persons, accounts, ac-counts, and amounts.. If there is anything wrong with these accusations, It surely ought to bo easy to answer them, and show wherein they are not worthy of attention. But the citation of given vouchers, that have been paid In excess of any possible rightful charge; that have been paid In plain violation of law. Is not a thing to be shoved away as of no consequence. con-sequence. Such allegations should be met. They relate to the conduct of public business. They have been mado public The public pub-lic has a right to know the facts. It Is altogether a matter for publicity, for the election of a new board of County Commissioners Is coming on, and the taxpayers have a right to know how their money has been expended In the past, and how It Is to be expended In the future. It Is not by any means sufficient to say, as Superintendent Jones of the Infirmary In-firmary Is reported to have said, that he didn't mind the firing of blank cartridges. cart-ridges. That is not the way to meet such very serious allegations. These aro no blank cartridges. They are as definite as charges can be made. If they are not loaded, then there is uu auen uung as louaing. Tney cite actual amounts that have been paid, unjustly; and they point out a non-compliance with the law in payments made, which may or may not have been frauds on the public treasury. They show the most glaring partiality partial-ity In the placing of orders for needed supplies, that Slormon houses have been systematically favored In such orders, or-ders, they getting as much as seventy per cent of the orders, while large Gentile Gen-tile houses, which pay far more taxes than their Slormon rivals, ,have been absolutely boycotted. These allegations show, also that the Sheriff's office which pays well, Is a load of nearly twenty thousand dollars dol-lars yearly on the Treasury; that the Recorder's office, also largely remunerative,' remunera-tive,' costs the taxpayers more than four tbousand dollars a, year. Tills Is a shameful showing. Tho public Is tired of that kind of biased and malignant bigotry; a thing possible only because the Mormon church politicians politi-cians have used the Republican party as their instrument, with the Democratic Demo-cratic nominations also of their own kidney in case by any possibility they might win. If either of the old party nominees for Commissioners win, there ia no relief for the taxpayers from the Impositions, recklessness, and lawlessness lawless-ness that have ruled, and are still ruling. rul-ing. The only possible show for relief is to elect the American nominees for Commissioners, Com-missioners, who are men- under no dominance of any creed or seci, but are able, straightforward business men, who will conduct the affairs of tho county according t,o law, and on proper business principles. |