OCR Text |
Show THE ASSESSMENT FIGURES. The gratification at the increase in the assessment valuation for this city is marred by the evident injustice per-pcrtatcd per-pcrtatcd against, this city in that increased in-creased assessment. It will be remembered remem-bered that 'the farmers of this countv represented in their suits against the smelters that their farms were being injured, the values of them destroyed, and their industry ruined by the smelter smoke, and that if the nuisance of this smoke could be abolished, their farms would take on greater value, their industry in-dustry -would thrive, find, their prosperity pros-perity would be assured. The farmers were successful in their suits, they got punitive damages, and the smoke was abated. And now, in place of tho farm valuations outsido of the city increasing, increas-ing, as it was promised to do on the abatement of the smelter smoke, we find that no such result has followed, and that the increase of about $3,000,-000 $3,000,-000 is added almost entirely from this city. it is a magnificent increase, but It i hardly fair io the city as compared with the farming communities of the county outside. When we rcc.il-) further that fact that "all the machinery used in mining, aud all property and surface improvements upon or appurtenant to mines and mining claims, which have a valu-j separate and independent of all such mines or mining claims, and the net annual proceeds of all miues and mining claims" are taken out of the jurisdiction of the count assessor and are now assessed by the State Board of Equalization, it will be seen that the brethren who made the assessments have been careful to conserve the interests in-terests of the church members and "milk the Gentiles" in real old vigorous vigor-ous fashion. The' increased assessment is an increase in-crease on non-Mormon -property owners' almost exclusively. And it rs a drastic, evident, and deep-concerted plan to reach the same old end that 'he brethren have always had in view since the coming of "our enemies" ino Utah. |