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Show I He Urges t he Peoplo to Vote Fol State Capitol Building on June 8. CRITICISES EFFORT TO TAKE IT ELSEWHERE Site Is Permanently Fixed by flic Enabling 'Ad Land II Governor Spry issued a statement Saturday urging I ho entire stalo to I support the proposition to add one null lo the tax levy for fifteen successive I years lo erect a state eapitol build- ins. which is lo be voted on .luuc b. Tho statement, after alluding to tho Ogdon clamor for the erection oi Hie eapitol building tliero points out, that i i he silo is permanently fixed here un- : dor the enabling act; land grant of July 1(5, IS'.M, to the stale. To change the site non- might jeopardize this gran I, il i pointed out. The statement, which is us follows, also sets out Salt Lake county's unquestioned right lo the lo-V lo-V cation of the slate capital hero: E "On June S there will be submitted io the people of tho stato a question ques-tion which I regard as one ot nioPt vital business importance, Shall the state proceed to erect a cnpitol build-i build-i ing? I "The question is one into which par- tisanship docs not enter, hi which pol ities is not a factor, and. into which factionalism should not be injected. It r is, stricllv and solely a business pron- ! osilion, submitted to tho stale s stoclc- '' holders tho properly owners mvolv- ing a question as to whether thoy do- t1 sire to continue lo transact tho nt- ; fairs of stato as tennnls-in-common t with tho local governments of bait - Lake Cilv and county, and numoroua ( owners of Salt Lake business blocks, II at enormous yearly rentals with moa- vr and absolutely inadequate . ueeom- i nuidations; or whether, in keeping with I ho practice of tho other slates of the union, ihov will provide (ii:irters for i tho various branrhes of si ale guv- ; crnmont, for tho dignii'-ed and oxpedi- ! lions iraiibaction of the state's busi- i aiehs. It, unfair . Agnation, "Tho .-igitalion in a certain quarter 3 for the removal of the state eapitol ' at this time is. irrevolanl, unjust and I unfair. The location of the oapitol of J Utah is definitely aud finally settled. 'i "Section 7 of the enabling act of A Julv JG. IS'.M, provides: That upon i the admission of the said slate (Utah) ! to the union, in accordance with Iho 1 provisions oC (his act, one hundred sections of the unappropriated lands H within Iho said state, to be selected and located in subdivisions as provided in section l! of this act shall be. and are hereby, granted io said stato for the purpose of erecting public buildings at I he capital of said state, when per-mauenlly per-mauenlly located, for legislative, executive exec-utive and judicial purposes "Tho question of tho location of the slalo eapitol was exhaustively disci. dis-ci. ss-od in the constitutional convention and was definitely and finally settled under I he provisions of section i! of iirticlo I!) of the constitution, which permanently locates the seat of government gov-ernment at Fait Lake City. ".Section .1 of article 22 of Ihc -constitution further provides: ''.All lands of (he stale that have been, or may 1'i-reaftor be, granted to the state by i'rngros. and all lands acquired by gift, gr:ii. or device, from any person or cmporaliou, or that may lie. otherwise qiiired, are hereby accepted, and do-(laiod do-(laiod to- In l!ie puUie lands of tho stale, and shall lift held in trust for the jeupio, to be disposed of as may be provided by law. for the respective purposes for which Ihey have been or May be. grunted, donated, devised or otherwise acquired.' The constitution- I ;il convention fixed the eapitol mIc per- u'aiiently at Salt Lake City. Doing this, they complied wilh the condition of the land grant of tho enabling act, and, al-:eadv al-:eadv the state has selected of the G-i,OuO acros granted by congress 02,730 acres. I Without Foundation. "The argument that Salt Lake county coun-ty exhibits a voracious disposition in the matter of appropriations at; tho hands of tho legislature is without foundation foun-dation of truth. As a matter of information. infor-mation. I may state that, eliminating the assessed valuation of railroads, tcl-agrapb, tcl-agrapb, telephone, express and car companies and net proceeds of mines, the total assessed valuation of Iho stale, outside of Salt Lake count v, was, in round figures, sf:72,21u.'j:!); while Salt Lake, county was assessed ou its real estate;, improvements and personal properly, exclusive of railroad pro-crt3', pro-crt3', etc., approximately $571115,02:1, oi about 63 per cent as much as ihc entire en-tire staie, outside of Salt Lake county. "On a like comparative statement, the next largest county in point of assessment as-sessment paid on a basis of about JO per cent on the entire assessed valuation valua-tion of the state, and notwithstanding. this fact, this same county Teccived ap-proximately ap-proximately IS per cent of the total appropriations by tho legislature for state institution?. "The fact is that a legislature, com-posed com-posed of men representing every sec-lion sec-lion of the state, familiar with the con-ili con-ili t ions under which Die slate conducts its business, posted thoroughly on the financial condition of the stato and her people, deemed the time opportune for a definite move toward the erection of a eapitol building. A careful investi-gation investi-gation of the provisions of the law, the necessities of the situation, and the condition of the state's finances, result-ad result-ad in the enactment of four measures, ur.dor Iho provisions of which the Btalo may, with great expedition, pro-eeed pro-eeed lo the accomplishment of the end desired. Under the plan formulated the scheme could not be carried out without each of t he several measures becoming law; aud the burden lo the people was lightly distributed over a period of fifteen years. Certainly the legislature was fully convinced of iho urgent necessity for tho erection of a :at)itoI building. "Tho United Slates government is ' rapidly making provision for tho hous-ing hous-ing of the postofiices aud its admiuis-tralivu admiuis-tralivu o (lice is in tho various states in H modern, convenient aud imposiug build- H iugs. This is significant. The modern tondoucy is toward centralisation in H Iho management of all lines of business. HH The administration of the all'airs of the stato of Utah involves the handling of HH business along exactly the name lino.s 1 that arc employed in 'the successful di- B recting of the aii'airs of any business H instilution. Under the i)reseutiirrnnuc- H in out this is au absolute impossibility. H "Beginning with the legi.s!uture, H Much is biennially convened at the seat of government, and continuing through every co-ordinate braneh of slate governiiiul. the accommodations are entirely inadequate to the growing grow-ing demands of Ihe state. "The scattered location of stato officers of-ficers renders tho transaction of business busi-ness slow and cumbersome, and the ever-increasing volume of business transacted makes it imperative i hat-proper hat-proper accommodations be afforded for its speed' transaction. "State' pride is a factor which cannot can-not be overlooked. Our sister states, many of them less financially able to undertake tho construction of eapitol buildings than Utah, now have imposing impos-ing and stalely buildings. "Utah has taken a position in the foreranks of the progressive younger slates of the union, in the maintenance of which the possession of a state eapitol eap-itol is important. "Without fear of successful contradiction, contra-diction, I make tho assertion that Utah has one of the most commanding and magnificent capilol sites (o be found in the United States. These grounds have been lying idle while the state has been playing the role of a tenant. Architects of national reputation, who have been over the eapitol site, declare de-clare that it lends itself most admirably admir-ably to wonderful architectural treatment. treat-ment. "Utah has varied resources in building build-ing materials, and I would like to see a eapitol building constructed of homo products, as far as possible, and the thought has occurred that tho various counties of tho state could be rcprc" sented in the. building each by its special spe-cial product. "Let the entire slalo work together for a capilol buildiuc." |