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Show aliove the influence of party politics poli-tics when considering questions of ill-cut public importance like this one a question that men of all political faiths miijht view independent of their political affiliations. Respectfully, A. O. SHOOT. County Commissioner. SMOOT MAKES i NEW ANSWER I ; Decries Fact that Commis-, Commis-, sioners Refuse to Allow 1 Resolution in Minutes ' 1 Dcnr Mr. Editor : With further reference to my ar-- ar-- 1 tide of a few days ago, to which Commissioners Gardner and Matley 1 and Assessor Hawkins makes reply, I would like to draw attention to the fact that they absolutely ignored 1 the question raised in my article, ' i. e., Why did Mr. Gardner and Mr. ! Malley refuse me the right to record 1 my true position on litis very im- ' , portant tax question and why do ' they refuse me the privilege they ' '' demand for themselves of spreading 1 . my resolutions upon the minutes of 1 the commission, unless the contents :.! thereof agrees with their views? i If we have reached a period in this country when the rights of a public official are to he disregarded j., . and our official records left incom-,! incom-,! plete by reason of the autocratic action of those with whom that of- ; ficial is called to serve in like ! . capacity, then it is high time these gentlemen be reminded that they derive their power from the same source that does the official whom ' thev arbitrarily seek to muffle. commissioners it was not shown that It was a matter of equalizing the j values of the farm lands out side the eooprate limits with those inside i the limits of cities and towns audi these men know what I s;iy is true. ; On the contrary Commissioner Card-; ner assured me he would ask for a resetting of the board for the pur-1 pese of reducing the farm land values val-ues within the limits of cities and towns, if I would vote with them on the question as covered in their motion, mo-tion, hut I contended that we should immediate action while the matter was in our hands. If it is a matter of equalization, why were the farmers not granted relief in 1023 when they were taxed the heaviest in the history of Utah county? If it were a matter of equalization then rnese farmers were most shamefully imposed upon in 1023 by reason of the delayed ! action and I am sure such inequality (was never brought to my attention by anybody in 1023 or in 192-1 until after the action in question was (taken by our commission. If 'the article signed by Commissioners Commis-sioners Gardner and Matley conveys their true position ou this matter, then their action aws not in answer to the farmers who, by reasons of 1 the depreciation of their lands, ask- ed for relief at the hands of the . commission and the matter of equalization equal-ization was del'nyed for at least a ! year or two much to the detriment i of these farmers responsibility for I which the commission and the assessor as-sessor must shoulder. I want to It is every man's right to view j these public questions as he chooses, ' : but no man, or set of men, have a ' ' right to deny others expression 1 dimply because of some difference of : : opinion and applies especially to ' public officials and the record they : make. I have no quarrel with the other jnembers of the commission because ' -they do not agree with me on a ques tion, but I feel incenstd when I I ' am denied my rights as a public of-' of-' j ficial and I consider the action- in . 1 this case as decidedly unfair, with I out precedent and autocratic in its ' ' , nature. That is the question I raise in my , article and which they entirely ig- i nore and that to my mind is of more " importance than any other question ' that has come before the county '! commission since I have been a ' ! member of that body. . I " ! Millions have been spent for our i liberty and for the rights we enjoy j ;" as citizens in this country and I re-' re-' V ard it a serious and a dangerous V i thing to permit the autocratic action n ;i of. any public official to go unchal-1 unchal-1 V'!' lenged, especially when it involves ' J'l j ones rights as has been the case in I make it clear that my resolution Was in response to the showing made by these farmers and offered relief to all agricultural interest alike, because be-cause of the general depreciation of their property values. This should make my position clear. Another thing that is most misleading mis-leading in- rhe article signed by Com. Gardner and Matley nud Assessor As-sessor Hawkins and which I feel should not go uncallenged is the i reference to the attitude of the state ' board of equalization. I It is true that the state hoard did j not reverse the action of our commission, com-mission, but to say It met with "no complaint" at the hands of the state i board members is not true and no I body knows this better than Com-, missloners Gardner and Matley and Assessor Hawkins. I am sorry these gentlemen inject politics into this matter. I resent it as being out of place. This is not a matter of party politics and why they should raise such a question is I something I cannot understand, but it may explain why Mr. Gardner and -Mr. Matley refused to let my resolution go into the record. It is a sorry day if a public official of-ficial is to be denied his rights because be-cause of party politics. I had hoped all connected with the matter was ; i. : this instance. ' . i; L trust this is not treated lightly i by':the citizens, of the county, as it . i is a gooci.ime, it seems to me, to , i. settle once and for all the question , '. , as-to whether or not the views of T some of the commissioners are to be I :" , recorded and. others denied Tike .' : privilege. 'i ,. j ,' If the minority member is to have , ! tio voice and is to be refused the Y-, privilege of expressing -his views ! (in the record) on matters of great . 1 Importance, except when those views i ' ' conform with the majority members ! and, do away with t&e expense of f ' keeping so many commissioners on ! ' 1 1 .the pay roll. ' Now, as to the matter. discussed in I. the article which is supposed to be 1 an answer to my first article, will :, ; say that the resolution offered and : which you so kindly printed after , : the other members of the commis- , ' sion refused to let it go into the record, rec-ord, speaks for itself and shows I i '. jny position on this question very ( clearly and I would make no further ;l i reference to that part of the ques- :! , tion now if the article signed by j ; Commissioners Gardner and Matley . t 1 and Assessor Hawkins, confined it- :j i self to the facts, but since it does V ';. not. I will simply take exception to i l .same and so far as I am concerned, j. close that part of the discussion, as j I had no desire to precipitate a dis- I y cussion on taxes through the press. ; J fls such a discussion cannot, at this : ; time, change the conditions and ; j there is little good that could be de- ; r a-ived from same. First. I wish to state most em- ; i ! piratically that at the time the ac- l ,' ! tion in question was taken by the |