Show THE SCHOOL TAX THE following appeared in the ogden standard of february 20 as a part of its report of the proceedings of the legislature the article in the DESERET NEWS relating t to free schools has awakened much discussion among the members one member stated yesterday that free schools ought to be established throughout the territory if any county iw wealthier than its neighbors it is because other counties have con tri buted to its wealth and therefore it should justly bear its share of the public burden the arg ei on the point that where taxes are levied the benefits should be illy distributed and where wealthy counties paid more chan they received in return in benefits accrued poorer counties received more than they had pai paid J and the tax thus became unjust if this applies to the territorial tax it applies to the county tax for the districts of the county bear the same relation to it that counties bear to the territory on the same principle a man residing in a school district who has no children and pays 26 in taxes has been unjustly taxed as compared with a citizen havin having several children of school age atil and paying a tax of but 10 again if this principle apply salt lake county should alone pay for the erection of stata state buildings whereas the fact is that the remotest county has bag to contribute to such erection yet will it be said that the county in which such buildings are erected does ilot not directly get a greater benefit and increase in wealth I 1 ban other cities that point cannot be disputed if then the poorer counties assist in enriching salt lake county countr why should not salt lake county justly contribute of such increased wealth to the support of schools in poorer counties I 1 fall fail to see bee the logic of the NEWS argument ent if the argument of the news means anything it means that the support of free schools by taxation is illegal at least I 1 can see no other meaning in its statement that if the territorial school tax shall be permitted to remain at ac three mills the people cleof of all the counties will probably submit without very great complaint but an attempt to double the burden borne bya by a few counties to the profit of the rest iek will certainly meet with resistance the NEWS has not opposed the establishment of free schools it has hag merely disapproved of a certain method by which it has been proposed to accomplish that end A school is a neighborhood affair to a great extent and that circle over which is radiated its immediate benefits should contribute to its support but as those benefits extend beyond the school district into the county it is proper that the county also should aid in its main cenance te nance and as the territory has varied and vital interests dependent upon the 1 intelligence of its citizens it is proper that a territorial school tax should be collected the amount to be paid by the territory must of necessity be fixed buethe but the amount to be contributed by the county and school district re ively should be determined within certain limits fixed by law upon a principle of local option upon this plan such counties and school districts as desire may have free schools while such as prefer to have a portion of the cost of a education paid f in the form of a tuition fee may adopt that plan this is 18 the truly democratic theory the statement that if any coun ty is wealthier than its neighbors it is because other counties have contributed to its wealth and there fore that it should justly bear its share of the public burden la Is fallacious and misleading as here used the fact is much of the wealth found in the poorer counties has been contributed by the richer ones by migration and overflow and the claim of those poorer counties upon the richer ones for sufficient means to defray the greater part of the cost of schools in the former does not appear to us to be founded in jus tice why not ask the richer counties to pay most of the expense for roads bridges prosecuting criminals etc ate in the poorer ones A three mill territorial tax will probably pay about one half the cost of maintaining district schools in most of the outlying counties this ehte is giving a great deal to them from the wealthier ones and the other halt half of the burden should he borne locally it is we believe a fact that there are fewer families proportionately in the outlying counties who are really poor than in the wealthier ones the population of the former almost universally own the homes they occupy and have constant employment by which they them earn a livelihood for the richer counties to be taxed to give them free ft ee schools is not equitable anid and will appear still less so when it to Is remembered that when the rich counties pay a tax high enough to 40 provide free schools in the poor poorer r ones they are themselves without free schools the reason for this to la that it costs a great deal more tin in the richer counties to maintain schools than it does in the poorer poorer onell onee the illustration of a man havi bavido pig no children who pays 25 to sup support a school while the man who h ha s several children pays but 10 d dos not the point the N NEVIS a waa not objecting to a conditto condition which exists but was objecting tota toa doubling process under which ti tike first would have to pay 60 50 and toe tle other 20 the state building I 1 allne inq lp is also fallacious taht structure when built will alx lx belong louir to the territory as a whole and each county will sharland share and share alike proportionately in its use it will not add to the wealth of this city nor this county for it will not be taxable the NEWS is willing that salt lake county should contribute towards the support of schools in poorer counties but not beyond a certain limit to tax this county to a degree which would give the poorer counties free schools while it went without them would be passing that limit the statement that if the ment of the NEWS means anything it means that the support of free schools by taxation is illegal is misleading it depends upon the manner in which the revenue ts is raised if the method is one which flagrantly discriminates in the division of burdens and benefits it would be illegal but if the burdens and benefits were equitably adjusted I 1 it would not be free schools might lawfully JaW fully be maintained by a territorial county aud and district tax combined justly and reasonably proportioned but the legality of a territorial tax which would he be sufficient to maintain free schools in most of the c unties but insufficient to accomplish com that result in the counties counti es burring the greatest proportion of the burden would be open to serious question for this reason we believe A a territorial tax of six mills mill would be unlawful al |