| Show written tor for this paper COUNTY WARRANTS SALT BALT LAKE CITY february 18 1896 I 1 was surprised to learn from the dif di ot of house bill 64 validating certain cartain excess county there exists any real opposition to a bill so eo eminently just juel and honorable from the tb remarks of the opponent of the bill it la 19 apparent that this appo exists not dot because any member favors repudiation of just and honorable obligations but because they brid not either a clear understanding of the purport of the bill or of the circum atances leading to this indebtedness or excess of the debt limit antil the decision de clelen of the supreme court rendered february in a friendly suit euit instituted for the sole bole pur oss of determining what was the debt F bo honestly nestly differed in their inmei IOD ot of the low jaw the me court fixed the limit at and declared that bat when it reaches reauben thin limit the power to contract further indebtedness cesmes it if this indebtedness indebted nees or obligation was not created until the warrants were actually drawn it would be a comparatively eary eacy matter to determine when thin tate limit was waa reached as the outstanding warrants did not dot excer this amount until the aidule of desomber december 1894 and within this view all warrants war ranie drawn prior to Decem bir 1894 are legal this was wae the generally accepted opinion at the time and alu also the ion ot of tile the supreme court since question of of ef contract wao wan not then raised but on january ath 1896 injunction proceedings proceed loga were brought against W P lyan county treasurer rest restraining him from paying any war ranta issued after may 1894 upon the ground that contractor were made and indebted new created prior to may 1894 but for the payment of 01 which warrants war rante were do aut drawn until after dee dec 1694 sad and holding that bees war warrants rante ai though issued otter alter the debt limit wa removed were issued in payment ot 01 contracts COL tract tracts entered into before the limit woo wa reached ht acu should take precedence twenty five thousand dollars la Is now in the hands of the treasurer on which the county to IB paying 8 per par cent in pening pending a decision on this pa point tilt I 1 be general opinion among attorney b that priority ut of contracts acte takes takee precedence and if this point prevails ther is ia not dot a of the ile legislature who without several days aloo can separates parate Be tei the legal from the illegal warrants war rante it is ie alto alco apparent it if priority of con COD tract faaea I 1 that all indebtedness incurred during the last six eix months of 1894 and possibly mitat incurred during the last laet seven month wag waa absolutely illegal and void tul thit includes include all salaries of county from the sel to the abe janitor jan jani itoi too all let inclined arted for the maintenance of 0 roada roalf for or care of support of the poor faim day work done upon the city and county burldine buil dine imp plies lles furnished urn lebed all departments and every expense and indebtedness whatever incurred after debts amounting to had baa been incurred prior to the decision of the supreme court salt bait lake county warrants were accepted at par ny by all our merchants and in a dozen disen different windows hung the words we uphold abe credit ol of salt ball like lake county and take county warrants at par it cannot be claimed that the offices cece and employee emp loyes working for the county and the merchants furnis furnishing hint supplies knew or had bad reason to to the decision of the supreme court that the county had bad no authority to pay for services or to pay for the cup up plies furnished furnis hed during the last low few months of 1894 much less lees can it be claimed that those i ure basing basnig warrants and paying from 97 cents to 10 par for them considered them in the least questionable especially as they knew the county bad received full value for the amount re presen ed ad by the warrants warrant and ir in ID avy ary case and it Is IB probable there are the county C uday did not receive lull value for or the amounts represented by bj the warrants war rante the bill now dow before the house does not prevent but directly authorizes the county to refuse payment of such warrants for years we as utah citizens have been mh Judged by a larnce large portion ol 01 the misinformed east bast our sincerity and integrity quest questioned loved and our motives only during the t ast aei few years have they come to a true understanding of our people and render us impartial judgment shall we now then just alter after entering the sisterhood of stater at the first session oett sion of legislature even be fore star ornaments the blue 0 the he american btag shall we by our wn act by acknowledging full con aeration de ration and aad to pay tor for 11 oy repudiation of our just and equitable obligations bring down upon us the just criticism and cei sure of every honest heart and compel every citizen of utah and ana every friend who bat ba championed her bar cause to being bang bis bib bead in shame as U labs lab s flu ancla credit Is disc disgusted B R L tracy |
