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Show H A COLD STORAGE LEGISLATURE. Wk From llll' happenings in high democratic circles it is the Wm apparent intention of the democratic bosses to make the coming f f legislature a cold storage affair. It is hard to conceive pf a Leg- R lslature without ability or backbone, yet the democratic bosses are attempting to make the coming ona a gathering of that kind. Tkt question is the membership of the coming session void of ability, initiative, and backbone is being daily asked. Time will only tell and in the meantime the people will look on with daily interest. Every paper brings an account of some new committee that is meeting to frame some law to hand to the lawmakers with instructions in-structions to vote its passage. There is the prohibition bill, the ' initiative and referendum, the public utilities, the corrupt practices, and a score of others all being prepared by the bosses, or their representatives or assigns, ready to be turned over to a servile crew of underlings to attach the stamp of approval. But amidst the mass of bills in preparation 'no one has heard of a single bill that is intended to lighten the burden of taxation from the people, and if all these other matters arc of such extreme importance it would : appear that if the Governor clccf is going to carry out his campaign pledges in the matter of reduction of taxes it is time some one was getting busy. Don't misunderstand us. Wc arc not criticising, for the last campaign demonstrated the fact that- officials must not be criticised. criti-cised. We have no objection to the course being taken, but we should like to be instrumental in assisting to alleviate the burden of taxation, and wc invite the Cache County representatives to the careful consideration of the matter involved in one of the defeated defeat-ed amendments at the last election. The Board of Equalization charges that the mines defeated the amendment through the "expenditure "ex-penditure of a large sum of money," and by "gross and malicious misrepresentation." Will the. coming session of the Legislature investigate this charge? Will the coming session handle this matter mat-ter so that the mines will not be in the preferred class, while the people are but "common stock?" Has any one heard of any committee com-mittee being appointed to handle this most important matter? Senator J. W. Funk supported the defeated amendment. He knows full well the injustice present conditions in the matter of the assessment as-sessment of mines works upon every other class of taxpayers. Senator Funk will be signally honored in the State Senate and will be in a position to rectify present unequal conditions, and it is to be hoped that Representatives Cardon, Smith and Jones will join with him in this important matter. Think of a condition wherein producing mines pay taxes on the net proceeds only, while every other class of taxpayers pay on valuations from five to ten times their net proceeds, and then wonder why the bosses do not appoint a committee to draft a bill to hand to the coming session of the legislature to pass in alleviation of this unjust, unfair, and unwarranted un-warranted condition. Throughout the campaign just closed practically every newspaper news-paper throughout the state was against the amendment, at least wc have not heard of one that came out for it, and exposed the injustice in-justice present conditions impose upon the people through the preferential constitutional rights granted the mines, except this paper. If there is one other we shall be glad to be advised in order that the people may be advised. As we stood then so we stand now for the same law for all, for favors to none, and for a just and rigid equality throughout the state. |