Show ECONOMY AND EDUCATION EDITOR THE STANDARD many thanks for kindly my article in your paper the little pleasantries you indulge in in reference to myself are so common to newspaper men that they are always taken as a matter alter we all have our say people will take the measure of men and motives and generally get pretty close to the truth in the end taking the risk of again being accused of trying to make political capital for myself I 1 ask yon to kindie do a little figuring for me yov eay the republicans did not wish to increase the taxes of the territory and the country members in order to conciliate the bait lake people and to save the territory from additional taxes made the territorial and school tax each 2 mills what I 1 want to know is how the peoli maintain their present status of tree schools on ai mills when many of our country schools are now closing for want of funds to cabry them on under a 3 mill the 3 mill tax from the general tax arid an option of 2 mills by the counties cave a total of 5 mills for public school purposes under the measure as you give it 21 mills from the general tax and the 2 mill option by counties would only give 4 mills for public school purposes a diminution of one sixth of tho school revenue for the entire territory how then could the efficiency of the free school system be maintained without the people voluntarily taxed themselves to cover the deficit if they did si tax themselves to cover the deficit would not they be paying 6 mills instead of mills turn which way we will did it not mean an increase of taxes in the territory or less schooling cho oling for our children and which mr editor do you think the good people of utah would prefer if the 2 mills were necessary for the running expenses of alie government for the ensuing two years and it so appeared who is there that would want to stop short of paying our legitimate expenses and at the same time maintain our present school system on its present high plain the record of the last legislature is now an open book country and salt lake members alike are seen iu it yours etc JOHN SEAMAN oar friend seaman evidently wants TUB to come oat against the school tax but we decline THE STANDARD has persistently and constantly advocated the 3 mill school tax john seamon knows this why then docs he ask THE STANDARD to figure out the other side of that proposition we do not care to burden ourselves w th a proposition which our sectional not opponents alone claimed was just how cutel the lion john seaman puts it he fays under the a you give it ta mills from the general tar etc now is that tho way THE STANDARD gives it can you truthfully say that THE STANDARD ever favored a 2 mill tax then why do you try in a public letter 10 place THE STANDARD in that position did you think that the STANDARD just for the sake of argument would jump into the trap prepared br you then you were trying to make a little political capital for yourself and party now if you desire to discuss the wisdom of making a reduction in the school tax at this time we are ready and willing to proceed but it must be witt the ex press understand lne that THE STANDARDS position always was and still is in favor of 3 mills or a little more for the school tax and with that understanding we would just a leave flip nickels or draw cuts as to side of ahn question we take boch sides have merit and can no doubt austain a fair argument while we believe that each child should have at least nine in the year yet we are willing to believe that the people would prefer tor a year or two to cut the nine months schooling down to six or even five months in preference to having the taxes increased and the home that shelters the little ones sold beneath the auctioneers tio hammer there ts no politics in a proposition for the people to increase the taxes and fell themselves out of house and home if our friend thinks there Is we trust he will tell our people so this fall on the stump yes mr seaman there is a great difference in the legislature passing a law allowing each county to tax itself for lake county may be willing to pay a special school tax under fhe could do so hut box elder county anda other counties which have been cleaned out by grasshoppers or oiher causes find that their people could not pay a tax and if the tax were levied would loose their home these counties could vote in favor of the tax or not just as they wished hut if the legislature levied a tax then tall the poor counties would have to pay or lose their homes therefore the utah legislature hesitated about levying a 3 mill school tax and raisins alie territorial tax over 2 mills they saw mr seaman admit that alie 2 mills was not enough for territorial par poses they did not wish to decrease the school tax they did not w bah iah to make the peoples taxes heavier what was to be done they decided to reduce the school tax mill and add that to the territorial tax and allow each county to make a mill or more if they wished seaman says it does not mako any difference who makes the tax of THE STANDARD believes the people would willingly have paid a half mill more but o aws the legislature thought different and we abide by the result TUB did all it could to aavo the school tax and V are pleased to say we were successful even if it icek a democratic governors assistance governor west saw fit to take STANDARD advice on this matter and if other democrats will follow ault the school tax will be forever maintained |