Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-02-03
UTAH's OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
particulars of the issuing OF a Ger
tificate OF election to Allen a. Camp
bell! Gentle. apostle cannon being
Ineligible
Salt Lake Citv. Utah. s lS8

tificate OF election to lien q. Camp
neii semitic. apostle cannon bein z
ineligible.
Salt Lake City, Utah. s, 1881.
When the returns ofthe late election for
delegate in Congress were canvassed by
Secretary Thomas in December, the
Gentle candidate, Allen Ct. Campbell,
filed paper with Governor Murray
protesting against the issue of Ger.
tificate of election to Apostle Cannon,
although it appeared that he had a
large majority Of the votes cast, on the
ground, among others, that he is not a
citizen Of United States, and, being a
polygamist, is not capable Of becom-
ing n citizen in good faith. These facts
had long been notorious, and there
fore the votes cast for Cannon at said
election must be held void. He Cam
bell), being the only eligible candidate
running at said election, must have
been elected, and the Governors GER
tificate should be issued accordingly.
Cannon's reply, in which he claims
that he was natuIalized in due and
legal from twenty-six years ago and
that if the were polygamist, as charg-
ed by Campbell, it would not disqualify
him for the office Of delegate, was file d
with Governor Murray yesterday. There
upon the case was argued at length
before the Governor by counsel for the
respective parties. 1t was shown by
a copy of the actual record of the
court in which Cannon claims to have
been naturalized, properly certified by
the clerk of said court, that on the day
when Cannon claims to have been ma
turalized no such naturalization procee-
dings took place. The clerk also tes-
tilted, under his seal, that from the or.
ganization of the court until the pre-
sent time, he having examined them
carefully, he was unable to find any
record in any of said records of the
naturalization of George Q. Cannon.
The pretended certificate relied upon
by Cannon does not purport to be an
examplitication of any record of any
court of record, and is, therefore, void
on its face; no such record of the ma
turaization of Cannon in open court
signed by the Judge exists, and the
Naturalization act in force at that time
makes such record the only proof of
the fact, without which. the statute
says, the party shall not be deemed to
be n citizen. 1t was argued by Can
mons counsel that if all this were true
the Governor was not authorized to
take cognizancc Oft. 1t should be left
to the House of Representatives. The
Governor did not take that view of it.
The act of Congress organizing Utah
says the Governor shall declare the
person who received the greatest num-
Der of votes duly elected, and shall
certify accordingly. An act of Congress,
approved June s, 1872, provided that
no person shall be capable of voting or
of holding office in any Territory who
is not Il citizen Of the United States.
excluding such as had merely declared
their int ations to become such.
The Governor held that this action
of Congress and of the Territory bound
him to take cOgnizance of the fact, which
he considered established, that Cannon
is an alien, and is therefore ineligible
to hold the office Of delegate. Under
other circumstances, says the Cover
nor in his ruling; Cannon might be-
come naturalized berore his term of
Office begins; but it is charged by
Campbell, and not denied by Cannon,
that the latter is living in violation of
the law of 1862 making polygamy a
felony, and cannot therefore be well dis
posed to ward the government of the
United States, not being a citizen and
being incapable from his profession
and manner of life Of taking the oath
of naturalization in good faith; and
these facts having been notorious for
years, it follows that the votes cast for
him as delegate are lost; and Allen G.
Campbell being the persona citizen
of the United States and possessing
all the other necessary qualifications
whe received the greatest number of
votes at said election, the Governor is
bound 10y the law to declare said Camp
bell duly el ccted and to certify accord
ingly. The Governor awarded the
certificate of election to Allen e..
Campbell this morning, and immedia-
tel left Salt Lake, bound to Louis
vile, Ky, on important business, which
he has postponed several days that he
might hear argument and decide on
this question.