The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-12
REPORT
OF COMMITTEES on the Judi
clarV and the Committee
on Education
On the Governors Message.

ferred so much or the Governors
message as relates to the "Political
Situation, !" "Polygamy" and "Gov-
ernmental Action" beg leave to
submit the following report:
Were we not impelled by a sense
of duty, in justice to ourselves, our
constituents, and all upright men,
to notice this part Of the message,
we wonld gladly pursue that most
excellent and efficient policy of our
honorable and intelligent predeces-
sors, who have usually borne with
great patience and forbesrance,
treating with silent Indifference the
slanderous harangues on these sub
jects usually given at the opening
of Our Legislative Assemblies. But
the seemingly united persistence in
forcing upon Congress and a too
credulOus public, just now, false and
calumniating Misrepresentation in
regard to the matters treated upon
in His Excellency's "PolItical Stu
ation," must be our apology for de-
waiting i'll the present instance from
those wise and perhaps more digni-
fed examples Of the past.
"FO assimilate the Territory of
Utah, in so far as laws and business
are concerned, with the country of
which it is and must forever be, an
important part" is a recommends
ton we would gladly carry into
effect. We believe it always has
been zone, so far as the labors of this
body could accomplish it. The first
laws of the Territory were chiefly
copied from the statute books Of older
and more experienced states and
territories, being simply adapted and
made applicable to the wants, cir
cumstances ami location of our peo-
pie; and since then our laws have
been largely drawn from the revis-
ions Of tile States of New York, Cal
ifornia aud other states and terri
tories which command the greatest
legal scumen snd ability that the
country affords.
AS TO business, where there is any
lack or obstruction, we maintain on
the best possible authority, it is not
through the de- ire or practice of the
permanent and representative citi
zens of our Territory, but arises
from the treacherous reports of q
turbulent and INSCRIPTIONS transit
tory element who seek continually
to misrepresent the people of the
Territory, to increase and exasper-
ate the public prejudice against
them, in order to obtain inimical
legislation from Congress, and other
wise disturb the general tranquility.
Capital is sensitive, and seldom
seeks investment in the midst of
turmoil, forced or otherwise; your
committee are aware that official
tiIreatenings and the invidious NUT.
terings of self-constituted political
missionaries have made foreign
capital timid, and regret it quite as
much as His Excellency can. These
are the distractions to business and
the only ones that your committee
are conscious of. Ifit were in the
power of the Legislative Assem-.
bly, to effect the adjustment OF
such characters or to correct by le-
gal enactment those vicious misrep-
reservations, they would doubt
less most cordially cooperate
with the Executive in doing
so, with the confident belief
that such enactment, as stated
by His Excellency, "would open
wide the gates to capital and thrift,
to peaceabIe and enlarged industries
and would gladden. the homes of the
entire resident population of the
Territory" but your committee are
fearful that legislative powers in
this respect are curtailed.
The next point in the FPolitical
Situation" is che recommendation
"to secure the full blessings of
American citizenship under the
Constitution and its benign laws"
How gladly would We and our one
hundred and fifty thousand constit.
uents secure unto ourselves this
highest and most precious heritage
of our illustrious forefathers, who
maize it the proudest thing In life to
be freemen of the glorious Repub-
lie, they, under the favor Of God,
established! But sad and unTepub-
lican as it may be, this blessing is
denied us. We have sought to be
thus endowed, trying by our loyal
ty, industry and patience to deserve
it, and have offered our prayers to
those who have the power to bestow
it in freedoms name, in the name
of those who made political freedom
a possibility, but we have been I'M
answered. Let His Excellency in
dictate how these retitions may be
rendered more effective and we will
join with him in another effort to
be heard.
In regard to accepting religious
freedom from the Supreme Court,
the divinely inspired Constitution Of
the United States guarantees the
rights Of conscience, and we suppose
the various religious establishments
and denominations in the Territory
of Utah accept their religious be-
Iiefs from the throne of God sur
rounded by the courts of heaven,
and we know of no e"rthIy tribunal,
potentate or power that can right
fully declare what is or is not, or
dictate what shall or shall not be,
mems religious belief.
Upon the supremacy of the Con-
stitution, we were agreeably i'm
pressed with the beautiful rhe torical