The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-03
LATEST TELEGRAMS,
GOV. RAMSEY
Gives His Views OF the Issue
in Utah. and Thinks Poiy
gRmy VIII; Becsmc
0dfOus

st. Paul, 2.--In an interview with
Gov. Ramsey, chairman of the Utah
Commission, who has just returned
from Salt Lake City, he says: s.The
only thing we had TO do was to sep
arate polygamists from lawful
voters, and that we accom- plished at
an early day. After the arrival of
the Commission leading polyganists
came and said that they desired to
assure US that they would make no
attempt to be registered, nor would
they make any attempt to vote, and
do all in their power to assist us in
general way. / think they kept
their word. In fact, the Mormons
conducted themselves fairly, so far
as we could learn. There had been
some talk about the DELAY
in the work of the Com.
mission, but it must be re-
membered that an appropriation
for the work was not passed by Con-
gress until just before its adjourn
ment in August, and we were
obliged to await that action. We
began work as quickly as we could
and we have, besides completing the
registration, appointed Il county
registrar in each of the twenty-four
counties of Utah and selected a
registrar for each voting precinct,
making about six hundred judges.
Now, with regard to these appoint
ments, there has beena good deal of
nonsense in the papers about the
Commission favoring the Mormons.
While there are whole counties
where none but Mormons reside,
and as the law intended to make
polygamy OdiOus aid does not dis
franchise non-polygamist Nor
mons, we could not do other
wise while the law does recog-
nize that class. So far as the
elections are concerned, they will
of course, be carried by the Nor
mons. The politics of Utah are not
represented in any degree by the
parties, republicans and democrats,
| but by liberals, composed of the en-
tire auti-Mormon class and the PEG
pies party, as Mormcns delight 10
style themselves. Of course, the
Mormon vote, which is at least two
and one-half to one Gentle, will
elect the delegate to Congress and
pOlygamists, knowing that their man
and officers generally will be chosen
can well afford to acquiesce in theiI
own disfranehisement. | heard il
said that the present mayor (record
er , Of Salt Lake City, Mr.. Game,
stood a good show for the Mormon
nomination and election. What
will be the general effect of the law
as it pertains to elections? 1t will
take pretty nearly all OF the first
class and the wealthiest men of the
Mormon Church out of politics anG
make polygamy odious, especially
to the rising generation, who will
dislike to be disfranchised on az
irving at their majority. Old fel.
lows, now thrown out, will be looked
upon by many as martyrs, and, in
fact, so consider themselves already
As far as general effect is concerned
it cannot now be determined what
| that will be, for it is, of course, an
experiment. The disfEanchisement
of polygamists will certainly deter
ambitious young men from too much
marrying. The Gentle people hope
and desire to secure a legislative
commission, which shall have full
control of the government of the
| Territory, and they claim that TN
derlSuch a commission everything
will be all right. l found the polyg
amist element located very largely
in the rural districts, among the les:
intelligent classes.