The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-09-16
Public Opinion on the Subject
The Effect mud Force Of the
Arguments.
Judge Mcbride Not Held in Too
High Esteem.

D
" ere disappointed. In answer 70 q
! question. the Judge stated that ne
would deliver his opinion at 1C
o'clock this morning the hour IL
which the court opens. The atten-
ton Of the Judge was then directed
to additional authorities on both
sides Of the qUestiop-cOuDsel on
| either SIDE OF the case having agreed
| to do O,With the consent of the court
The debate On Thursday vas the
subject Of a great deal Of comment
en- Friday, and while it is impoS-
sible to imagine what the decision
will be, quite a number Of lawyers
have expressed the nqnalified
opinion that the law was In favor
Of the right of the Territorial Legis-
lature TO grant the elective fran
chisa 70 women. It was generally
regretted that the subject was not
| discussed at greater length, Us cOun-
sci on behalf Of the People left I'M
said many things which bore on the
subject with considerable weight.
The fault, however, was not so
much on the time as with the num-
Der of persons who spoke on the
defending side. Mr.. Richards, Of
| Ogden, who came down here
with two cases, when he
heard thai his side had but two
hours, yielded his time to his
colleague. Considerable criticism
has been called out by the remarks
OF Judge McBride particularly i'll
the closing, and by some Of Judge
Sutheriand's in the opening. The
closing, it is said, was q political
address, rather than q legal aTgu-
ment. The assertion Of both these
lawyers, that tie TeTritOrialLegisia-
lure wiIfully intended-when pass
ing that clause which says that the
wives, widows and daughters" Of
naturalized citizens shall be allowed
to VCCe-t0 admit "a horde Of un-
lawful grEer5 was quite generally
commented upon. Inc assertion Ji
Judge McBTCe and also of JUICE
Sutherland, was that it did not re-
Q1iTe that they sh0u,d oc q Years
Of age in order Ia VOle. but
that aD1 person coming under
that he3oil3> could vote OF
what NJ age, MS His) = subject o.
much remark. Ia referring to
this Cul. Merritt said that by The
rules of construction 'here VS. no
question As % the ~; entiOu Ot the
Leg j, azure. and That Il fair and
just reading nf The law Itself u oUld
show the Legislature intended that
wives, widows and daughters should
be Of The presCTi bed age, before they
could be gu lliied voters The
vehement declarations by Judge
Mcbride in his position that the
| wIfui intent OF the Legislature
was to admit a "hOrds" Of Illegal
voters, is particularly what is
Objectionable, and even members Of
his own party refer 20 this assertion
as being without any show of reason
and absurd on its face. The law
itself retutes the assertion, aud the
condition Of the Territory at that
time supports this refutatiOn. AS
now" said one Liberal gentleman,
"the Peoples party were in the ma
jOrity. only a great deal more SO.
There was rot q cOTpOrals guard,
comparatively speaking, on the OPP
posite side. and the Legislature
could have no earthly or
unearthly object ia wilfully
making a law to admit q
''hOrde" Of Illegal voters. The
most pronounced thief must have
soma object in committing theft.
but here these men insist that the
Legislature. for no purpose ia the
world, would commit 8 wrong.
Judge Sutherland knows bis
theory is absurd and impos
sible, and crazy as Mcbride
is on this subject, he knew that the
assertion ne made with such aston
ishing vehemence, was without
foundation in fact, and without a
shadow of reason"
al am not surprised at Mcbride,
because he will take unfair advan-
tages,' said a lawyer Oh Friday.
HE has a reputation for it; but his
tWaddie about ais interviews with
Senators Edmunds and Window on
the Edmunds bill, aud his declara-
tons about the horde Of illegal
voters, were more suited to poll
tician who is not particular what
he SAYS, so long as he is successful,
rather than to a lawyer who is en-
gagged in tie discussion Of grave
and a solemn question"
There IS no doubt but the
idea Of the Liberals is that it will
be a matter of great benefit to them
in their political fight to have the
right OF suffrage to women declared
/ Illegal. The question has never
been called up because of any wrong
| the operation of the act was work
ing; it is purely and undeniably a
/ political trick. Of course, if the
law is illegal, it is right that it
should be SO declared, but it never
can be as bad as the motives that
have led to the testing of its valid
| ity. Even should it be declared in
vslid-though lawyers say there Is
no question Of its Yalidity-the sat
/ isfactiOn viii be a grim one, for the
male voters OF the Peoples party
will OUtyote their opponents ut the
rate OF about FIVE TO one; and take
it all through, there would practI-
calV ha no chSO0p