The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-03-14
THE LEGISLATURE.

LIE HERALD LIDS uUbuiDS Va
kind words for the members of tn
Legislature whose brief term o
Office will prob bly, close before thi
Issue is off the press. Soon after tn
passage by Congress of the Edmund
bill the people and press entered
upon q discussion of the timex
Legislature" A. large majority Of
the old members. who had served
the Territory so long as law makers
were declared ineligible by that act
and for the first time in the history
Of Utah 1t became necessary to select
men against whom the disqualified.
ton of polygamy did not run. A
"new deaP' was required. The re-
suit was the election largely
OF young or middle aged
men, whereas in previous
assemblies gray hairs have predomi
mated. People outside OF Utah en-
tertained various views as to the
probable outcome of the nav de-
parture. Some declared ravolu-
ton would result; others tina. the
Assem- bly, would be character zad by
either the subserviency crlthe str.
pidity Iof the members; and stin
others that matters would run al ng
in the old way. nobody being liable
to note any difference in the man.
ner of doing things or in the charac
ter Of the work done. Who Of these
prophets and critics were right? We
think they were all Ia error with
their estimates and predictions. 1t
is no reflection upon the Asse nbly
to say that it was not the equal of
some Of its predecessors in points of
legislative ability and experience.
Some of The pastL legislatures CT Utah
have comprised among their mem>
bership men who would rank in
front with the statesmen and wise
law makers of any country. The
present Assembly, however, is not
lacking in ability or wisdom, and if
it were slow in the start III getting
down to systematic and profitable
work, 1t was wholly through lack of
experience. AS soon as they had
gotten into the way of doing Things,
and the neWness Of the situation
he'd worn off, they went to work
with an earnestness and determine
tion that were creditable, and which
they maintained to the end without
tagging.
We have been told all along that
much depended upon the Legisla-
ture-that everything. in fact, de-
Yolvsd upon it; that the lawmakers
had it in their power to save or
wreck the community; to dlsorgan-
ize society or bring peace and happi
ness to the people; to cure evils or
invite new ones; to drive back
dangers or call down storm. All
this was simply nonsense, but so
much importance was given to the |
talk that It placed the Legislature
in a wrong, not to say unfair light |
before the country, and some sctu-
ally thought that the solution
of intricate social and religious
questions, and, in fact, the
destiny of the Territory was with
the Legislature. The Assembly has
manifested its wisdom and good
sense by refusing to be misled by
any such twaddle. at the opening
of the session THE HERALD was ua-
able to discover any extraordinary
duty devolving upon the Legislature,
and during the session 1t has failed
to note the remarkable importancel
Of work demanding atte1 ton at the
hands of the Assembly. Editors,
preachers and statesmen have gone
astray IN assuming that the duty Of
this Legislature was political,
whereas 1t was simply and
plainly legislative, There was
little that was political for it tol
do, or that it could do in Justice to y
Its own members and the people
The point upon which we wish to
compliment the Assembly is that
It did not stray from its duty, but
went along enacting good and wisel
laws for the government and pro- Il
lection Of the people and the preser.
Vation Of their rights of person and ,
We want to congratulate
he members upon the fact that
hey were able amid the din and
latter to see their pathway clearly =