The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-02
THE MESSAGE.


Monday, and appears in full in thi
issue Of The HERALD. It is not a grea
state paper like some ofits predecessors
and it will not 20 laundering down tn
ages" There IS nothing great abou
Mr.. Arthur, unless it be the exquisite
fit of his pantaloons or the artistic Gu
of his beard; again. there is nothing II
the present condition of the country t.
call forth great message. Circum
stances make men, as opportunities
furnish material for brilliant and able
Presidential messages. The country Is
fortunate in its tranquil condition, but
plorably unfortunate in wanting
the chance to make his farewell annual
communication to Congress paper that
will excite attention above common
place, and live longer than the hour
in which it was being read. However,
consideringI the circumstances and the
opportunities presented, this last mes
sage of President Arthur must be re-
garded as fairly good. He has made as
much of the situation as possible-as
much in fact as anyone could have
done, and has given Us a paper that con-
tains many really wise suggestions and
commendable recommendations.
AS a matter of course there is a refer
ence to Etdh. The message of a Re
publican President that did not contain
an attack upon poor Utah would be an
anomaly. Happily we viii be afflicted
by no more Republican Presidents, and
perhaps Congress viii hereafter escape
the annual prod, which means little OF
nothing, and which is merely inserted
to comport with the party platform and
tickle the meddIesone people who are
so deeply interested in the affairs OF
others, whether or not they pay much
attention to their own. Last year Mr.
Arthur said in his message:
The Utah Commission has submitted
to the Secretary Of the Interior its sec
ond annual report. As a result OF its
laborS in supervising the recent election
in that Territory, pursuant to the act
of March %, 1892, it appears that per-
sons by that act disqualified, to the
number of about 1900 we're excluded
from the polls. This fact, however, af-
fords little cause for eODgratulation, and
| fear that it is far from indicating any
real and substantial progress toward the
extirpation of polygamy. All the MEM
berS-elect of the Legislature are Nor
mons. There is grave reason to believe
fs,o4 l., 81
practices that this government is seek
ing to suppress, and that its efforts in
that regard will be more likely to en-
counter their opposition than to receive.
their encouragement and support.
Even if this view should happily be er-
rOneous, the law under which the Com
missiOners have been acting should be
made more effective by the incorpora-
ton Of some such stringent amend
ments as they recommend, and as were
included in bill No. 223S on the calendar
Of the Senate at its last session.
[ am convinced, however, that pOlyg-
amy has become so strongly intrenched
in the Territory of Utah that it is profit /
less 10 attack it with any but the stout
est weapons which constitutional legis-
,lation can fashion. favor therefore the
repeal of the act upon which the exist
ing government depends, the assump-
ton by the national legislature of the
entire political control of the Territory, 1
and the establishment of a commission
with such powers and duties as shall be
delegated to 1t by law.
This time he says:
The report of the Utah Commission
viii be read with interest. 1t discloses
the results OF recent legislation looking
to the prevention and punishment Of /
polygamy in that Territory. l still be |
Geve that if that abominable practice !
can be suppressed by law, it can only /
be by the most radical legislation con- /
sistent with the Constitution. l again
recommend, therefore, that Congress |
assume absolute political control of the |
Territory of Utah and provide for the |
appointment of n Commission with |
such governmental power as in its judg- |
ment may justly and wisely be put into !
their hands.
1t viii thus be seen that the President |
has held to the idea and almost to the |
language furnished him in 1888 Gas cor
rectlY 1umored) by Governor Murray.
This time the Utah reference is
shorter indicating that Arthur
rather than Murray wrote it on
the present occasion. For the |
present brevity we thank the President |
The Recommendation itself is unimport- |
ant and immaterial in view of its vicious
ness and also in view of the fact that
the present Congress has only three
months of life all of which must be de- |
voted to weightier matters than the
regulation of the morals of Territory |
which is peaceful. prosperous, quiet and
contented.
Altogether President Arthur has con-
cluded his series of messages with one
that is neither brilliant nor dim; it is
mediocre, and therefore like its author
The next message to Congress will be
read with good deal more interest
than this one.