The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-02
OUR ELI.
The Dude Done Up by a Chicago
Editor.

4 OSSaOOie&oOAOesi OAoO46 w 49,
age the practice of polygamy, the
Governor of Utah has gained much
eclat by noisily advertising his in
tense zeal for the determination Of
the still surviving "twin relic Ct
barbarism." It would be hard to
find in the country more vehement
adversary Of the peculiar matrlmo>
NAL tenet Of Norm onism, or q more
loquacious champion Of extreme
governmental mesSu es for its eX-
tirpation. 1t was he who assumed
the Office of Judge OF the election and
qualification of members of Con-
gress, by refusing to issue the
merely formal certificate Of election
to the too much married Mr.. Can
non, though he received nearly all
the votes. 1t was he who gave the
certificate of election to the candi-
date who received minority of the
votes. His messages, pronuncia-
mientos, reports and other official
and unofficial writings against Nor
monism have been volummous, and,
though composed In the not alto.
gether elegant Kentucky style of
literature, have emitted an odor Of
much sanctity, and respired the hot
breath of q fervid zeal for the pro-
molten Of morality and goodness in
Utah by statutory enactment at
Washington.
To those who have looked beyond
the ardent smoke of gubernatorial
words to the reality behind it, 1t has
not appeared that Mr.. Eli II. Muir
rays administration of Utah has
been particularly marked by wis.
dom, energy, or any other great
qualities in the performances. He
was appointed Governor of that
province in 1880. A law of Utah
declared p0lygamy to be a crime,
and sanctioned a severe punishment
OF every person that should be
guilty of that crime. It was the
office of the provincial executive to
execute that law. To assist him In
executing it, he was provided with
courte, judges, marshals, and all
other necessary functiOnaries by the
national government. Nevertheless,
he did not proceed to execute it.
Though he has been Governor Of
Utah during four years, it is known
that the law for the punishment
of the crime of Iolygamy has not
been executed in single in
stance within that period, and 1t is
not known that any effort or attempt
has been made to execute it. Never
theless, in the newspapers, Governor
Murray has gained great deal of
self advertising in the capacity of q
kind Of political Don Quixote who
has been, and is, waging an exter>
minating war (of words) against the
still surviving twin relic.
Within a few days, some Giscov-
cries nave been made by one Of the
housing committees Of the House
that tend to raise q suspicion that
the loquacious Knight OF the Sor-
Yowful Countenance at Salt Lake is
not all that the fancy of worthy
church members has painted him.
Before he was sent out to govern
that vineyard OF the sinful saints,
he held the Office OF Marshal in the
province of Kentucky. From re.
cords In the ministry of justice, 1t
is said, Mr.. Springer's COMMITTEES
finds that charges of malfeasance
were brought against him; that
upon examination 1t was found
that his accounts were not as a
faithful public officers accounts
should have been; that his fee bills
were s;filled with fraudulent items;"
that the ssemolument returns were
Systematically swelled by charging
fictitious expenses and fees, con-
structive mileage, and by beginning
vexatious and boundless Grim
inal proceedings" apparently "for
the purpose Of making fees" 1t Is
stated that the agent who inquired
into the charges (Mr. George x.
Chase s'reported the charges rs
conclusively proved" but that .
tremendous effort was made by
District Attorney Wharton to pre-
vent EXPOSURE" also, tremendous
political influence, by men of both |
parties, was brought to bear to save
Murray from disgrace. He was,
however, compelled to resign" Not
long sfterward, the party agent,
called the President, appointed him |
Governor of Utah.
It has often been observed that |
the "Territorisl government ar
rangement is a great convenience
to the "party in power" In that it
furnishes large number Of places OF
for party captains that
have fallen into bad odor by official |
delinquencies but that nevertheless
the party is expected to supply with
at public cost on account
OF past services in the periodical
contests for thespoils. Placed near
the central government, or in con-
spicuous offices in the populous |
provinces, the official prominence |
of politicians with furnished records |
might invite Injurious criticism,
and possibly might incite doubts of |
the party's immaculate purity and |
honesty. Banished to a distant |
and spsrsely-pepulated Territory,
the furnished record of the party |
captain is less apt to be obtruded to
dim the lustre of the administra-
ton that has awarded him the COM
of a Governor, Judge, a
coma ofbcr oA3na NTH |