Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-06
A STIRRING SPEECH.


"stirring speech" Just what the speech
was we are unable to say, as the accounts
are quite meagre. But suffice it to say, 1t
was Stirring" The most remarkable
part of it is that the call for mass meet
ings, which was signed by Hon. John L.
Caine as chairman, and by Bishop John
@. Cannon as secretary, was addressed
"To the Members of the Church OF Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Several
Stakes of Zion.' This being the
case, it is presumable that MIR.
Williams is member oi lhe
church in the Ogden stake, especially as
he is the city attorney for Ogden. MIR.
Williams saw in the Declaration world
of truth" and perhaps he sees the city
attorney ship for Salt Lake City in 1T, as
we are very wont to bring our attorneys
from Ogden and then send themto Wash
ington to lobby all the winter. 1t must
have been against the importation OF our
city attorney from Ogden that the Decla-
ration aimed, when it declared that " 1t
has been the undertaking policy to send
strangers into our midst, as governors,
Judges, prosecuting attorneys and mar
shals, men who, with honorable eXcep-
tions. had no interest i'm the common
welfare" There seems to be some analogy
between the appointment OF strangers as
Governors for the Territory and the APP
pointment of strangers from Ogden to be
our City Attorney. But our city is fully
justified in the selection from Ogden, as
the church has recognized his cOnstitu-
tional learning and pays him one thou
sand dollars in addition to the two thou
sand five hundred dollars which the city
pays him. 1t is a favorte doctrine in
Utah that eye cannot serve two masters"
nor can We serve both God and Mammon.
Now, who is the City Attorney serving?
If he is serving God, let some one else
serve Mammon; and if he is serving
Mammon, let some one else serve God.
1t is no more than Just.
But to return to Judge Williams
speech. A great part was such as to min
lister flattery to the souls of the majority
of his listeners, whether it was inten-
tional or not; but some parts were very
good and should be adopted by the Gov
ernment, not merely in Utah, but in all
the Territories. We refer to that part OF
the speech which says that the compost
ton of our Supreme Court is wrong in
being made up of the District Judges. |
No matter how able the men who sit on
the bench as District Judges, they are not |
competent to review their own decisions;
for them to do 50 is to make them judges |
in their own case, thing which .
no man should be. Judges, like |
other men, are but human after all, and |
it is natural for those who associate to- !
gether in any particular capacity to en-
tertain for their fellow associates kindly
feelings or hostile feelings, and in either
case it prevents them looking with impair
tiality upon the decisions of their con-
ASiASOos LliCiC lCOCoodlllN iJS DICbCilb
to the mind the fact that in reversing the /
ruling of one of the judges constituting
the Supreme Court, those who do so are
liable to have their own decisions re-
versed, and no man likes to have his
judgment impugned, not even Judge
What we need is Supreme Court
composed of men who do not have
to review their own work, but who are
there to review the work of others, and
whose decision shall be final. Their work
should be that of deciding upon the work
of others with which they have nothing
to do, save declare whether it has been
properly or Improperly done. The COM
munity at large, and the bar also, would
have much more confidence in court |
thus constituted than in one as now con-
sttuted. The complaint is not against !
the gentlemen who now sit as District |
Judges and also Judges of the Supreme |
Court, but against the system. Doubtless |
the Judges themselves would prefer it to |
wv CbhNi hiHN, 90 IL NOhiN give lllGln Il !
much better chance TO put themselves
on record. The questions which arise i'm
our Territory are of a strange character at
times, and such as call for the best of
ability, and to at all times secure this.
the Government should raise the salaries
of the judges, and make an entirely new
Supreme Court, composed of judges who
never have any other duties to perform
Than those of an appellate court. II is
strange that none of our Delegates have ,
ever tired to secure the passage of a bill
through Congress securing to us such an
of our judiciary. This could
be done without any extra expense TO the
Government from what it now has to bear
10 run the Territorial government, by abol.
shing the tahCOmmission and takingthe
amount which is paid them as salaries.
which is twenty-five thousand dollars ,
per year. and let the Governor and Sec
'etary do the work of the Commission.
Add TO the present salaries of the Gov
srnor and Secretary tive thousand dollars
per year each to the salaries of the Dis
rct Judges, one thousand dollars per
'ear, and with the remainder, eighteen t
thousand dollars, give TO the Territory a
supreme Court consisting of three judges; /
With salaries of six thousand dollars NOR ;
ear Z
The plan is feasible, and would give 70 t,
he Territory much better arrangement =
( affairs than it now has. Certainly.
supreme Court composed of the ablest il
au-unrs ,rnnld he of fnr ,,rnntor l,.,,.GA l. ! 2