Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-12-26
COL. MERRITT AS GOVERNOR.


satisfaction. Even the Tribune says il
has no objection to Col Merritt, although
it seems to object to the editorial in which
we placed him in nomination. The Tri.
Ju,ae's construction of what we meant and
what we did not mean goes for nothing.
All parties will concede the fact that
the Govemorship is political Office in
every sense OF the word, and that the
theory of all representative governments
in which parties administer the affairs
of government requires that high
political offices should be filled by
men of the same political faith as
the party in control of the Government.
AT the present time the General Govern
ment is under the control of the Demo-
cratic party, the people having returned
that party TO power, and this simple fact
is complete justification for appointing
Democrat to the Governorship of
Utah Territory.
Now as to Col Merritt's qualifications
for Governor of Utah. In the first place
he is bona fde resident OF the Territory,
having been here many years before
President Cleveland was elected. He is
pre-eminently Western man, he having
been on the Coast for thirty-five years or
more, and during these years he sat in
the Legislature of California for number
OF sessions, when at last he refused to be-
come a candidate for reelection. He
has had legislative experience in the
West, where the wants and needs of the
people are entirely different from what
they are in the East But this is not all.
He has represented the Territory of Idaho
as Delegate to Congress, with credit and
honor to himself and satisfaction to Idaho.
With the administ' 0u Of the Territorial
government, that nge and anomalous
form of government in free country, he
is well acquainted. With the condition of
things in this Territory he is perfectly
familiar, and his cJnservative nature to-
gether with his lde experience in politi-
cal affairs and his thorough acquaintance
with Western life and habits of thought,
peculiarly fit him for the position of Gov
ernor of Utah. Notwithstanding all this,
the Tribune takes exception to our saving
the Governor ought to exercise discretion
In using the veto power. Surely the |
Tribune cannot mean that he want of
discretion in the rers0l who may be |
appointed to the Governorship 0f Utah is
desirable, Now, what are Col. 1Ierritt's
qualifications in this direction? Tne law |
firm of Messrs. Rosborough & Merritt has
been one of the leading firms of the bar
OF Utah, and at that bar few have |
occupied so distinguished place as Col. |
Merritt. Surely the Colonel's distinction
at the bar is a sufficient warrant Tor say
ing that Col. Merritt would wisely exer-
else the veto power when various meas
ures came to him for approval or
dlsapproval, were he to be appointed
Governor 1t is an open secret that the
Legislators of Utah have been totally at
sea III the measures which they have
passed, either as original laws or as laws
adopted from some sister State or Terri
tory. They have often adopted laws from
some State, ignorant of the rule of law
that the construction put upon statute
in the State where originating is adopted
along with the statute; would not wise
discretion in the exercise of the veto
power prevent the Legislature from en-
acting laws which neither the Legislature
nor the people desired? Col. Merritt's
learning and great experience in his pro-
fession, if he shall be Governor, peculi- !;
arly qualify him to pass upon the meas :
ures proposed to be enacted as laws, and !,
to save the Territory from the bale !.
ful influence of having to test =
the validity of much of our :
local legislation and the Territory
has at times been afflicted with legisla-
ton that was invalid, and had been SO !,
pronounced by the courts of the land, but a,
OF whose invalidity the Legislature was ;,
totally ignorant. 1t would seem to us
that in Territory where the Governors a.
chief power for good or harm is in vetoing
Or approving measures passed by the
Legislature, the Governor of such Terri :.
.ory should be before all things lawyer :,
This is as essential, to our mode of think a,
ng, as that the General of the American %
lrmy should be a military man by pro- .,
ession and education. A man must nec- :. =
,ssarily have knowledge of the law to = =
exercise wise discretion in the approval !;
n disapproval of proposed laws. al
1t is perhaps needless for us to enlarge T,
lpon Col. Merritt's qualifications for the :,
position of Governor of Utah, but we can =;
ssure the Tribune and all others, that he i;
will not undertake to conciliate any, -
me who is hostile to the Govern !.
nent of the United States, nor
viii he condone or excuse viola
ion OF the laws. With the Tribune
We agree exactly on one point. 1t is this:
If they" (the Democrats of Utah) th
want him for Governor, they should ask Oh
or it in an open, Straightforward and Oh
manly way, and when they do there will W.
Ne no one to protest against it, As the of
rgan of the Democratic party in Utah w
hat is just what we have done, and the on
DEMOCRAT has maintained all along that z,
THAT the party in Utah should do in the II