Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-03-25
A COMMISSION FOR UTAH.

The decision in the Utah Commission
cases decides some things not found in
the complaints nor mentioned in the de-
cision itself; it decides the important fact
that the powers of the Commission are as
ample as the case requires, and that there
is no need of any further legislation on
the subject of qualification for voters.
What, then, is the present status of poll
tics in Utah? 1t is this, that class who
were numerous, but not in the majority
and against whom the legislation of
twenty years ago was directed, have
been, so to speak, put horS de combat,
and can only return on the conditions
made by those who have placed them in
their present situation. This one inn
portant question of who may vote and
who may not, is settled. True it is that
those who may not vote are still in the
community and are an active and ener-
getic lot, or as Mr.. George @. Cannon
terms them the elite, and are trying very
hard to get others to do as they have
done. Very well, they certainly have
right TO be, and because they are per-
sistent and are not all arraigned before
the courts, is no reason for calling for
Legislative Commissions with the powers
of courts-martial in war times Has there
been any failure to bring conviction in
polygamy cases when an honest effort has
been made to try the strength of existing
laws? The Edmunds law purged the
jury system of sympathizers with and ad-
herents to polygamy, the same as the
law purges from jury in criminal cases
for capital offences all who have any con-
scientious scruples where the punishment
is death.
Following this, the District Court
or the Third Judicial District, issued an
open venire when the jury list was ex-
hausted. This position in regard to the |
jury system was sustained by the Su-
preme Court of Utah, and now it only |
remains to see what the Supreme Court
of the United States will say in regard to
the matter. There are arguments either
way in the open venire cases, and they
are liable to be sustained. At least
the courts here will continue to
issue open venires until reversed by the
Supreme Court at Washington. Then we
are not in want of juries. What is re-
quired so far as witnesses are concerned?
More powers to get them, we are told.
What more powers are needed than the
officers now have, when being armed with
the orders of the court they are admitted
into any house? Is it to be presumed that
any legislation can make men willing to
aid officers of the law in the discharge of
their duties, when education and the relig-
ion of life have made them otherwise?
To make such prescriptions shows
small knowledge of human nature, and
legislation is nothing but the regulation
Of human nature in its millions of phases
as found in man. Legislation can regu-
late human nature, but it can never
make it.
The political errors found in Utah are
the result of misapprehension by the
people of Utah of the genius of Ameri-
ian institutions as understood by Ameri-
cans throughout the whole United States, J
and are errors to be corrected by educa-
ion and thought, and not by
Is not Legislative Com
mission the method of coercion?
But it is urged that there are precedents
or such a commission in United States
history, and as such precedents are cited
he Ordinance for the government of the
Northwest Territory, AMI the Louisiana
purchase, also. Are these cases in point
Certainly the Northwest case is not, and |
he Louisiana purchase case is doubtful.
We're the evils of reconstruction times r
ured by the imposed officials, or by the
eople of the South themselves? Be-