The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-03

it imposes, and denied the most
precious of all rights-that OF self
government. Only for the first ten
years of our existence in the noun
tains, were we vouchsafed this pi ecious
boon to any considerable degree,
during which time man of our choice
occupied the position of governor
We possess every qualification fol
statehOod-pOpulatiOn wealth, stabil-
ity of commerce and society. Nc
reasonable excuse can be assigned fol-
the refusal of our application. We
submit that it should, of right, be con-
sidered and favorably acted upon.
1t has been the undertaking policy
to send strangers into our midst
as governors, judges, prosecuting at
tOrneyS and marShals, men who, with
honorable exceptions, had no interest
in the common welfare. We CON-
plain not only of the personal char
acter of these officials, and that they
have acted the part of petty despots
among us, trampling on our liber-
ties, assuming prerogatives they never
could presume to exercise except
among so unpopular a people, and
naughtlly ignoring our rights and feel
ings, but also that where this dispo-
sition has not been sufficiently pro-
nOunced, popular clamor, tending to
engender and develop it, has been so
strong that fair minded, just men
have enjoyed but short terms of office,
while those who possessed the one
qualification of hatred of the Nor
mon people were kept secure in seats
which they almost daily disgraced.
We complain of repeated manifes-
tations of ill-feeling from the parent
government. Even in small country
towns Mormon postmasters have
been displaced for Strangers-in some
instances mere transientS, who in
many cases have been retained in office
although serious charges, supported
by evidence sworn to by reputable citi-
zens, have been preferred against them.
Mormons have been frequently re-
moved without just cause. The names
of post offices in towns namedfor lead
ing and beloved citlZenS-men who laid
| the foundation of the Territory's pros
perity-have been changed at the within
or suggestion of some small-souled
bigOt or Insignificant minority of petit
TONERS, the Federal government in all
these movements using its power preju-
dicially to the great majority OF the
people.
Our numerous petitions, protests
have been usually passed over I'M
noticed, while petitions urging govern
mental action against us, from religious
denominations, unacquainted with US
except from hearsay, have been &C
corded consideration and generally
acted upon. Sixty-five thousand
names appended to document ask
ing for an investigation of The Utah
situation before the Edmunds act
should,be passed-the signatures of the
people directly interested, were cast
aside as of no moment, and the odious
law was pushed to its contamination.
The Commissioners appointed under
the EdmundS law lave grossly abused
the authority conferred upon them,
and have usurped extraordinary, IL
legal and arbitrary powers. While
their sole duty under the law was
to appoint registration and election
officers and to canvass the returns
and issue certificates of election to
members of the Legislative Assembly,
they have Illegally assumed to exercise
important legislative and judicial func-
tons.
They officiously formulated an unau-
thorized and Illegal expurgatory test
oath, covering the whole life of the indi-
vidual, and required each elector in the
Territory to take it before he could reg
lister or vote; and by their order, the
names of all persons who failed to take
this oath were stricken from the regis
try list. They SO constructed the test |
oath that it could not be taken by any |
person who had ever lived IN polyga |
or who cohabited with more than one !
woman sin the marriage relation"
but it could be, and was taken by per
sons who cOhabited with more than |
one woman not in the marriage relation
thus DISTINGUISHING only Mormons
and permitting nom Mormon violators
Of the law to register and vote.
They have arbitrarily assumed to ex-
ercise legislative powers by the pro-
mitigation of rules and orders which,
in effect, materially changed the exist
ing laws and excluded from the polls |
thousands of legal voters, who have
since been restored to the privileges of
electors by the decision of the Su-
preme Court of the United States.
They have presumed to, exercise the
highest order of judicial authority, 10y
declaring void the acts of theL Legislative
Assembly of the Territory of Utah
which provide for the election of Ter
ritorial officers, and they have arbi-
srarily, and without authority of law,
forbidden and prevented the canvass
md return of any votes cast for these
officers since the passage of the Ed
nunds law; thus completely multiplying
Ind abrOgating statutes of the Terri ;
DRY which have received the implied l
sanction of Congress, and have never
been pronounced invalid by the courts,
,ut which have been in force and ;
Icted upon as valid laws for many :
ears.
They have constituted themselves a
supreme Tribunal for the determine
ion of all matters in the Territory
pertaining to elections and the qualif-
ations of voters, and their opinions /!
nd orders upon these subjects have !
,een regarded by their appointees as
he supreme law of the land.
They have grossly abused their au- ,
hority in the appointment of registra-
ion officers by selecting for such posi-
ions, whenever possible, only such {
'ersons as belong to the anti Nor |
non faction, denying to the majority -,
'arty, whose members comprise four
fths of the population of the Terri I
DRY, representation among the regis
rars. And in the appointment of -.
Judges of election they have either re- I
used the majority party any represen- 8
alive at all or have only given it one of
be three judges in each precinct. 9
They have assumed to be charged, as