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

general favor from all parties. This is a
satisfaction. Even the Tribune says it
has no objection to Col Merritt, although
it seems to object to the editorial in which
we placed him in nomination. The 7ri-
bunes construction OF what we meant and
what we did not mean goes for nothing.
All parties will concede the fact that
the Governorship 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 filed 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 q 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 administration OF the Territorial
government, that strange and anomalous
form of government in Il free country, he
things in this Territory he is perfectly
familiar, and his conservative nature to-
gether with his wide 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 saying
the Governor ought to exercise discretion
in using the veto power. Surely the
Tribune cannot mean that the want OF
discretion in the person who may be
appointed to the Governorship OF Utah is
desirable. Now, what are Col. Merritt's
qualifications in this direction? The 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 sufficient warrant for say
ing that Col. Merritt would wisely exer-
else the veto power when various meas
ures came to him for approval or
dsapproval, were he to be appointed
Governor. 1t is an open secret that the
Legislators OF Utah have been totally at
sea in 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 rs 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
OF whose invalidity the Legislature was
totally ignorant. 1t would seem to us
that in Territory where the Governors
chief power for good or harm is in vetoing
or approving measures passed by the
Legislature, the Governor of such Terri
tory should be before all things lawyer.
This is as essential, to our mode OF think
ing, as that the General OF the American
army should be a military man by pro-
fession and education A man must nee
essarily have knowledge OF the law to
exercise wise discretion in the approval
or disapproval OF proposed laws.
1t is perhaps needless for us to enlarge
upon Col. Meritt's qualifications for the
position OF Governor of Utah, but we can
assure the Tribune and all others, that he
will not undertake to conciliate any
one who is hostile to the Govern
ment of the United States, nor
will he condone or excuse a viola
fion of the laws. With the Tribune
we agree exactly on one point. 1t is this :
''If they" the Democrats OF Utall)
"want him for Governor, they should ask
ior it in an open, straightforward and
manly way, and when they do there will
be no one to'protest against it," AS the
organ of the Democratic party in Utah
that is just what we have done, and the
DEMOCRAT has maintained all along that
what the party in Utah should do in the