Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-06

happens. There is no merit in the
open renire system itself, and
against it there can be urged
all the arguments that can be
urged against despotism, and the argu-
ments in its favor are the arguments
which uphold despotism. Governor
Murray speaks of the provisions of the
Poland law as though that law were a
Territorial statute, and hence worthy
only of contempt His Excellency says
that Notwithstanding the provisions OF
the Edmunds bill, the Probate Judges
continue in the annual selection of jurors
in pursuance of the Poland bill to
select the names of none but those who
are virtually unqualified in the class of
cases herein referred to-" The Governor
forgets or ignores the fact that the quail
fications of individual jurors to sit sin
the class of cases referred to' will be de-
termined by the Court when jurors are
called in those cases. And again, the
Edmunds law specifies the ground of
challenge in polygamy and unlawful CO.
habitation cases and does not undertake to
have the challenge applied until the juror
is called Sin the class of cases referred
to-" The result of the selection of jurors
according to the provisions of the Ed
munds laws is that "the courts are seri-
ously delayed in the administration of the
laws, individuals unnecessarily incon-
venienced, and the people put to useless
and great expense" This solicitude for
the convenience of individuals is touch
ing in the extreme 1t is SO touching
that it reminds one of John Bullaker's
famous definition of the crockodile which
wept for pity as it bit off the head of its
victim. If the Inconvenience OF individu-
ais is sufficient reason for vetoing jury
bill, should not the inconvenience it very
often is to men to perform jury duty be
sufficient reason for excusing them from
jury duty? Surely the founders of the
Government could never have dreamed
of what great men would be born in the
nineteenth century that liberty should be
safer in their hands than when guarded
by the law. 1t is said there is divinity
that doth hedge king about, but the
people of America have yet to learn that
there is divinity that doth hedge Fed
eral official about. In the class of cases
referred to by Governor Murray none but
Mormons are liable to prosecution. The
Mormons are not a popular people, and
their unpopularity is very apt to cause
people to think they have no rights, and
that any and all wrongs inflicted upon
them are right and proper. The Nor.
mons being unpopular, they need to be
protected on all sides by the law, lest
wrong may be committed Whatever
may be the sins of the Mormons, and
they are not exempt from them by any
means, their sins do not and cannot JUS
tifv shining against them 1t cannot be |
denied that the Mormon press do most
abuse and misrepresent the
Federal officials in Utah, and for this
very reason the Federal officials need to be
more than ordinarily on their guard lest
hey permit an unjust attack upon them to
cad them to become jealous in enforcing
he law, their zeal being reused by the de-
sire ofrevenge. Thisis the dangerin Utah,
md it is necessary to guard against it at
Ill times. An open renire in the hands
't an officer whose character is being
traduced and whose motives
Ire ever being impugned is very dam
'erous thing. When mems passions are
10 heated as they always are in Utah
'ver the local question, it is the time of
vi others that the eternal principles of
aw and freedom should find expression
laws for the protection of the rights,
lot of one class, but of all classes. The
governors veto of the Jury bill throws
lown one of these safeguards in time of
peril. |,