The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-29
THE UrAH CONFESSION.


It is a gloriously good time that the
Utah Commission has of it, with little 10
do, All abundance of time to do it in, an
opportunity to perform their duties in
Chicago or China as best suits their
pleasure and convenience, dead head
passes on the railroads and a generous
government 20 pay for their sleeping
car berths and To provide them with
Oh Inge for porter tips. If there are
any "softer sits" in the government
service they are unknown to the great
army Of ofice-seekers who are ever on
the alert for the good things which are
passed around. The Commissioners
spent few weeks in Utah last summer
when the lake bathing was at its best
the heat IN the east was intense, and
the cool atmosphere of our mountain
resorts was inviting and invigorating
them they HE'D themselves to their re-
sp5ctive homes to resume their private
business and pleasure. 1t seems now,
however, that they have found
enough work to keep them employed
for day or two. and they
assemble in Chicago to do it, because
Chicago is convenient to most of them
sld perhaps all have more or less private
business to transact in that city. The
| following is an Associated Press tel
egram which went east, but did not
come out this way:
CHICAGO, Ill, September 81, 1885, he
Utah Commission, selected under the pro-
/ visions of the Edmun Us law n 1882, began a
session here this forenoon. The object Is 10
prepare the annual report for the year past
to present to the President by october
tbs specific duly of this commission Is to
conduct al elections in Utah, including the
appointment of registration officers and
board of canYsssers It takes in the city and
town elections as well as the county and
Territory. Mr. Carton, the chairman, states
hat the Edmunds law, So far. has been eff
4ective in doing away with illegal voting,
the law prohibiting q polygam1st or enc
who has INDUCED in unlawful coha bitatton,
from voting, ana that the courts OF Justice
during the past eighteen months had con
Vtcted one hundred offenders In this sense.
he said. the law has been success. but how
far it has made the Mormon to give up his
creed Is another question.
Well gamble that the Commissioners
wrote that dispatch, or hunted up a
press reporter and impressed upon him
an inflated idea of the arduous
character of their labors and the great
responsibility resting on them. They
toll him of the fatiguing and import
ant task of conducting all elections in
Utah, including the appointment of
officers and board of car
but who'll say they told Linn
that the very little real labor to be doIe
was performed by half a dozen clerks |
while the Commissioners were enjoying |
life at their homes IN the distant EastP |
They didn't tell the reporter that they
came to Utah at registration and cleo
ton times merely to keep up appear
ances, and because the weather here at
those times is more inviting than it is
in the Mississippi and Missouri valleys. |
They didn't tell him that as a matter Of !
fact the Commission hasn't ten days OF
real work a year; nor did they tell him
that the Commissioners do not on an |
average, reside in the Territory two
months out of the twelve.
The Utah Commission is a wonderful
It's pity that it doesn't
consist of fifty members instead of five,
IS there are fully forty-fve more great
tatesmen and prohOunced' patriots in
he country who would be willing to
acrifice themselves to the good of the
ause for $4,000 a year and expenses.