Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-21
ONLY A FEW QUESTIONS.


The Tribune this morning tries to make
Governor Murray's action in accepting
$4,000 from the Legislature appear all
right. 1t says that $1,000 was not COM
pensation to the Governor. Ifthat is so
why did the Tribune OF yesterday justify
this appropriation in these terms
1t is notorious that no man can support
family here and entertain as n Governor
should and as Governor Murray has, on the
salary paid by the Government. We can be-
lieve that Mormon Legislature can SEQ
this fact and in measure remedy 1t, as it
ought to, without expecting that twill serve
rs n bribe.
Why was any reference whatever made
to the salary paid the Governor
by the Government? Why was the
defense Of Governor Murray in
yesterdays Tribune made to turn on the
inadequacy Of his.salary7 No attempt
was made by the Tribune in its issue Of
yesterday to defend the Governor
on the ground that the $4,000
was for the "expenses OF the Guberna-
torial Office" Well, why did it not say
so at first, and stick to it? : A change Of
defense always weakens the defense. II
to make such appropriations sis the gem
eral practice elsewhere" why on earth
did Governor Murray consult with Sem
ator Edmunds 1--WE take it that the Trib-
,tne refers to Edmunds) as to whether it
would infringe upon the law OF Congress
forbidding the Governors and Secre-
taries OF the Territories to accept
additional compensation? II such is
the custom elsewhere, and usual
thing in Utah it is very strange thing
that, "the best Governor Utah ever had"
should seek legal advice as to whether or
not bill that he had approved was legal
or not, especially when he had been
Governor in the Territory for four years.
Perhaps it was the first time that the
Legislature had followed the custom" OF
giving the Governor g., 900 for "expenses
OF the Gubernatorial office" 1t is rather
odd that man who had been Governor
OF Utah Territory for four years should
be compelled to seek legal advice as to
whether the "customs" of the Territory
infringed upon law OF Congress.
-Four years is q long time in
which to ponder such question.
We think it pertinent to ask who the
Governors messenger for lSS4-5 was. II
there was no such messenger, what right
had Governor Murray to draw pay for
him from the Territory? Ii the $4,000
wara for tho ynancao of tho
office for the years lsS4-5. why is it that
the vouchers do not show.what those ex-
penses were? Maybe these questions are
as irrelevant to the matter as the law We
quoted last night. Why is it that the
Governor did not receive the same amount
for the expenses OF the Executive Office
for the years 1928? There was some
irregularity somewhere, and to whom
should it be credited, the Legislature in
1882 or the Governor in 1884?
Just few words more on this matter
We think the salary paid the Governor is
inadequate and that it should be doubled,
but this should be done by Congress and
not by the Legislature. We think the
$1,000 appropriated by the Legislature Of
1884 for the expenses OF the Executive
office, was appropriated in the hope and
with the expectation that Governor Muir
ray would approve various bills, and that
the appropriation was made in the form
it was that it might not attract attention
nor appear as bribe. We think that
for this reason the Governor felt some
what dubious as to drawing the money,
and that on account of this feeling he asked
Senator Edmunds his opinion on the
matter; and we think Governor Murray
had no business to accept the money
under any pretext; and that the opin-
ion OF Senator Edmunds in the
case don't help Governor Murray in
the least; and that when the
Governor took the money appropriated
by the Legislature he laid himself open
to just censure and criticism, and that
his action in this matter alone makes
him an unfit man to be Governor of Utah
Territory.
The charges which the Tribune makes
against the DEMOCRAT, when summed up,
amount to charging it with being Demo
cratic. As to the charges against the
editor of this paper they are the same
charges as those usually made by the Trib-
une when all its resources OF argument are
gone. How does the Tribune know that