The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-01-12
THE UTAH COMMISSION.


all are opposed to tie principle By
which the Commission is in existence
and under ordinary circumstances anC
conditions would favor the doing away
of the board. 1t is an unrepublica1
BODY, undemocratic in its conception
and offensive in theory. The Law
creating the Commission takes the ad-
ministration of the most importanl
statute in the TIE. ritory from the peo-
pie, and gives its administration into
the hands of strangers; not only this
but IS a rule those strangers are the
open and avowed enemies to the COM
munity. With two or three exceptions
all the Commissioners since the crea-
ton of the board in 1882, have never
pretended to be anything but enemies
TO Utah, and with those same two or
or three exceptions the gentlemen have
done all in their power to injure and
destroy the people. at times, in their
anti . tab zeal, gong far beyond the
defined limits of the law, causing
themselves to be brought up with &
sudden jerk by the courts. Very
recently the majority of the Commission
has emphasized its hostility and the
s bitterness of its hate, in formal
report intended to further annoy and
materially, politically and socially hurt
F the community. So inte Sc is its
L enmity that the majority could not find
Il facts enough to warrant its attack,
Fl hence it resorted to supposition and
e fiction.
Notwithstanding the offensiveness of
the principle and the ugly attitude of
1.-The Com mission, THE HERALD is not
FEcertain that it is desirable to abolish the
faboar1 at this time. Governor West
Recommends that this be done. and un-
doubtedly an effort will be made in the
Legislature to that end. The Congress.
Eional act creating the Commission CON-
templates as much, and empowers the
Legislative Assembly to supercede the
board. But it would be well for the
Legislature to proceed in the matter
With wisdom and very great caution.
n the first place, if careful inquiry and
observation be made, it will be found
hat the desire to get rid of the Commits
ion is most intense on the part of
: hose who are worse enemies to Utah
han the commissioners. The latter,
utterly as they hate the community
nd delighted as they would be to see it
rushed, have on occasions actually
TODD in the way of the very
lique which is now most anxious
hat the Commission shall go. The
hen who opposed the abolition of the
Commission four and two years ago
re now foremost in the movement
gainst the continuance of the board.
his, in itself, is suspicious, and sug-
estive of "nigger in the fence" What
be contemplated trick is, if there be
ne, does not yet appear, but it will
how itself later.
Again, in the light of other matters
nd movements, is it worth. while to
kgislate the Commission out of exist
be board can do has been done; the
commission has gone as far as it can
in its assaults upon the people; the
ection machinery, over which it has
bsolute control, is running smoothly
I'D regularly and is not apt to be in
: rfered with or changed by the Com
ission, and of importance and worthy
- intelligent consideration is the fact
at the registration and election ex-
,nses are met by appropriations from
e Federal Treasury, and will con
hue to be so met while the CT mmiss:on
mains Federal body. The appro-
iation for the present year, exclusive
the SIS ,000 for the salaries of the
mmissioners is $35, 900. making sec, 900
year which the government pays
the privilege of administering our
ction Jaws in about the same
" that the laws would be
ministered if there were no
III blAootOAs4 Va OOA1So bAcIO HOulU
no such extravsgant expenditure if
Territory were to perform the
rk. but the cost would be heavy, and
question is, would the fairer and
pre- equitable Interpretation and APP
cation of the law be worth more
IN the money?
ere may be some conclusive and
ncing reasons why the Commits
4 should be abolished at this time,
until they are brought forward the
sembly should be exceedingly eau
as about proceeding against the
lrd, which will naturally and neces-
lily go OFT of existence one of these
p. Aud if good reasons shall be
scented. legislation on the subject
:. be most carefully guarded, lest
matter be made worse.