The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-09-29
The MAJORITY REPORT,

the u tab Commission mas peeu teOolNeu
by wire, and as expected it is strongly
anti Utah and full of prejudice. 1t i
admitted by all who are in the least
familiar with affairs here that during
the past year wonderful prog ess has
been made toward the condition at
which government aims and to which
legislation has been directed and ad
ministration turned. Yet notwith-
standing this fact, visible to all, Messrs.
Godfrey, Williams and Thomas repeat
their last years assault and do their ut
most to retard the swift advance which
the community is making. They oppose
Statehood, and seek to bolster their op-
position by stale ISLANDERS, implied and
asserted. They say that the Territory
"should not be admitted to the Union
until such tins as the Mormon people
manifest by their future acts that they
have abandoned polygamy in good
faith, and not then until an amendment
shall be made to the Constitution for
the abolition of polygamy. " The i'm
preston sought TO be conveyed by this
is that poIygamy is continued as
formerly, whereas the Commissioners
cannot point to a single polygamous
marriage that has taken place within
three years, and they are also aware
that it has been sworn to on
the witness stand, that such mar
riages have ceased to be cele-
brated, the authorities of the Mormon
Church refusing their necessary con-
sent to these unions. How long are the
Commissioners going to repeat this
stale objection, OF until polygamy has
been abandoned? Until their journal
isuc masters say they can be honest and
speak the truth of this Territory?
In the absence of better material for
padding" the Commissioners again
attack the Constitutional Convention
of fifteen months ago, and for want f
anything else to say against the body,
assert that it Twas held without
authority from any proper source"
For goodness sake don't say 1 told
you!' The people assembled in their
respective counties, and selected certain
of their number to represent them in
a convention which was to form State
constitution and present it to Congress
with petition for admission to the
Union. What batter authority could
there be? What more proper source for
popular action than the people them
selves? Perhaps the astute Commits
siuners would have it that people must
obtain authority from the government
to petition the government.
But the meanness of the ms ] jrity
reaches its climax in the recommends
ton that the last vestige of political
right and local self-government be
taken from the people, and the fill
ing of the less than half dozen offices
now elective be conferred on the
Governor. Messrs. Godfrey, Williams
and Thomas would probably deny that
they are enemies to the people of . tab
and vet a mesner or more contemplate
recommendation has seldom been made
than that the people be denied the pri-
yilege of electiDg the county selectmen,
clerks, assessors, recorders and super
intendents of schools. Virtually all
other offices are filed by executive ap-
pointment, and these Commissioner
would now deprive the people of the
last representative between them and
serfdom. Cruel and absolute Russia is
less harsh and oppressive with her sub
iects, for the Gar does permit the peo-
Die to have some say in the administra-
ton of their local affairs, some voice in
I he expenditure of the taxes which they
pay.
The majority have again cracked the
musty chestnut of the Governors right
to appoint certain officers, and done it
in way to make it appear that the
legislature is rebellieus and disloyal
because it does not Violate the laws
which have been in lhs books for gen
Grafton, and at the say-so of individuals
accept what is generally believed to be
a wrong Interpretation of the statutes
The Commissioners know that if it shall
be held By the authority which
has the right to decide tina
the Governors clai n in this matte.
is valid and correct, there will be an
immediate compliance. They also
know that the dispute is in process of
adjustment. We have distinct recol-
iections of instances where the Utah
Commission went contrary TO what
other people, lawyers ard laymen, held
to be the Law; we also remember that
the Commission was afterwards found
to be wrong. a2d the other people eight;
but did anybody charge that the Com
missioners were 6isloysl because they
resd the law difeTently from others and
acted according to their own reading