The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-23
THAT GOVERNMENT DEBT"

There are Indications and intimatlons
that thu old alleged bill of the unSFe"
States against Utah is 10 be revived |
during the present session of the Lsgis-
lature. When certain persons fail in
their efforts to fud something awful to
charge against the M0rmons, they drag
forth tina bill, and swing it about as
they would lash to whip tho law
makers into lice. Not one in dozen
OF those fellows can tell how or why
the debt" was contracted, and Of those
who do knos The particulars not one in
dozen can present a good reason
why the Territory should as
sumo the obligation and pay
tha money. For one to argue that
the Territory should pay il is 20 declare
himgeli an enemy to Utah, bent on her
spoliation.
The DEBT was not created by the Ter
ritoTy, aud no part of it snoulG SSe
charged to Utah. II is United States
matter, and cannot concern US. Some
ysars ago Congress deceived and tricked
BIZ the representations of local irrespons
ibles and adventures, deprived the peo-
pie of what little self-rule they had en-
joyed, and assumed absolute control of
the executive and Judicial affairs of the
Territory. 1t ousted the people from the
courts and imposed upon the Federal
Government the administration of all
laws. 1t deprived the regularly consti
tuted tribunals of jurisdiction and re-
tired the local judicial officers, trans
ferring the duties and emoIuments to
those appointed by the President.
Even the care and custody of prisoners
were given to the Federal officials who
we're placed in charge of the Peniten-
tiary. Under the circumstances the
Legislature concluded that as the Terri
tory was permitted to do nothing, it
would not pay for the work done by
the General Government; that as the
courts aud their officers were
all Federal, their compens ton
should come from the Federal
Treasury; that if the nation
insisted on guarding and feeding the
prisoners. it could pay the wages of the
guards and settle the board bills; in
fact, the government could pay for the
expense which it had created.
1t was IN this way that this alleged
bill against the Territory was created,
The court expenses, the costs of man
aging the Penitentiary, and SO on
accommodating until the aggregate is said
to be somewhere in the neighborhood
OF quarter of million. That it will
ever be paid from the Territorial Treas
ury no intelligent man believes; that it
should be paid from that source no
interested person Will agree. That
the government Will ever ask for
the money is doubted, b cause
Congress viii radily gee the IN
rea5onableLess Of requiring Utah to
pay debt which it bad no voice in
contracting, and which would not have
beeu in existence if the people had
been permitted their rights in the
premises. Congress also knows that
the moment it restores to Utah the
right to manage her affairs as q
commonwealth the dependency will
cease 10 be a charge upon the Federal
treasury. The Territory new, asked
the gogeTnment to pay rs court bills,
tt care Tor and gu.rd its convicts. or to
contribute towards any of the lsgiti-
mate expenses CT ths local government
The bills were all paid and paid
promptly, and they would be paid to-
day if they were created by the Terri
tory and were an honest charge
against Utah.
But conce1ing that the time viii
come when Congress will ask Utah to
return to the Treasury the money
yhic1 has been expended here by the
Federal government, is it not begging
the business to keep on insisting that
the debt be Cancelled nowP If we have
to pay it. it will be time enough to settle
the bill when the creditor makes de-
mand f n his money. A dece Mt regard
for the best interests of the Territory
would suggest this course.