The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-09-28
wReNG MAN COMMISSION ED.
A Mistake Made by the Utah Com
mission.

ASHLEY, UTAH, September %, 1888.
To the Editor of THE HERALD.
An irregularity or something worse
| know not WHICH. connected with th''
work of the Utah Commission in the
late co 1nty eIec ion in Uintah Coun'y y,
should be exposed 10 public censure.
Public indignation is not adequate pun
ishmeut for the officials involved. but 1t
is perhaps the only redress that the in
juTed parties can hope for.
In the election of sele' tman 10 fill
the place of L Johnson, whose term of
Office expired by aw, three candidates
were voted for. viz: A, A. Hatch, Isaac
Burton and L Johnson, receiving votes
numbering as TO lows: Hatch, 81;
johnson, IS, and Burton, 55. The Ie-
turns were promptly forwarded to the
commission and soon thereafter Mr..
sIoner his certificate OF election
dulv signed by Secretary Hall,
| The friends of Mr.. Hatch, knowing
| that he and not Mr.. Johnson had been
elected, at once sent County Attorney
Charles G. Rich to Salt Lake City to
have the error corrected. Mr.. Rich,
| on arriving in the city, found Commits
/ sioner Thomas. member of the board
! and was assured by him that the wrong
should b. rightel if wrong had been
done. Proceeding to the Office of the
commission the wrong dong was
quickly saddled on one of the clerks
(whose name our youthful attorney
failed TO obtaip.) Commissioner
Thomas, justly very indignant. gave
the offending clerk severe reprimand,
assuring him that another like offense
would subject him to q fine of 81 900 and
six months imprisonment. And in the
presence of Mr.. Rich, the commissioner
ordered the certificate of election
to Mr.. Hatch 10 be made out
acG letter to be written
| to Mr.. johnson informing HIM of the
mistake. The indignant commissioner
further Instructed the SAID Offending
clerk to inform Mr. Johnson that he
lthe clerk) would pay any expense that
he (Johnson) may have incUrreC in
qualifying. Very just commissioner
4 Mr.. Johnson should have been rem
/ bursed. Bat for some cause, I'm c.
1 countable to the writer, The commits
| sioner failed to make his work in the
premises complete, He forgot to de-
mand OF the offending scribe the ex
| IL IL
fault of his, had been subjected The
latter named, or his friends, had been
comDeiSed tCsaire an attorney and send
him distance of zee miles, which
every sne will know involved a consid-
cradle outlay of means, to say nothing
OF the loss OF time, While in the other
case emily a nominal expense could have
| been incurred.
Lectures, so children and youths whose
offenses can be condoned are the proper
thing-the moral effect is often good.
Bat does it cover the ground in this
case: And is the nobody clerk {whose
name even is unknown). the real Of
fender in this NATTER Not so far as
| the public is concerned. The veters of
Uintah County were injured by the
Utah Commission and by no one else.
Each member of this Commission is
paid S. goo gearly to see that the voters
of tie Territory are protected in their
choice of public officials, and there is
no escape from the conclusion that they
are bound TO see that their work is done
correctly. It has been estimated by
good judges that one man can do the
work assigned TO the five, and do it
well. However this may be, there is
certainly no excuse for the five failing
Commissioner Thorn as and the other
members of his board may quarrel With
their unknown clerk as much as they
haEe a mind to, but the voters OF
Uintah county have no quarrel with
that individual. Oar quarrel is with
the high commissioners themselves.
Ana we demand that one and all OF
their highnesses. who have been derehcf
or designing in this matter, be dis
missed from Office and their places filed
by men who will take interest enough
in the affairs>of the Territory to see that
the men elected by the people are put
innoGce.
Mr.. Rich says that hs is fully con-
ginced that the error would never have.
been corrected had he or some one else.
not hunted it up and pressed it on the.
attention of the Commissioners. Re
specially, G. W. CROUCH.