Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1889-12-20
THE COMMISSION. THE REGIS.
TRATION, THE ELECTION.

plants against the registration of
Gers for this city viii be found
another column. We consider it, i
the main, n fair and reasonable doc
ument.
Ii was not TO be expected that tn
Commission would take the sam
view Of the situation rs that pei
ceived by the Committee and mem
hers Of the Peoples Party. Tn
sympathies and feelings Of the Com
mission 10 not lie in tina
direction. The officers complaine,
Of were of their selection
and appointment, and they
naturally leaned to some extent to.
ward the point Of their support, pro.
vidirg i; could be reasonably
afforded. Therefore the evidence
demanded in substantiation Of the
complaints was required TO be in the
nature OF absolute proof, which, Of
course, was difficult 10 obtain. But
every intelligent person who has
followed the examination carefully,
must have perceived that the deputy
registration officers have exhibited
great diligence in certain directions
and lack Of energy in others. and
that the Peoples Party had solid
ground for the conviction that they
were being Disseminated against
and DISTRACTED in the exercise Of 4
legal right.
1t was demonstrated during the
examination that certain individu-
ais were readily registered under
circumstances in which others were
refused. That the registrars exer-
cised Judicial powers in relation TO
matters in which, as the Third
District Court has decided, their
authority is only ministerial. That
they have taken pains TO hunt up
some voters and have avoided 9TH
ers. That they have loitered around
saloons and Al ''Liberal', headquar-
tiers, when they should have been
visiting the homes Of voters.
That they have registered large
numbers Of men clustered at GER
tain cheap hotels, and refused to
register others at private boarding
houses. That they have even reg
istered men At night and not |
at their homes, and refused |
10 register others except at |
their homes whether at night |
or in the day time. That they were
unable 10 say they had refused
registration to any Liberal, while
large numbers Of the Peoples Party
Were refused. That in cases where
Liberals" and Peoples voters lived
side by side on the same street, the
Liberals were checked eff on the
registration lists and the Peoples
left unchecked. And that while it
was impossible to bring ''Liberal''
witnesses forward to technically
prove certain facts, it was clear that
voters had been Disseminated
against, and that, in various ways
and to large extent, because they
We're supposed to be members Of the
Peoples Party.
Explanations We're asked for. and
plausibly given, 10 account for these
differences, and the Commission ac-
cepted them, q in good faith, and
therefore rendered the decision in
the form in which it appears. And
it is true that there has been. rs the
Commission declare, "no final or ,
absolute denial Of electoral rights. 9,
because there is still one week left ,
in which voters may be registered.
But the Central Committee. and
large numbers of voters whom !
the registration officers had been
lodging, and putting off, and
Postponing until December 28-d.
had reason to believe that the Oh
ject OF these officers was to crowd a..
away, until the week appointed for
Office registration, 50 many Of the !
Peoples voters that they would be
unable to secure registration. Also f.,
that 10y the assumption OF Judicial I.
powers already exhibited. those
officers would still further obstrIct %
registration, and that eoffice regis
tratiOn would DO conducted in &
similar manner to the house 10 :
house visitation.
All the facts in these matters wef.
not brought out, because the actual y
proofs required were necessarily diff :
ficult to obtain, through the reluc- :
lance Of men 10 be badgereI as on I,
The witness stand 10y imnertineut "
attorneys, and 10 leave their en-
oloyment during this busy season.
But sufficient We're elected 10 show
he points we have made bevopd
question. g.
The coming Of the Commission 2
Ias been productive Of great good p,
The registration officers evinced ii
more aiacrity at once. We are sat bj
SIZED that a great many voters were p,
after their arrival. who IL
would not have been if the Com hi
mission had not come. The powers al
4 registration officers are now W
.iso more clearly defined. They
AVE no right to exercise tn
discretionary functions except when tn
hey have reasons to believe that q m
.ers0n applying for registration 4. a
maintaining the polygamous rela- Ii,
ion, and then only to the extent Of 20
making inquiry 'in a legitimate ag
aode.' As to all other persons pi
heir affidavit as provided by law is in
efficient. The registration officer pc
.as no power TO do anything in their D,
Asses but administer the oath. 1.-The m
sfuses to register an applicant. he W,
oes So sat his own peril, and is only 20,
rejected from the penalties Of such ra
'iusal by being able to show con- fit
lusively that such applicant is not We
Untitled to registerand vote; NJ
II viii be interesting here to see bu
hat those penalties are. Section no
u Compiled Laws Of Utah. pro- wa
ides that: scs
Any person who having ius
iIered upon any OF the Offices or
Ities provided for in this Act. shall no
iifully fail or neglect to rerform any =,