The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-17

Liberal rule began. county scrip declined
in value; and instead of representing cash,
was discounted for every purchase and
every expense, until it was finally repudi-
ated as current value.
! Among the officers voted for at the
August, 1874, election was that of repre-
sentative to the legislative assembly. The
People nominated George Atkin, and the
Liberals E. S. Footc. The returns having
been countedin favor of the Liberal county
ticket, they were also so reported to the
secretary of the territory in favor of Z. S.
Foote, who received from the secretary a
certificate of election as a member of the
legislature, and presented himself at the
opening of the session, January 10, 1876, to
be sworn in as such. George Atkin APP
peared as contestant for the seat, and as
the house of representatives is the sole
judge of the qualifications of its members,
the contest was referred to the committee
on elections, and the whole matter of the
Tooele county election was carefully inyes-
tigated. The result of this investigation
was to seat Atkin. II was found rat while
votes had been cast by members of the
Peoples party which were questionable
as those of aliens who had only taken out
their first papers, the majority of legal
votes in favor of the Peoples candidate
after every questionable ballot was ex-
plunged from the returns, was over fou1
hundred.
In the summer of 1876, convention was
held for the nomination of ticket to be
voted for at the August election of that
year. 1t was composed of twelve members
OF the Peoples party and six Liberals.
This attempts provide fusion ticket that
would be acceptable to the People and con,
troll or divide the Liberal vote was not ap.
proved by many leading members of the
Peoples party, and though ticket was
nominated upon which appeared names
representative of both parties, it was re-
garded with so much disfavor that before
the election came off a new call for the
Peoples delegates and other influential
citizens brought them together, and a con
clusion was reached that it was not polite
nor proper to run the fusion ticket. 1t was
openly asserted that the action of the
Liberal fusionists would not bind their
party, and quite generally believed that
many electors of the Peoples party would
repudiate the nominations. In consequence
of this feeling, new ticket composed en-
tirely of members of the Peoples party was
prepared, and the campaign conducted on
strict party lines.
The election returns were entirely in the
hands of Liberal Office holders, and, as was
expected, showed a victory for the Liberal
candidates. Among the latter, Mr.. George K.
Warren, declared elected to represent the
county in the legislature, absolutely re
fused to qualify, or serve his constituen is.
In consequence of this, the county was not
represented in the legislature of 1873.
The experience of the previous two
years, contesting the right to the county
offices before the courts, had been such as
to Justify the belief that no Peoples party
man could be installed, no matter what his
legal claims to the. office might be. The
natural consequence was the discourage
ment of voters and falling away of inter
est in the election. 1t was, therefore, de-
cided not to contest the election, though
there was no doubt in the minds of those
who were informed that the legal voters of
the People still outnumbered those of the
Liberals, as they always have done in
Tooele county. 1t was determined to await
a more favorable opportunity to recover the
liberties and rights of the people, and in
the meantime to thoroughly organize and
instruct them in relation to those rights.
The legislature of 1878 passed an act pro
viding for the registration of voters, and
the approval of this act was heralded by the
people of Tooele county as the clank of fall
ing chains iberating captives.
Previous to this time the only qualifca-
tons for voters were that they should be
taxpayers and residents in the territory for
six months previous to the election. Women
were entitled to vote without being tax
payers. The voting was restricted only by
challenges at the polls, and il was an easy
thing, where the judges of elections were in
sympathy with the rabble, to poll a heavy
vote. But by the new act of the legisla-
ture, every elector was compelled to make
affidavit of his qualifications, and stabil-
ity ofresidence had to be maintained, which
together with the other provisions of the
law, tended to prevent illegal voting. The
Peoples party took courage from this time
and entered upon the campaign of 1875 with
determination to recover the political con
troll OF the county. Much time was spent
by the local leaders of the party in prepar-
ing for the election. The people were in
structed in relation to citizenship and reg
istration; aliens were naturalized; young
men and women, becoming of age, were
registered, and general revival of interest
worked up.
At the convention held in July, the fol
lowing persons were nominated on the PEG
pies ticket: Representative to the legisla-
ture, F. M. Lyman; probate Judge, II. S.
Gowans; selectmen, S. w Woolley and D.
H Caldwell sheriff, John Pickett: coroner,
John Gillespie; assessor and collector, W.
R. Judd; treasurer, Thomas Atkin, ir re-
corder, F. NJ. Lyman; superin tendent of
district schools, Joshua R. Clark; prescott
ing attorney, Lysander Gee.
The Liberals were alarmed at the activ-
ity of the people; they were bitterly op-
posed to the registration act and to woman
suffrage, but proposed to maintain the con-
troll at all hazards. The election came off in
August and the returns were made to the
county court. At the time when they
should have been counted and the result of
the election declared, August IL, 1873, the
county clerk, E. F. Martin, refused to open
the returns, though requested to do so by
w. G. Rydalch, one of the seIectmen. Pro
ceedings were at once instituted before
Judge Schaffer, of the district court, to
compel the counting of the returns and de-
claring the election. Elaborate arguments
were made by attorneys for the People and
the Liberals. A decision was rendered by