The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-20
THEY TALK OF UTAH.
The Interesting Spectacle on
at Washington.
GOVERNOR VESTS IGNORANCE.
Mr.. Lannan the Observed OF All OBJ
servers-Mr. Richards Causes
Confusion and Dismay.

WASHINGTON, D. c., January u
1889. Especial Correspondence of The
HERALD THE hearing before the
House committee on Territories on the
question of Utah's
ADMISSION INTO THE UNION
of States, was commenced this morn
ing agreeable to adjournment. There
were in the committee rooms as repre-
sentatives of that portion of the people
of Utah in favor of admission. Mr.. f.
S. Richards, Delegate Caine, Judge Jere
Wilson, leading lawyer of this city;
also. Hon. J. w. Young, of Salt Lake
City; against Utah's admission were
your old-time antag onist, Mr.. Baskin,
Judge Mcbride, Governor West and
Mr.. Ferry, all of whom receive the
moral support of Salt Lakes we'll
known townsman, Mr.. P. II. Lannan.
These gentlemen met each other in the
arena of the committee room with the
best of good feeling to judge from the
courtesies and civlIities which passed
between them, but evidently with an
underlying feeling of determined OPP
| position to each otner on the question
at issue.
Mr.. Springer, chairman OF the CON-
mittee on Territories, announced the
readiness of the committee to COM
mence the hearing, and apologiZed, IN
| % off Of Tho pOro p1itfan for the
LACK OF A QUORUM.
g e remarked, however. that the argu-
ments would be reported in full and be
printed. not only for the benefit OF the
members of the committee themselves,
| but of the Hoose of Representatives I;
and ii was afterwards decided to print
| 1000 copies for this purpose, with the
understanding, of course, that the in
| terested parties might order printed at
their own expense what quantities they
might choose for their own use. AS the
matter before the committee. he said,
related 10 the pending bill providing for
the admission of Utah into the Union,
only matter german to the subject
would be considered, and he asked the
| gentleman intending ia speak, to con-
fine themselves thereto. Four hours
to each side were allowed, with the
understanding that Judge Wilson
should have one hour and q half to
close the argument for the affirmative
side of the question.
Delegate Game then introduced to
the committee Mr.. f. S. Richards, as
chairman of the delegation of the con-
stitutional convention of Utah, held
in July, 1887, as a natiYe-born citizen
of the Territory and the gentleman
who would offer
THE OPENING ARGUMENT
Mr.. Richards then addressed him
self to the committee. He said this
was the fifth time Utah had come, to
the Congress of the United States
asking admission into the Unicn.
He cit,d, in brief, the story
of the labor and toll of
the Pioneers in the settlement
of the Territory, and recounted
its growth and development until
it has become the highway Of
tIauscontinental travel. He also dwelt
feelingly upon the character of the men
and women known in the pioneer his
tory of Utah; he did so more that the
committee should be Informed as to the
true character of those veteran people
than of paying compliment to them he
did so, too, that the committee might
be impressed correctly of the spirit and
character Of their descendants who in
herited from their parents the love they
entertained for their country, its liber-
ties and free institutions.
The general products of the Territory
were then enumerated, together with
her varied industries and resources; her
population, area, wealth, agricultural
mineral and commercial were told.
UTAH's CLAIM TO STATEHOOD
Had never been denied excepting for
two reasons-her ina dequacy ofpopula-
ton, and her failure to provide consti
tutionally against polygamy; both of
which reasons were now unfounded in
fact. Here the speaker referred to Sec
ton II of the proposed constitution
declaring polygamy a misdemeanor;
and to the tact that the great body of
the legal voters that had ratified the
| proposed constitution had subscribed
| to an oath specially framed by Con-
gress to disfranchise polygamists,
which he read, apparently much to the
astonishment of some of the sitting
members who voted for the bill in
which this oath is embodied. And re-
! ferring to the religious belief of the non
polygamists or voting class of the Nor
mon people in Utah, there was nothing,
he said, in their belief that could forbid
them from carrying into full effect that
section of the constitution under the
| oath theV had taken.
He also referred to the marriage law
enacted by the Legislature of Utah in
March 1883, against polygamy with its
heavy penalties; also to that portion OF
President Cleveland's message to the
present Congress in which he states,
from data furnished by the Attorney
General, that
PoLYGAMY IS PRACTICALLY ENDED
and as to unlawful cohabitation, he
clearly pointed out the fact that were it
not for its association with the mar
rage relation there could be nothing
said about it in contradiction from nom
| Mormon practices of similar charac-
ter; that it was nothing at all but the
marriage feature connected with it that
afforded the gentlemen of the opposi-