The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-27
THE UTAH COMMISSION.

Frank and bluff Captain GOODMAN pays
his respects to the Utah commission in
fine style in letter to the New York Com
mercidl Advertiser. 1t will be apparent to
all who read the letter and who are at all
familiar with that wonderful board, the
Utah commission, and Its duties, that the
captain has been careful not to go astray in
his comments. Here is a paragraph from
the letter referred to:
The only duty that the commission has is to
attend personally or by deputies to the regis
tIation of voters, and to make every one
feature Of which is that he does not cohabit
with more than one woman lin the mar
riage relation" an addition of their own
TO the act of Congress which serves as
/ saving clause for some gentiles who are
burdened with conscienceS. This duty
of registration might quite as easily be per
formed by the secretary of the territory,
saving of $4,000 and their travelling
expenses for going to and coming from Utah
| twice in year. The only excuse for retaining
them in office is like that OF the appointment OF
Corporal TANNER. 1t not only creates an asylum
for old political hacks, but it ends in getting rid
OF the surplus and in creating necessity for the
continuance of high protective duties. But
! these champions of patriotism and virtue do not
take that view of the case. They have Just is
sued their annual report, and while they are
forced to admit that, from causes with which
they have nothing to do, there have been
scarcely any new cases Of polygamy, and that
| the continuance in the practice is rapidly
diminishing, they spread themselves over six
or seven newspaper columns in their attempt to
demonstrate that their retention is a necessity.
They have constructed theory that they are
sent here not only TO see the Edmunds law en-
forced, but in a general way to supervise the
morals OF the MormonS, and to counterfeit the
influence of the priesthood the hierarchy and
the "theocracy.' 1t is not enough for them
that polygamists have been disfranchised that
the property Of the church and OF the emigra-
ton fund contributed by the people have been
confiScated, but they now desire to be commits
stoned as missionaries 10 convert the MormonS
from their belief, which is so wicked in their
eyes that they propose to put them on judicial
rack with some new and sharp spikes in it if
they do not renounce their faith.
Inasmuch as the Utah commission is the
child of those who stand as the greatest of
Americas modern statesmen, there are
those who denounce as disloyal any sugges-
ton that the board is not mastery in con-
ception and operation; and still there isn't
an intelligent man in Utah who doesn't
know that the commission is about the
most useless piece of official machinery that
was ever devised. 1t has been in existence
over seven years and has cost the govern
ment about half million dollars, nearly
two hundred thousand Of which has gone
into the pockets of members as salaries.
And we defy any man to point to one thing
done by the commission that fifteen-hun-
dred- dollar clerk could not have done better
In fact, there is nothing for the commission
to do. The criticism that the members visit
Utah but twice year is almost cruel, when
it is understood that the board has to hunt
for an excuse to come twice. One of the
trips is usually made during the bathing
season" when so many tourists and people
of leisure come to Salt Lake. and there is
nothing going on at the homes of the com
missioners requiring their presence.
That the body is an entirely useless one
is not the fault of the members, who are
not responsible for Congressional enact
ment for which there never was the least
occasion; nor are men to be blamed for
clinging to places which pay them $1,000
year and travelling expenses for doing
nothing.