Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-03-20
KoRE EXECUTIVE DESPOTISN.

purpose Of complying with the laws
Of Congress relative TO elections il
Utah. will be found in this issue Of
the DEsERET NEWS. Accompany
ing she bill is the Governors messag,
vetoing this important measure.
The reasons for this legislation
have been already explained in these
columns, but We win again refer tc
them. Section nine ofthe Edmunds
Act provides:
THAT all the registration and cleo
ton Offices Of every description in the
Territory OF Utah are hereby declar. d
vacant, and each and every duty re.
lainS 10 the registration Of voters. the
conduct Of elections, the receiving OF
rejection Of votes, and the cauyassinl
and returning Of the same. and tn,
issuing Of certificates or O-hcr svidenct
OF election in said Territory shall, un-
til o:her provision be made by the
Legislative Assembly OF said Tsrr /,
tory, as Is hereinafter in this sector
provided, be performed under tho ex-
listing laws Of the United States and O.
said Territory by proper persons who
shall be appoin-ei 10 execute such
Offices and perform such duties by a
board Of five persons TO be appointed
by the President by and with the ad-
VI e and consent OF the Senate" etc.
The provision referred 10 in the
above is contained in the closing
par Of the section as follows:
"Ani !: or after the frs: meeting OF
OF said Legislative Assembly whose
members snail have been elecseI and
returned according TO the provisions
of this ac-, said Legislative Assembly
may make such laws, conform Able to
the organic act OF said Territory and
no: inc Insisteat with other Ia - Of The
Uni.ed state, As il shall deem proper,
concerning the illing OF the offices in
sal Territory declared vacant BY this
act"
The congressional provisions, by
Implication at least, impose upon tine
Utah Legislature the duty OF provid-
ing f0T the filling of these registra.
ton and election oflices. And they
expressly affirm the power and au-
thority Of the Legislature to 10 this.
The plain and direct object Of the
Act Of Congrsss III which these pro-
visions appear was to prevent polyg-
amists aud persons vino cohabited
with more than Que woman from
voting or holding Office in Utah. a
Legislature was to be elected by
mJnOg am0us voters and composed of
homogeneous citizens. For this pur-
pose the Ut3h Commission was Gre
ated. When that object SHOULD be
achieved, the new Legislature,
either at the Il St or some subsequent
session, was to enact a law 10 reyu-
late election N IJtsrs and then the
Commission wa to b-come jefunct,
the purpose Of its creation having
been accomplished.
The Legislative Assembly elected
under the EImunds Act did, at its
FIRST meeting, make and pass an
election law rs authorized by that
act, tut, as was anticipated, it was
vetoed 10y the Governor, who offered
several alleged objections. At the
next session Of the Legislature an
other election law was passed, in
which all the "O'jectious' Of the
Governor but four were sJuarely
met and the causes removed, and
these four were shown to be without
foundation. Unable TO point out
any real defects in The second bill,
the Governor vetoed it without
any specific reasons.
The Edmunds-rucSe- act OF 1857
made this additional provision:
Sec. .. That the provisions Of sec
ton 9 OF said act, approved March y,
1852, in regard TO registration and cleo
ton officers, and the registration Of
voters, and the conduct OF elections,
and the powers and duties OF the board
therein mentioned, shall continue aud
remain operative until the provisions
and laws therein referred 10, to be
made and enacted by the Legislative
Assembly OF said Territory OF Utah,
shall have been made aud enacted by
said Assembly. and shall have been
by Congress"
The till which is now published
was framed in accordance with this
and covers all the ground
or which it was designed. 1t will
'ear the closest investigation. 1t
-uns counter to no law Of Congress.
5 not in violation OF the Orsanir
Act, however broadly or narrowly |
and does not transcend
my legitimate power Of the Legis-
ature. 1t Is 4 necessary, Just anu |
impartial measure. It Is fair 10 ali |
'arties. 1t cannot be consistently |
objected to, except by those notorious
who favor and foster
he supremacy Of a partizan minori-
y and the political robbery of the
majority Of Utsh's qualified cleo
ors.
The Governors pretended ob,ec-
ion viii be found on examination
0 be even less substantial ifpossible
han the quibbles Of his predecessor
nder similar circumstances. The
III, he says, provides ''for choosing
II officers not otherwise provided
Dr." and attempts, but fails. 10
how that this with the repealing
lause Of the bill casts n doubt upon
S meaning. However, he admits
irther on that he has ''not care /:
lily examined all the details Of the
CT, Z" and this might figure as some |
xcuse for his allegations if it were
rue that ke had not had time to
onsider ii. We have shown In
revious articles that this bill with
no others was sent TO the Govern
r on Monday, March 10, at . p. m. 1
T he did not examine it till 1. p. m.
q the 18th, that was no fault ofthe
{
One OF the causes Of difference
stSoen the Legislature and the
executive in this Territory has