Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-02-19
THE NEW MAYOR A PARTISAN.

IMMEDIATELY after ne hau TAKEN
the oath Of office last night, Mayor
Scott made few remarks, the tenor
Of which was creditable to him.
Among other things he declared it
to be his intention to be just and inn
partial in all his acts as Mayor.
Within 8 few moments after he had
uttered this sentiment he made
what will appear to thousands of
cur citizens TO be n striking depart
ure from it. At a certain juncture
of the proceedings, Richard w.
Young arose and requested, in be-
half Of himself and certain gentle
men claiming to have been elected |
members Of the City Council |
from the Third and Fourth NUM-
cipal wards, that their bonds be
approved and that the oath of Office
be administered to them. Not a
wOri was uttered by any member of
either the old or new Council rela-
i've TO the matter. Indeed there
was no time for this, for Mayor
Scott instantly replied TO Mr..
1OuDg's request by saying, in effect,
that it could not be complied with.
Mr.Young made a second request,
which was to the effect that the
other gentlemen present, claiming
TO have been elected from those
wards, be not sworn in until the
appeal from the decision which had
been rendered in favor Of Mr.. Young
and colleagues should be decided.
Mayor Scott promptly denied this
request, on the ground that he had {
chad no official notice'' of any ac-
ton by the courts relative to the
matter. L
This was incorrect. Mayor Scott I
had had official notice of Judge c
Zane's decision to the effect that 4
the Peoples Party candidates from a
the Third and Fourth municinal c
wards had been elected. That deci- i
sion, as soon as it was rendered. WAS
itselfan Official notice to all the par e
ties concerned, and to the general q
public Of the facts therein stated P
What is a judicial decision but an
Official notice? While it may have
other elements, the very essence of
a courts decree is in the nature Of
an official notice, and the instant IT r,
IS rendered from the bench if be. -
comes n notice to all concerned. and n
to the public at large. G
A notable feature of these mr. nj
eeedings was the fact that Mavor q
Scott assumed and exercised the an n,
thority to determine which capai. h
dates should, and which should not Of
take the oath of office. Whence "a
came he by such power? The uni u
versal rule is that parliamentary Ia
bodies are the judges Of the election ir
and qualifications of their own mem. II
'ers. Were the Speaker ofthe Nation F
ii House of Representatives to direct n
he clerk to whom he should mr. F
should not administer the oath of n,
'lilce as member, without a vote in
being taken, he would hardly sur.
we the storm such arrogance II
would create all over the Union W
ct such was exactly the nature of N
Mayor Seott's act last night. 1t is +
grievous proof of what has all q,
long been feared, namely, that the n,
Liberal" ticket was mostly head, or
tadpoie affair, SO to speak. n
Now as to Mayor Scott's desire to al,
'e 'Just and impartial.'' What an
curse could he have taken. after p,
having assumed the authority To =,
iecide in the matter, more in line &c
win the course he had Just outlined a.
or himself, than to rule that the 80
second request made by Mr.. Young 3
Mould be granted? Such a decision -
would have done no injustice to n
Liberals" because it had been in -
Iieially found that they were not ~
nhtied to seats, and it would have 60
lVen neither set Of contestants the -
aVantage of possession, which is 10.
90 often ''nine points of the law, 60
II isevident that Mayor Scott had ~
in advance what course he
e would take. 1t is further evil
ent that headhered to the prepared
81