The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-20
To Give the Governor OF Utah
the Power to Appoint
THE VARIOUS COUNTY oFFICERsg
Delegate Caine Says No, and Adduces Some
Unanswerable Arguments Before the Sen
ate Committee to Sustain His Position


county officers: This bill is an extraordin-
airy one. 1t is needless to say that no such
law has ever been proposed to Congress in
regard to any other territory. 1t is un-
American and subverslve Of those princi- |
pies of local self government that have been
regarded as sacred from colonial days down |
to the present time. 1t is true that this
bill does not apply to all county |
officers not elective, nor does it
directly disfranchise the voters, but it is a
substantial advance in that direction which |
may in process of time, upon the same
principle, be extended to all officers of the
territory; and this would be a total de-
struction of the right of self-government,
as effectual as a deprivation of the right of
suffrage. To plain people, who have ex
,ercised the right to vote and hold office for
three or four decades, and who have COM
mitted no crime, an act of Congress de-
priving them of such rights must appear to
be unjust, and cruel and unusual punish
ment
a few yearsnago there was demand by
The non Mormons of Utah for Congress to
establish Legislative commission" as it
vas called; to supersede the legislative
assembly elected by the people by COM
mission to be appointed by the President.
his measure has never met with much
avor in the United States Senate, doubt
ess for the reason, as it was frequently
lvowed, that the object CT the govergment
was to reform and not to destroy the
Mormon people, and for the further reason
that this object could be better accom-
plished without a total destruction of
popular government.
The proposition now before this commit
tee is not new one. Ithas been introduced
at one or more preceding sessions of Con-
gress, and IN February, 1887, bill which
had passed the Senate had been so
amended by the House as to make county
officers heretofore elective appointed by
the governor, or other authority. The
amendment was not concurred in by the
Senate, and in conference committee most
of the obnoxious portions of the bill in this
respect were stricken out in addition to
the good reasons which were given by the
distinguished Senator from Vermont, Mr..
Edmunds, against the punishment of the
innocent as well as the guilty, and the
reasons that must have influenced the con-
ferees on the part of the Senate as above
stated. 1t will appear from a considera-
ton of the progress of events in Utah dur
ing the last three or four years that the
proposed legislation is wholly unnecessary
for the accomplishment of any good re-
suits; and indeed it may well be doubted
whether the non-Mormons in Utah who
formerly desired the enactment of such a
law, would now deem it necessary or de-
sirable on their part.
If the object Of those who favor this bill
is to provide leverage for the prohibition
of polygamy, CT to give the non-Mormons a
fair share of the Offices of trust and profit,
in view of the situation there to-day the
bill is unnecessary and its passage would
seem to be wanton exercise of federal
authority.
In the SUNNI er Of 1887 the great mass of
the Mormon voters took the registration
oath prescribed by the act of March 3, 1857,
that they would obey the acts of Congress
prohibiting polygamy, ETC., and that they
would not, directly or Indirectly, aid OF
abet, counsel or advise any other person
to commit any such crimes defined by acts
Of Congress, as polygamy, bigamy, unlaw
full cohabitation, incest, adultery and for
nication. A few legal voters among the
Mormons declined to take the oath, and a
considerable number of the Gentiles were
unwilling to "swear off, for all time, as te
the last two offenses.
At this point the committee burst into
roar of laughter, in which Mr.. Edmund.
heartily joined.
Mr.. Game then briefly referred to the &C
ton of the non-polygamists' convention
held in Salt Lake in June, 1887, and to The
marriage law passed in the assembly il
1855, and continuing said: The foregoing
statements viii show the efforts which
a great majority of the Mormons them
selves are making for the discontinuanc,
Of the practice Of polygamy, and it may b,
safely stated that for the last two or tire,
years polygamous or bigamcus offense
have been as rare in that territory as il
other parts Of the country. So much as t.
the want OF any necessity or good reason
for the proposed legislation, if it is to b.
placed on the ground Of the attitude of tn
people in relation to polygamy
If the proprietry of passing this bill is t
be put upon the assumption that the non
NIormons are now excluded from a fai
share of the offices, plain statement O
the facts will put this in very differen
light When it is considered that the Nor
mons constitute about three-fourths of tn
population, it would seem that the non
Mormons have little to complain of as t
the enjoyment of the honor and emolu
ments of Office. They, (the non Mormons,
have five Utah commissioners at an annus
salary Of S, 900 each with their travellin
:, expenses, Office rent, etc, paid by the go1
eminent, and all the federal officers.
Thus it will be seen that under the e1
listing law the governor has very larg
share of the official patronage of the terri
tory. The appointees to all the more in
portant and lucrative positions are inv;
riably selected from non-Mormon citizens
Besides, the municipal government of Sa
Lake city is now under the exclusive col
troll of the non Mormons. The same
true as to Ogden, the second city in til
territory, and it is claimed by non Mo
mons that at the next general election
August Salt Lake county and Webt
county viii be carried by the same NEAR
and appliances by which their Chit
cities have been carried. Summit count
already has a considerable majority
Mormons. In the last legislative asse@5l