The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-25
A WARNING.

Our election law is singularly plain and
concise in the matter of defining the quail
fications Of voters and pointing out what
the individual must do in order to acquire
the right to vote. He must take an oath
before the registration officer of his voting
precinct that he is over twenty-one years
of age, that he has resided in the territory
of Utah for six months then last past, and
in the precinct for one month Immediately
preceding the date of the registration; that
he is a citizen of the United States; that he
will support the constitution of the United
States and faithfully obey the laws
thereof, and especially the EDMUNDs and
the TUCKER EDMUNDs acts in respect of the
crimes in said acts defined and forbidden,
and that he will not, directly or Indirectly,
aid or abet, counsel or advise, any other
person to commit any of said crimes.
There can be no mistaking the reading
or intent Of the registration and voting
laws. a violation of them must necessar-
lily be willful; it cannot occur through ig-
norance if the person possesses ordinary
intelligence and exercises ordinary care
1t is common talk that there have been
numerous and fragrant violations of the
registration law. 1t is in every body's
mouth that scores Of men have been regis
tered who are not entitled to vote 1t is
publicly asserted that strangers spending
a few days in the city have been listed. 1t
is alleged that employees of the Rio Grande
Western railway between this city and
Green river have been registered, though
they are in no sense citizens of Salt Lake,
never having resided here. 1t is stated
that men who have not been here the
requisite six months, but who expect to
make this city their home, have taken the
oath and had their names placed on the
registration LIST. 1t has even been as
serted that registration officers went over
the line of the Rio Grande Western road in
a special car and listed men who cannot
claim a residence in this city which has
never been their home, and where they
have never owned dollars worth of prop
erty and in which they have never even
lab0red
1t will develop before election and at the
polls whether or not there is any truth in
these allegations. 1t cannot as matter
of course, be ascertained just how much
or how little of truth there is in them. as
it will be impossible to run down every
suspected person whose name is on the list.
and fix the exact time of his coming to
Utah, and the date of his arrival at Salt
Lake, as well as the period of his soiourn
But the facts may be arrived at in many
cases, and they will be reached with
defniteness that cannot fail to astonish
and alarm those who are guilty.
The HERALD does not put forth this as
threat for the purpose of frightening any
body, but as warning to all whose names
are not rightfully on the registration list,
that in so far as it is possible the law will
be vigorously enforced, and men who at
tempt to vote fraudulently will be prose
cuted to the fullest extent. II it shall be
ascertained that a man has sworn that he
has been a resident of the territory six
months and of the city one month, when he
has been here less time, he will be pro-
ceeded against for perjury, and if he shall
attempt to vote he will be arrested and
prosecuted for violation of the election law.
If poor, ignorant laboring men have been
duped into the belief that they will be
protected in the commission of fraud, they
should at once come to their natural senses,
and understand that they and not those
who have deceived them, must suffer the
consequences of breaking the statute and
committing crime. Only partisan and cor