Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-07-19

OF holding office: 10 put the entire gov
eminent OF tho rsgfitofy In the hand.
~ the niouOgamisl-, temporarily, uh'
~ the first session Of the LegislaiiNe
Assembly 81 the Territory 70 aulhoi'
izu "a nonresident commission 70 ~.
point the repatriation ON ers anu
election judges. The language o. ,ne
law which | have raj makes ~ very
clear that this board was not plohleu
TO be "A permanent OUT, our Wa mercy
AN sxpedien, to accomplish certain
object, to oust all pOiygamist from Tue
Offices they held aud 90 iill Their pl.ets
with un.pOlygnmists, M nn cucouFgt'
ment aud inuucempni 70 the lalter 70
continue to live within the la"-in
short, 10 humiliatt and deOaso the
p0lygamists AuI Ca honor nnd eNait
the monOyamiAts. IL was never W.
tended that this Comm scion sh0ulu
he continued for amy luugth OF uulei
much losa 10 become u permanent IN
stitutiUu,
The law clearly contemplated that
tho Commission should be superseded
In the near future. They were only 70
"c0Htlnuo 10 Office until the Legs.
lstiye Assembly Of said Territory snail
make provision foi illiug said offices"
IL II matter Of history that ~ every
session Of the Legislature except one
sine. the creation VI the COminis,loni
provision has hoen made Tor suporscd.
ing this expensivr, unnecessary AMI
un.Amerionn board. The assembly OF
1884, composed entirely OF mOnogain-
ists, passed an act In every way suit
able aud proper. providing for CDulur-
rlug tue powers exercised ~ tue Com.
mission, ia the appointment OF
registration and election Olllcers, upon
electors Of the Territory, who could
only be- mouoganisli; but the governor
refused To approve the bill, and az thr
governor OF Utah has the power OF an
absolute veto, the OH could not become
law. In 1856 aud 1880 similar bills
were passed aud met with like
treatment from the governor.
The session Of the Legislature which
adjourned In Mar.h last passed very
comprehensive election law embracing
the best iA,ur,- of the more recently
enacted laws OF the aevCfAl states, in'
Guiding what IA known as ,he Austral-
ian ballot system. THIS hill made pro-
vision for super uding the Commission
by Territorial Clnvassing board, TO bu
appointed by the Governor 10y anu
with the advice AMI cOnscut VI the
legislative council. The board was TO
consist Of tyo mcmbers, not more than
three Of whom were 70 DO OF the same
political party. The bill, like some OF
the others having the same obloct IN
view, was honorcd with a pocket veto.
His excellency the governor dill NOS
even favor the representatives Of the
people with statement OF his oblec-
lions 90 the measure. He probably
could ilnd no feasible objection " the
hin and thought II lmprudent 10 place
himself upon recur
Now, Mr.. Speaker, I submit that NJ
the Eimunds act was solely aimed ut
polygamy; that ~ Congress did not At.
Tempt Thereby 10 legislate against hut
rather IN favor Of and 10 encourage the
monogamista; that M no polygamist
has been able 10 take the oath required
by Congress, and con equeutly hs-
not been permitted TO register, vote, or
hold office since 1852, that ever since
that time the law.abiding citiz-us o.
Utah, Of all Glasses aud creeds, have
teen unju.tly deprived, by the Ab-o.
lutte anu arbitrary power OF tho Cover.
nor, Of their right OF local self.
government in the conduct Of their
elections.
A great deal Of credit has been
claimed Dor the Utah Commission tor
the wonderful service II has rendered
| the country by the suppression Uf
pOlygamy In Utah. Let me ask what
these commissioners have done In this
regard. The polygRmlsta Ia Utah, after
| the passage OF the Eumunds law,
neither attemptod,to register nor vote,
and there has not been u single cunvic.
! ton Of one Of that class Tor Illegal regis.
tratlon or Illegal voting from that Jay
| 10 this. A. the Commission had no
! lutirs 10 perform respecting polygamy,
| outside Of registration and Election
| dutes, and ns no polygamist ever
| claimed or attempted g. exercise the
right to register or vote, | tail 10 see
| wherein the Commission can claim my
/ credit Tor the suppression oi pOlygamy.
| Whatever external forces have brought
about the disContiuuanre Of that IrNc
tioe, the l'tah Commission played "a
very small part In ils accomplishment.
Asa fair, uuprejudicrd presentation
OF the existing status OF affairs In Utah,
am permitted 10 quote from n letter
recently received 10y n distinguished
member Of this body from two prom.
inent gentlemen, Gentiles 70 called,
one OF whom was Formerly u member
On this floor aud who has lived IN
Utah over twenty years, The other
went there some years ago as n federal
Judge, remained after his term expired,
and has become permanent resident
Of the Territory. Hear whit th"y 'ayi
"siN month. after tho issuance e.. th,
manifesto ~ tho Mormon Church, aban
doniug the practice Of polygamy, d boz
came apparent To ovety hir.mlndcd clti'
zon shat tho Mormons wore sincere IN
their abandonment of tho prlc.irp, aud
we're anxious TO discontinue the unplnls,
ant and Improbable night which had so
long Kept the Mormons and nou-Mor
mons apart, PROPOSE Ions wer0 mad,
bv loading non-Mormous % prnml
! urut Mormous 10 como ont from
their political party che poOplo''
partvl, dissolve %, aud Join with
Them In organizing tho two great uatllna
partiOs-thU Democratic and Republican
throughout tho Territory, and there
aitar conduct tho politics OF the Towtur,
strictly on national party lines Tint
proposition was accepted hy tho Nor
mons and their old party was formally
dissolved aud dlsbnniod lu oNCry vuilul
precinct In tho Territory. Since ihet
politics IN l'inh have takon . radical
change The Old bitterness which existed
| between the two parties for 80 mAuy
years hns been Dniiloly elaborated and
Morm1us and Geutilc. are now pulllnl
and lighting together a. tremendously "a.
though no differences had ever Kept thun
apart
Democratic societies and Republican
clubs have toou organized In nearly every
election precluut oi tho Territory; aud tnt
last Territorial election August, l,NlHwu
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