The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-29
WORLDS FAIR BILL IN CONGRESS.


The Worlds fair appropriation bill We
toed by Governor THOMAS was introduced
in the United States Senate on Friday and
in the House on Saturday by Senator
CAREY and Delegate GAME respectively.
Our correspondent wires that the Senator
and Delegate have had personal confer
ences with the Senate and House commit
tees with reference to the measure, and
that the governors action is regarded in
Washington rs "a rather small exhibition
of gubernatorial power.", That action is
SO regarded here, where some of Governor
THOMAS personal friends severely crit
else him for his determination to keep the
| territory out of the Columbian exhibition
because doubted power was not conceded
to him.
The correspondent does not mention the
probabilities in connection with the bill
1t is doubtless too early to obtain an ex-
pressive of opinion which might be &C
cepted as an indication as to the future Of
the bill. The HERALD is free to confess
that it has little confidence in the passage
of the bill. The doubt is not based upon
the assumption that Congress has not the
legal authority to enact the measure into
law. Congress has assumed almost abso-
Lutte power over the territories in the mat
ter OF legislation, and in almost every in
stance the courts have sustained the
national law-making body; but it seems
to US that this bill presents new question
the question of the right of Congress to ap-
propriate money from the territorial treas
ury. This very session Congress passed an
act legislizing and making valid a law
passed by the Arizona legislature which
appropriated money for the Worlds fair,
but the two cases were entirely dissimilar
Arizona had reached the legal limit of her
borrowing power, and the money for the
fair had to be raised on bonds issued in ex-
cess of the indebtedness limit. The legis-
lature passed the bill, and Congress simply
approved, thus making the proposed loan
valid; but the territorial legislature appro-
prlated the money and directed how it
should be expended. In the case of the
Utah bill the appropriation from the
treasury must be direct by Congress, as
the bill which went to Washington had no
more legal effect here than paper written
~ NAJ IL was oluDly paEb VI
petition forwarded by the members of the
Legislative Assembly, and if enacted int
a law, would it not be a congressional
rather than territorial enactment-a
United States instead of Utah statute?
There are instances where officials ap
pointed by the United States laws are paid
from local treasures, but the payment in
every case is in accordance with territorial
law, and the appropriation is made by the
territorial legislature, Congress never yet
having assumed to vote money from the
territorial treasury. The question pre-
sented in the case of this Worlds fair bill
is both novel and interesting, and the out
come will be carefully watched, not only by
the people of Utah but by the citizens of
other territories.
Whether or not the bill shall be passed.
its introduction will call directly TO the at
tention of Congress the fact that the COM
plants against the absolute veto power are
not urged in a spirit of faultfinding and
spitefulness, but because a real grievance
exists in the willful abuse of an extraordin-
arg and un-republican authority.