Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-24


regard TO registration and tie conduct
! OF elections may exist, arises wholly
from the harsh and cumbersome lawi
enacted by Mormon Legislatures IN
the past, aud not In the acts OF the
Commission in constituting anu follow.
ing them, a. Il ~ required 10y the law
OF Cobgiese 10 do. rhoso laws were
passed In 1878, prior 10 the provision lot
CommlnslDn, and require the regis.
tfatiOn officers to make o canvass from
house 70 house. taking the old registga-
ton lists as basis. No authority il
gwen either 70 inahe new registration
lists or 10 purge the old ones, except
under the narrow limits Of the follow
Ing section Of the statute (Section $40,
ltevised Statutes, Utah, 1851.
80 high IN authority M Ex-Judge
judd asserted posltivuly TO the Senate
committee that tho laws "provide1
ruRGiNG THE REGisrRATioS LIST"
aud that at nad not been done.O As
the foregoing IA the only law upon the
SUBJECT, IL would seem that lawyera
might honestly differ from the learned
luhRo IN the opiuion 40 alphabetically
expressed, ami still retain their repu-
intion M lawyers. In fact, The most
serious complaints which have been
mnue TO the Commission have had
their origin In this statute.
In sS leading members Of the
feOpleN or Mormon party, among
whom were George q. Cannon, II. Is.
Hichaf and John r. Caine, appeared
bofore the Commission Demanding a
construction OF the statute, and In
hsructions 10 the registrars VI Salt
i'abe Clty aud county, who, they al
legged, we're tbreat,gning 10 strike
from the listH the names OF all per-
sons not found in the "house to house
canvnss." 10 was argued strenuously
mat tho law required the registrar TO
Emu from "oarelul inquiry" that tho
person Registered had "diod, removedO
or was "oiherwise disqualified" be.
Tore they could purge the list Of the
name. 10 was represented that great
INJURY would be done their people II
the opposite course were TO be lursurd.
as many Ut their voters were absent
on church missions, on ranches tenn.
porarily or engaged In temporary work
at u distance.
The Commission considered their
construction TO be the correct one aud
20 Instructed the regiatrars.
a lev months later the same per-
sons, accompanied with q. q. Rich |
nrus OF Ogdcn, came before the Com |
mission, representing that the Ogden |
lisia were loaded down with names OF |
persons who could not be found anu |
who they believed had died or |
removed, and they feared frauds |
were intended by tho Liberal party |
u voting men upon their NAMES. |
Ihey asked instructions 10 the |
Ogden registrar to strike On the names
lf all who could not Ue found. Their |
attention was called 10 the opposite In.
'tfuctious they hnd asked anu obtained
-vusrd.
'Aluch was said In lhe Congressional
inquiry last winter in regard 10 ut.
empts to
STRIKE PROM THE LISTS
he names of Mornons unjustly, and
he CommisslOn was blamed Tor the [.
empt. Such thing IL only possihle
indtr the provision OF tho law " 1878.
which authorized objections 10 he filci
'hOrtly prior 10 tue election and sum.
narily decided.
IL several tunes came 20 the knowl.
dye % the Commission that nm i'm.
proper use was intenued TO be made OF
his provision OF the law, but In each
'ase The Commission promptly and
suppressed Il ~ soon rs liza
'ttention was called 10 lt.
Tho last instance was prior TO the
election Of 1891. The Commission had
Judge Heed TO hear nblec.
ions 70 Noiers IN several prccincti OF
Box Elder county, Including BRIGHAM
lity. II was informed that oblsc,ions
lai been iiled before him TO the NAMES
I nearly three hundred OF the members
u the Mormon party aud that they
we're intendod 10 lie stricken of on
viieucu that they wore Mormops
merely, the ground for such action 10
" that Mormon WINS necessarily mn
II1er aud Gbetter u polyrnmy.
Inc Commission nbonce DISPATCHED
wo Of It's members to tho scene with
over to act summarily In tho removal
nd substitution Of registration ami
lection officers and
SURPRISING THE WRONG
Intended. 1t was found that IL was
blended TO strike OF the names, and
ich measures were promptly taken a.
D wholly prevent IL. IL may be men. I
lonod here that Mr.. Heed stated 10 ;
no members OF the Commission pres.
mt at the conference that ne had been
dvisod 10 do II and that such actlon I
you'd be legal, by "kentuckyD smith, {
The next morniug one Of the Com ,
Mission met Mr.. Smith In the chr
Ding u Ogden, and toll him that
Judge Heed named him az his adyisor I
5 TO the propriety and legality OF the I
roposed "purglDg" OF the lists, and
70 dic not deny having given the nd !
Ice. ,
The gentleman spoken OF as "Ken.
ioky" smith Is lawyer OF prom I
nence In Ogden, was then an active q
liberal IN politics, was the author OF Z
NO ldaho test oath, acted az the !
itofney for those who favored dis !
OF MOrmons, made Q
iRny arguments In ITS favor, was !
'rongly anti'Momon In his acts and :
ofda, aud ~ this same III. w. Smith y
no made the attack upon the Com.
llsslOn before the committees on Ter l
tories heretofore noticed. q
The Commission would not have !
Dliced 30 extensively these state. v
tents were 1t not for the fact that b
'ey were made before committees OF y
ougrcss, and have been published TO 9
10 world in public documents aud :
trough the columns OF tue press, !
ilhout any opportunity being afford. b
the Commission to meet them. o
Former reports OF the Commission v
lily refute many Of the
CHARGES REYAMPED. 4
ID resiated before the committee ON I