The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-01-23
DISHONEST OPPONENTS.

The opponents Of the FAULKNER bill to
in their opposition. They do not state the
grounds OF their objections correctly. 1t
would be better to be truthful if they can
not be fair. They profess TO oppose the
bill because it would greatly increase the
expenses of the government borne by the
people without materially increasing the
benefits. If this were true their argument
would be good and there would be an end
to the controversy, for nobody would urge
the payment OF money for nothing But it
is not true, unless home rule is nothing-is
OF no value or benefit to the people.
AT the present time how much of self
government do the people of Utah enjoy?
Perhaps some of the enemies TO the Home
Rule bill will be able to tell U.s. Beginning
at the very foundation the people do
not enjoy the right to register the voters
or supervise the elections. Even the quail
itications or voters are defined by an au-
thority other than the people. The regis
tration and election machinery is all under
the absolute control Of board which if
responsible to anybody is certainly not to
the people. The registration is performed
by men accountable to nobody, and usually
by the evowed enemies to the people.
These registrars brazenly defy the law and
when protests are filed, impudently ask,
Nv hat are you going to do about it?n 1t
has been charged, and we believe correctly
so, that irresponsible men have been care
fully selected as registration officers in
hot HIT, II
cial irresponsibility would present a
bar to their prosecution for denial
to qualified citizens Of the right to registra
ton. 1t will not be denied that there
have occurred many such denials and there
has been no remedy. Win anybody pre-
tend to say that the Utah commission has
not Deen openly and impudently unfriendly
to the people, at times going to such out
rageous lengths in its refusal TO permit
even the semblance of home rule that the
supreme court of the United States has
stepped in to correct the evil? How much
of home rule has there been under the
| Utah commission! How much of home
rule Is possible when the very petty cleo
! tons must be conducted according to rules
and regulations formulated and applied by
6 nonresident board made up with special
reference to its readiness to defeat the will
of the majority!
1t is said that we have local legislature
now, and this is true; but when the be-
lever in self-government thinks of it he
bushes for his citizenship. The legisla-
ture can do absolutely nothing beyond
meeting and adiourning, without the con-
sent of a governor sent here from abroad
and usually charged by the appointing
power to defeat the will of the people.
What suggestion of home rule there is in
this, perhaps those who are saying the
FAULKNER bill will be no improvement can
tell US. 1t is today the common talk on
the street that the political boss to whom
the governor bows in deferen-
tial obedience has declared that in
the event of the passage by the legislature
of certain bill which three-fourths of the
people are demanding, the governor will
defeat it by his absolute veto. Would it be
nothing to have legislature whose acts
the governor could not nullify by with
holding his signature! Ali the men desig-
mated for jury service are carefully Sc
lected by officials who hold their commits
sions from an authority not of Utah. and
in the past the iurymen were carefully
chosen because OF their supposed enmity
to the majority of the citizens. The FAUI.K-
NER bill proposes TO change this, but we
presume the opponents of the measure
will prefer to have the rule remain as
it is. Even wills must be probated and
~, DIM ,ic+r Of fo+a
judges appointed by the President of the
United States. In short there is not even
| the shadow, much less the substance of
home rule in this territory and yet men
who claim to be intelligent and assume
to be leaders of the people have the eff
frontry to tell US that the FAULKNER bill
would rot be much of an Improvement over
the present condition of things, the bene-
fits which it would confer not being worth
the money they would cost We cannot
refrain from asking if such men know the
meaning of home ruei If they know what
American citizenship is2 If they are
worthy of that citizenship?
The FAULKNER bill proposes local self
| government in all its essential particulars.
1t provides for the control of the election
machinery by the people; for the election
Of all officials, from governor to constable.
by the qualified voters, the officials to be
responsible to the people and not to the DO.
litical appointing power at Washington
for legislature which shall have the right
| and power to pass bills in the interest nj
J the community, regardless of the wishes OF