The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-23

land unproductive and are of little
value without irrigation.
EDUCATIONAL.
ties afforded by the Territorial Uni
versity and Agricultural College, which
are maintained by direct appropria-
tions from the general fund by the
Territorial legislature, there are paid
into the public treasury general school
taxes aggregating 100000 per annum.
This tax is apportioned according to
the school population. by the Terri
torial superintendent of district schools
and is expended for the support and
maintenance of free public district
schools throughout the Territory. In
the two cities of Salt Lake and Ogden,
during the past two years, more than
$75O,000 have been raised on bonds
alone and expended in the erection of
free public district schoolhouses. These
buildings are of the most modern
architecture, supplied with the very
latest appliances, accommodate more
than 1000 children, and would be a
credit to any city of the American
continent. Besides these, during the
same period, hundreds of other cities,
towns, and districts have expended
large sums in the erection of modern
school buildings, and when the scores
of magnificent and costly colleges and
academies which have been built by
the different churches, are taken into
consideration, it is not speaking ex-
| travagantly to say that no State or
Territory has better educational facili-
ties than can be found in Utah. Here
has been less than per cent, and
with such an increase in school build
ings we have great hopes of very ma
terially reducing this figure in the near
future, and of standing foremost
among the States.
AGRICULTURE.
The agricultural lands of the public
domain are being settled upon and
! titles taken therefor as rapidly as irri-
cation can be procured for the same
| The expense of constructing canals is
very heavy, and as title to the lands
can not be procured without conduct
| ing water upon the several subdivi-
sions, it necessitateS the formation of
companies and the investment of large
| sums of money to convey the water
upon the land. AS capital is slow to
! invest in enterprises promising indefi-
mite returns, the complete settlement
of these lands will of necessity be pro-
tracted. The lands that are provided
being rapidly brought under high
state of cultivation, and our valleys
are dotted with orchards and vine
yards bearing the choicest fruits and
| yielding steady and satisfactory re-
turns to the owners.
FORESTS.
| There are no forests of Importance
| in the Territory The limited supply
| fNff ofaT- he Ell aG
mountains is of such character as to
! be better adapted to railroad building,
mining, and for fuel than for other
| purposes.
UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES.
There are within the Territory noun
| tains of the richest iron and copper
other valuable deposits, which only
need the touch Of capital and access
to railways to bring into the market
Of the world untold hidden treasures.
LEGISLATION.
| On the 9Th Of May, 1886, I first quail
fed as governor of the Territory. At
that time conditions were vastly diff
ferent commercially. socially, and po-
| litically from those now existing The
enactment of and enforcement of the
laws for the suppression of polygamy
had produced a feeling of intense bit
| terneSS. Strife and contention pre-
vailed throughout the territory The
Mormon and non-Mormon people held
themselves separate and apart from
each other as if they were of different
races. Each looked upon the other
as enemies to the public good. I have
noted with the most profound gratif-
cation progressive and continuous i'm
| provement, and have witnessed the
| n Of noTU
people unitedly and tremendously are
| striving for the good of ALL While
| the embers of the old hate are occa-
sionaIly revived into a feeble fame
by the breath of bigotry or prejudice,
peace prevails within our borders and
| our people are happy. The sources of
difference, which have in the past di-
vided and kept separate the two ele-
ments of the community, Mormon and
| non-Mormon, viz, polygamy, and the
maintenance of a political party COM
posed almost, if not entirely, of mem
| bers of the Mormon Church, and, as
! contended by those opposing it, donli-
mated and controlled by its priesthood,
| happily no longer exists. The practice
of polygany has been abandoned by
| the church and people. Polygamous
marriages are forbidden by the author
| tiles of the church, and those who
would contract such marriages now
would subject themselves to eXcommu-
nication from that body. The People
or Church party was formally dis
banded by it's constituted leaders more
than two years ago, and its former adj
herents allied themselves and have
since acted with the two great ma
tional parties. So long as the Mormon
Church authorities held an attitude of
defiance to the laws L favored the
strongest and most vigorous measures.
Now that they and the people have
yielded and conformed to the law and
are doing all within their power to
establish and maintain harmonious re-
lations with the people of the whole
country, they should be encouraged,
lif not by liberal and generous considera-
| ton, at least by fair and just treat
ment A careful review of our past
history and the situation locally con-
fronting us imperatively demands, in
my Judgment, the enactment of two
measures Of relief. the repeal of the
provision of the law of March 8, 1887
escheating the property Of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and an act restoring the property te
the church.
By an act of Congress Of March 3
1887, the corporation of the Church Of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was
dissolved and the attorney general di.
rected to take the necessary proceed
ings to wind up the affairs of the cor.