The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-05-23
The New Municipal Election.

There seems to be some division of
opinion in regard to the time when the
next municipal election will take place
in this city. One view is that it will be
held in November next at the time Of the
general election. The other is that it will
not occur until next February.
Those who entertain the first opinion
found it upon the election law of 1892,
which provides IN section four that con
the Tuesday next after the first Monday
in November, 1893, there shall be held an
election in each city, town, village and
school district in the territory, to fill all
offices of the same or pertaining thereto
which by law are or may be made cleo
tive.D
The directors derive their opinion from
section six OF the same law, which provides
that "nothing in this act shall apply to
cities of the metropolitan class" They
suppose that this means Salt Lake City
and therefore that this city is exempt
from all the provisions of the statute
mentioned.
Unfortunately for the latter opinion the
clause they depend upon has no applica-
metropolitan Glass; in Utah. The Sec
ton is without meaning as the laws now
e. nj oil o1yn NE sniF If 11o
first Glass; as defined in the act of 1888
providing for the Incorporation of cities,
but it is not a metropolitan city.
The question will be asked, why was
such section as that referring to metro
politan cities placed in the statute ii it
had no application? A satisfactory an
swer will necessitate little explanation.
A bill was introduced at the legislature
of 1892, which was very comprehensive
and complete, for the organization and
government of municipalities, and the
term metropolitan cities" was used iii
it to designate those cities in which GER
tain powers were to be vested. The bill
was vetoed by the Governor. If il had
become law there would have been cleo
tons in all the cities in Utah at the
general election in November, 1892.
But an objection was raised against it's
application to Salt Lake, particularly by
the Mayor, who was a member of the
loor;eJot,,ro o,1d bod raoontI1, baar aIao+a3
to the Mayorship, because under it the
city officials would serve but a short
time and because there was fear
lest the Liberal party might not sue
coed again. Therefore, when the election
law from which we have quoted was
passed, the saving clause was inserted as
to metropolitan cities. expecting that the
bill creating them would become a law.
The term, then, applied to the provis-
ions OF another measure entirely, and has
no meaning in reference to the law in
which it appears. And as the metropoli-
tan bill was killed, section six of the
election law OF 1892 is dead also, and
ought not to stand on the statute book.
The election in November next, then,
will cover all elective offices of the re-
spectlve cities OF every class, and for
members of the legislature, and the pres
emit incumbents, of municipal offices will
hold over until the first day of January,
1894, and until their successors are cleo
ted and qualified. There will be ample
time in which to prepare for that election,
but it is not too early for our citizens to
put on their thinking caps in relation to
r.