The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-23
THE DOUBLE REGIsTRATroN.v

The inquiry is made, why a double
registration was inflicted upon this ter
ritory this fall if there was not a little
trick intended by it." Some minds are
feet or a long course Of crookedness,
that they are always suspicious of evil
intent in others, particularly if they do
not fully understand their acts. 1t is
misfortune to them if to nobody else.
The above query seems to have been
prompted by just such a warped dis
position.
The intent in the framing of the Sec
ton Of the statehood bill providing for
the registration Of voters was to give
an opportunity to all the bona fide resi-
dents of the territory, without regard to
politics, religion or previous status, the
opportunity to vote in the organiza ton
of the new state. 1t was urged by gem
tlemen who had been strongly opposed
to offenders against the Edmunds law
and their participation in political
affairs, but who had acquired confidence
in the sincerity of those men and in
changed conditions" The Delegate
was in favor of the proposition.
The residence of one year previous
to the election was to prevent the over
riding of the actual jewellers in Utah by
tramps, hobos and other transients, and
the repetition of those frauds which
had been perpetrated at the polls
f.;
ton lists as the law required. There
was no intent to make a double regis
tration. 1t was expected that the new
and complete registration" provided for
in the bill would cover the whole
ground of the registration.
But there was another feature in the
matter. When the bill was framed it
and the election of delegates to the
constitutional convention was expected
to take place before the regular fall
election. The bill must be considered
under that understanding When the
changes were made by the Senate COM
mittee as to the time of the election,
receiving the support of both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans, it was con-
sidered unsafe to try to amend the bill
further, for fear it might bring adj
ditional delay.
A proposition to change the require
ments Of the Edmunds law as to the
qualifications of voters, so as to make
them conform to the provisions of the
enabling act, would have provoked dis
cussion which might have hindered the
passage Of the bill. 1t was only with
the utmost exertion that the Republican
opponents of statehood could be kept
quiet as it was.
The work of making a new and COM
plete registration and of revising the
lists entails a little more labor on the
registration officers with but small if
any Inconvenience TO the voters. If
they are already registered for general
elections, they simply have to see that
their names are still on the lists as they
would on any other occasion, and take
the oath for the new registration which
they can do at the same time. If they
are not registered they have to take two
oaths instead of one, if they want to
vote at both elections.
What ''inf1iction on the territory is
there in this? 1t doesn't cost the terri
tory anything. Who is injured by it?
Is there anything new or unusual in
requiring the voters for the constitu-
tional convention to be actual residents
of the territory one year preceding the
election? What is the matter? Is it
the new and complete registration"
that troubles the Republican carpers
and gives them the mulligrubs? That
has been a crying necessity for a num-
Der of years, and if established before
would have aided in preventing gross
frauds which were perpe&rated against
the bona fide voters.
Every report which has been circu-
lated to prejudice the people against thu
Commission and the registrars has
proven baseless. Every insinuation
made up to date has been equally with
out reason. If any registration officer
refuses or neglects to do his duty, let
him be exposed. If any person lawfully
entitled to register is denied the right,
let the case be fully investigated.
These vaporings and intimations of
wrong without cause or provocaton are
evidences of disordered stomach or a
biased and crooked soul. And they are
as silly as they are false.
- -