The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-25
TWAS EVER FALSE.


Every attempt so far made by the
local Republican press and orators to
prejudice the public against the Democ-
racy and in favor of Republicanism has
started from false premises. A sample
of this is the labored effort Of the Re-
publican organ In this city to misrepre-
sent the action of the Utah Commission
and of the registration officers. Every
statement made to their discredit has
proven to be absolutely false None of
these officials has exhibited any other
desire or intent than to give every quail
fed voter full opportunity to register
for both the ensuing elections. If any
citizen does not exercise the privilege of
franchise it will not be the fault of
those officers.
A great noise has been made because
the county registrar here has declined
to expose the incomplete registration
lists or furnish copies thereof to GER
tain persons calling themselves a Re-
publican committee, some of whom
offered or caused to be offered con-
siderable sums of money to in
!duce the registrar TO comply
with their wishes. 1t mas been
Icontended by the Republican organ
that it was the bounden duty of the
registrar to furnish the copies on ap-
plication, and that the registration
books are public records.
If that is true, then they are open
to the public and every person who
chooses to apply must be furnished with
a copy if willing to pay for it. Is that,
the law? Or is it the rhodomontade
of vicious partisan organ that has
time and again contended to the con-
trary? Why, it is absurd on the face
of it,
The registration will not be complete
until after the week commencing on
Monday, September 81 During that
week any voter whose name has been
for any cause omitted from the regis
tration may appear at the Office of the
registrar, and by taking the required
oath have his name placed on the list.
Those lists will not become public
records until they are completed and de-
livered, with the affidavits, to the
county clerk. IN order that they may
be made public the registrar must
make three lists, one of which is to be
for and posted up in each precinct
This is to be done fifteen days before
the election.
The Utah Commission has no power
to compel the registrar to furnish the
lists demanded The registrar is under
no legal obligation to yield to such a
demand. The so-called committee have
no more rights in this matter than any
citizen has. They have no more than
impudence, that is all. And their
organ and defender goes further and
adds shameless mendacity to their ex-
cessive gall.
This is all the more conspicuous from
the fact that when the leaders of the
Peoples party, on former occasions,
wanted to inspect the affidavits to COM
pare with the registration lists after
they had been completed and had by
law become public records, the regis
trars refused to file the affidavits with
the county clerk until after the cleo
ton, when they would be of no use
for the purpose required - this same
sheet, now berating the Utah Commits
sion for not yielding to an unlawful
then upheld the Commission
for refusing to use their influence to
induce the registrars to comply with a
lawful demandi
When the Commission then said they
could not compel the registrar to per-
form his sworn and lawful duty, the
Tribune upheld them. Now when the |
Commission snow clearly that they
have no power to compel the registrar
to do something not required by law, |
the Tribune has no abuse too mean to |
fling at them, and no language too
strong to hurl at the registrar because
he cannot be bribed or browbeaten in
to submission to Tribune and Republi- |
can domineering
We say that in this, as in everything |
it touches concerning the issues of the |
present campaign, the Republican organ !
is either wilfully and directly false or |
wofully and perversely misleading. It !
is a mistake to think, as it asserts, |
that this provoi5es our wrath. We are /
not angry at the vile thing, but moved |
to ineffable disgust and unmitigated |