The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-01
PARTISAN aIEANNEss.

PARTISAN MEANNESS.
1t is known that the Republicans in
the Legislature or the majority Of
them, have been working more for the
purpose of creating party capital than
promoting the public welfare. One in
stance OF. this is seen in the course
pursued over the election bills. which
is certainly unworthy the dignity of
any law-malxing body.
The committee on elections of which
Booth, of Provo, is chairman, had be-
fore it for consideration two election
bills, the Republican party measure
and the Australian ballot system pro-
posed by a Democrat. Both bills were
upon the same subject and the only
consistent thing to do was to make a
choice between the two and recon-
mend the passage of one and the re-
lection of the other
To evade the responsibility of such
action, the majority of the committee
reported favorably on their own party
measure and refused to give a report
on the other, although requested so to
do. The desire was to kill the Aus
tralian ballot law, but they lacked the
courage of their plans.
The minority Of the election com
mittee, Williams and Hart, filed a
strong minority report, setting up that
while the Republican bill was com
mendable in that it sought to do away
with the Utah commission. yet il was
faulty in that it provided for the
duties of registration to be performed
by an officer chosen by the people for
other purposes and permitted said Of
lficer Che county assessor) to appoint
ali the registration officers of the
various precincts instead of permitting
the people to elect all registration Of
ficers, as provided for in the other law.
The minority report recited further
that the Australian ballot law pro
posed also abolished the Utah COM
mission and besides more fully restored
to the people the right to manage and
control their own elections and pro-
vided that the performance of all
duties connected Herewith be per-
formed under more perfect law than
the present one, a law, in fact, the
essential features of which have been
approved by the best minds of the age
and adopted by forty of the states and
territories of the Union.
The Republican members professed
friendship for the bill and said that
they would pass it after passing their
own measure; that is to say they pro-
posed to pass law and then repeal it
during the same session by passing
another on the same subject. The
minority party accused the other side
of the Council of duplicity and shallc'w
trickery unworthy of any honorable
men. The Republicans had to silently
swallow the charge They could not
deny it and therefore made no reply.
Yesterday there were further de-
velopments. c. B. No. 50 Ghe Aus
tralian ballot law was taken up for
consideration upon favorable report
of the committee on elections, and after
spending considerable time in cap
tious and frivolous amendments. the
of the bill was postponed
till next Tuesday. which is almost
equal to striking out the enacting
clause, as the session will then be al
most expired.
If favorable action was expected
from the governor on the bill passed,
why could not manly course have
been taken on the rejection of c. B. No
5s2 The whole course Of the Republi-
cans of the Council in this matter is
paltry and partisan and is to be placed
on record side by side with the run
away fiasco on the lead memorial.