The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-04

the Utah commission need not feel
unnecessarily alarmed at lurking
thought that the liberties of Ameri-
can citizens are being trampled upon.
The truth of the matter is that last
year during the election contests be-
fore the commission the utmost
courtesy was extended to newspaper
men. They We're allowed every priVi-
lege within reason ana Chairman
Letcher and the other Democrats on
the commission did all in their power
to accommodate them. This courtesy
vas not appreciated by the Tribune.
It's reporters constantly misrepresent-
ed the proceedings of the commission,
reporting, with vast deal of color
ing, conversations that were private
and should not have been published,
and often putting in interviews that
were never given.
Lost All Patience.
The result of this is that Chairman
Letcher has lost all patience with
such Misrepresentation and has taken
a stand against allowing reporters in
at any but public meetings OF the
board. Acting on this when the mem
mers of the board came together yes
terday morning Mr.. Letcher announc-
ed that it was the desire OF himself
and Mr.. Thatcher that they should
have an informal talk with the Re
publican members of the board. The
Tribune reporter was there and was
asked 10 retire from the room. After
he did so the members started to talk
about the matter of paying the costs
incurred in the election cases last
fall. The talk then went on to the
conduct of the campaign and the
necessity for more money than that
appropriated by Congress. The man
ner of appointing the various election
officers and kindred subjects were all
taken up and discussed. No minutes
whatever were taken OF the meeting,
and it was considered by both the
chairman and the clerk to be an in
formal executive session.
Was Impertinent.
After being in the session room for
sorle time Mr.. Letcher went into the
ante-room where the reporter was
sitting, and left the door TO the ether
room open, whereat the reporter
walked in and said he understood
business was being transacted and
he had a right to be in the room.
Chairman Letcher, however, took a
different view and ordered him cut.
/, Commissioner Sherman here put in.
.5He said that the meeting was a
Irregular one. At this the reporter said
he would not go out unless the board
voted for a secret session and said
that his right as a citizen would al
low him 20 stay in. His conduct was
considered to be exceedingly Ihpel I'll
nent and he was told To 20 out or he
would be put out. lie refused to go
ana Chairman Letchar took hold of
his collar and started him out. He
made some struggles and Clerks
Blair and Parks came IL and he was
showed out the door with little cere-
mOny, but no bruises. and the door
was shut in his face.
Sample CT Misrepresentation.
A sample of the kind of misrepre-
sentation done by the Tribune in its
reports of official meetings came UP
in this connection. It said that Com
missioner Thatcher was opposed TO
allowing women 10 vote this fall,
when the truth is thac Mr.. Thatcher
IS very much in favor of women vot-
ing as soon as possible. He only
wishes that the commission had power
to allow them to vote this fall, but
believes the whole matter must be
left TO the courts, TO which it must
ultimately go.
At the regular meeting of the com
mission at II o'clock the Republican
members of the board were evidently
loaded for bear. They were very
anxious to put the Democrats in the
hole, after having sounded Messrs
Letcher and Thatcher the day before
and therefore Commissioner Sherman
offered a resolution as follows:
To Hear Arguments.
Whereas, There appears to be
some difference of opinion as to the
construction of the enabling act, the
election clause of the proposed consti-
tuition and the supplemental action of
the convention bearing upon the quail
ficatiOn of voters at the coming cleo
ton; and
Whereas, This board is charged
with the conduct of elections. the is
nuance of instructions TO registrars as
to qualification Of electors under the
laws and the general supervision of
elections in the territory, and it is
the duty of such board to give such in
structions to the registrars that, until
reversed by a court, will make clear to
them the duties they are expected to
perform; therefore
Resolved, That before the issuance |
Of the annual instruction to registrars,
this board invite the advice of legal /
counsel upon the question in dispute /
and, after giving due consideration to
the arguments submitted, the inStruc-
tons to the registrars be so framed |
that they vii be clear and explicit |
upon the question of the qualifications
OF persons applying to register for the /
coming election"
Had No Power.
The resolution was discussed only a
short time. Messrs. Letcher and |
Thatcher took the position that the /
whole matter must be left to the courts
to determine, and that the only in
structions that could be given to the /
registrars was to register those who /
were qualified to vote and let them use /
their Judgment until some order in /
the case is made by the court. There
fore II was voted down on tie, /
Messrs, Sherman and Tatlock voting |
for 1t and Messrs. Letcher and /
Thatcher against it.
Ain for treasurer.
Now The talk runs that Rudolph Aft
IS setting his cap for something |
higher. Having devoted himself as
Siduously to training those who are tn
train the young idea how to shoot and
thinking up ways to introduce politics
into the school system OF the CITY. he
has evidently conceived that he would
be perfect fit for the position OF state
treasurer. At least his friends think
so. He is already being posted up as
the darkest kind of a dark horse and
some of the cid veterans are being
worked with to help him along IF |
there is one thing Mr.. Alff is more
proud of than anything else it is the
fact that he is 9ida-da-cap7p for TTtob