The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-26
OGDEN DEPT.
HERHLD eRHNcH OFFICE,
5l3 UTAH LOAN g. TRUST BUILDING.
Ogden, March 26.
THE EECUTIvE ARTICLE.

A great many people in this city
have expressed themselves as dissatis-
fed with the proposed executive article
which has been reported to the Consti-
tutional convention.
The failure to provide for a lieuten-
ant-goveTnor seems to strike all care
full thinkers as a big mistake. Such a
provision by long usage has been
found to be the proper thing.
The chief executive of a state rep
resents in many respects the ancient
sovereignty which was vested in the
king and descended from father to
son, and the right of succession being
well established the state was never
without a head.
The early trainers of constitutional
law in this country recognized this i'm
portant fact and made provision for
the succession in certain cases, and
ordained that the succession should be
man chosen by the people in like
manner as the chief magistrate, and
selected for the express purpose of as
Stunning control of the government in
case OF an emergency.
The intent of such a provision in the
fundamental law of the state is that
the people, at the time of elecCng a
governor, shall also select some man
whom they think capable Of 1lling the
high and responsible position in case
of death, resignation or disqualified
ton of the governor for any cause:
and it is scarcely ever necessary to
make any further provision Tor the Sue
cession owing to the fact that the
governor is elected for such a short
time that the lieutenant-goyer is
rarely called to the executive chair. 1t
may be argued that the Heutenapt-
& n
therefore, an additional expense with
out adequate benefit. The expense of
the Office is the per diem of a member
of the legislature. which will doubtless
amount to $500 every two years or SZ00
per year.
A man may be all right for secretary
of state and yet not possess the neceS-
sary executive qualifications to fit him
to act as governor, and again. a. state
presents pretty spectacle with one
man filling the Office of governor and
secretary of state at the same time.
as would be the case in the event of the
death of the governor under the ar
ticle.
Again, the article provides that the
governor may appoint the secretary Of
state in the event of a vacancy in that
office; hence it may be possible for a
man to become governor by appoint
AilCAll, Oo nOulQ Gel IdlLIy We lIlS Ce1SS
should the governor die just after he
had appointed a secretary of state;
thus man would succeed to the Office
of governor whom the people never had
anything to do in his selection.
This is not the only fault in the pro-
posed article to which attention has
been called. The board of pardons is
a fad in constitutional law, which
Utah should avoid. The section which
says the governor shall not be elected
to the United States Senate during
the term for which he was elected
governor is an attempt to regulate the
qualifications of senators, which is pro-
vided for in the United States consti-
tuition. 1t does not say sitting gov
ernor shall not become a senator. and
no state can impose restriction in
this particular, not recognized by the
constitution of the United States.