The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-04
AGAINST THE ELECTORS

pie have elected others TO fill them.
This consuming desire to continue in
Office, Notwithstanding the fact that
the people have expressed their will
to the contrary. seems TO be strongest
in Salt Lake county.
First the county commissioners, all
of a sudden. became more than anxious
about the legality Of the election.
Their consciences became more alivs
and active than that of dying sinner
expecting dissolution every instant and
with no priest near to confess and alb
solve him. They sought an opinion
OF the county attorney and he informed
them that their duties, in the matter OF
canvassing the election returns, werd
ministerial and not judicial. Even then
they We're so dilatory in canvassing the
returns that it was patent to all that
the diIatoriness was for the purpose of
allowing any one to bring proceedings
to enjoin them. They were not en-
joined, and the election returns were
canvassed.
The county commissioners having
finally and reluctantly done their duty,
what appears to be "a conspiracy
against the electorate has shifted to an
other scene. Yesterday Hon. r. w
Sloan. who was elected a member of
the house of representatives from Salt
Lake county, and Mr.. Stephen Lynch,
who was elected treasurer of Salt Lake
county, went to the office of the county
clerk. Mr.. c. E. Stanton, and asked
that their certificates of election be is
sued to them. One of Mr.. Stanton's
deputies, Mr. Alfred Reese, who was
defeated at the late election for the Of
fee of county clerk, informed Mr.. Sloan
and Mr.. Lynch, in a very supercilious
and buffoon-like manner, that the ink
upon their certificates of election was
scarcely dry. A deputy who has no
more sense of the proprieties of his Of
/ fee than Mr.. Reese showed, should 'be
relieved of his deputyship. that he
may join some travelling circus in the
capacity of clown
Mr.. Sloan and Mr.. Lynch then sought
out Clerk Stanton and asked that their
certificates of election be issued to
them. Mr.. Stanton was not direct and
frank with them; on the contrary, his
answers were indirect and evasive. He
finally stated that the certificates were
not made out and that it would take
an hour or so to make them out Asked
if they would be ready in that time il
the gentlemen would call again.. he
again became evasive and said that he
would like to see this trouble" settled,
and until it was settled he did not see
how he could issue the certificates.
1t becomes pertinent to ask what
difficulty Clerk Stanton refers to? HOW
does he know there is any trouble?
Does he take judicial notice of the
secret schemes and Vaccinations of a
lot of would-be hold-overs? Has Mr..
Stanton conjured up a difficulty? Is
he doing evil that good may come to
himself and those who sail in the same
boat with him? Mr.. Stanton having re-
fused to perform one of the duties be-
longing to his Office, the people have
right to know why he refuses to per
form it. He speaks of difficulties, yet
the people know of no difficulties How
is it that on this point his knowledge /
is so superior to that of the public?
The public is fully aware that the
air is full of rumors about an intention
on some ones part to bring proceedings
70 test the validity of the election, but
who this someone is. it is impossible
70 ascertain. Are the interests of this /
mysterious someone worthy of more
respect by Clerk Stanton than the in
terests of the people who. two years
AGO elected him to the office ne now
holds? Seemingly this someone is of
greater importance in the clerks eyes
than all the voters of Salt Lake county.
Where does Mr.. Stanton get his know
ledge of difficulties? No action has
been brought to test the election or
proceedings instituted forbidding him
to issue certificates of election. If he
knows that they viii be instituted, and
that is the reason he refuses to do his
duty. why doesn't he come out in an
honest. manly way and say so? Does
he and his cabal think for single mo-
ment that the public does not see
through their scheme? Everybody
knows that they want to feed at the
public trough. Thus far not one of
them has had the moral courage to
bring those legal proceedings that, APP
parently, they are all hoping someone
will bring. Their anxiety regarding thei
legality of the election is on a par With
that of the wolf for the spiritual statg
of the lamb it hopes to devour.
Everything goes to show that con-
spiracy is being Matched to defeat the
will of the people as expressed at the
-,...:o,, IIou- doom or how vida II ;r