The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-11
PRINCIPLE GOVERNING LEGIsLA-
TI0N.


All legislative enactments should be
drawn on lines of general principles.
In recognition Of this dictrine all re-
cent constitutions prohibit legislatures
from enacting special or private laws.
Our own constitution, after reciting
eighteen cases in which the legislature
is prohibited from enacting any private
or special laws, winds up by saying
that I'm all cases where a general law
can be made applicable, no special law
shall be enacted" Legislation there
fore which is enacted for special
rather than for a general purpose, that
is recommended for the reason of
meeting some temporary condition, and
especially where the temporary condi-
ton involves merely personal politics,
violates the spirit of the constitutional
principle governing legislation, and for
that reason ought not to be enter
tanned.
1t is conceded that in the act now
pending in the legislature relative to
the creation of fire and police COM
mission board, the proposition to place
in the hands of the governor the pow
er to appoint the members of the board
instead of leaving it to the mayor and
city council grows out of dissatisfac-
ton with the present personnel of the
board in Salt Lake City. The plain
truth of the matter is that a war is
on between the mayor and his sup
porters and the chiefs of the fire and
police departments and their support
ers, the existence of which the peo-
pie of Salt Lake City have had too
many painful evidences of late. APP
pointments ON the board Of commits
sionerS is supposed to have
been secured by one of these
other side to the controversy, covertly
carried on, fly TO the legislature and
seek it's assistance to change the
method of appointment from the mayor
and city council to the governor of
the state. IT thus becomes a matter
Of personal politics in the interest of
which the legislature of the state is
asked to participate, by violating the
principle of local SELF government
through dragging the governor of
the state into municipal affairs,
and to that extent taking the
management thereof out of the
hands of the people immedi-
ately concerned in them. We can
anticipate that it viii be said indeed
it is already said, that the purpose
Of this change in the method of ap-
pointing the commission is simply to
put the appointing power in the hands
OF an officer supposed to be walking on
a higher plane, and removed from the
local factionaI disputes, etc. We
take no stock in that contention. The
people of this city ought to choose a
man for mayor and other men for city
councilmen that are just as honorable
as the governor of this state can be.
they can do it, and if they don't they
must suffer the consequences until they
learn by sad experience the absolute
necessity of doing 1t. AT any rate the
legislature ought not to become a party
to this fractional fight and violate cor
rect principles of legislation in order
to help either of the factions out of
the mole into Which each is trying to
put the other.
As for the presumption that the gov
ernor would make better appointments
for the board than the mayor and city
council, we say again we take no stock
in that. We believe it possible for the
king to do wrong: and governors are
but men, and are as liable TO be con-
trolled by party considerations, selfish
motives, and come under the influence
of factions in this city as mayors, and
city ceuncilmen. If it would help mat
ters temporarily to place the appoint
ing power in the hands Of the present
governor, what assurance have we that
such would be the case under the next
governor? Legislation should be en-