The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-13
Weber Commissioners Work Was
Too Raw.
ACTION WAS ILLEGAL
THIS IS THE CONSENSUS OF
OPINION IN OGDEN.
Democrats Agree On This--Chairman
Weber of the Bryan Silverites
Thinks His Party Entitled to the
Oficers-Interview With Leading
Members of the Party.
Especial Correspondence,


Especial Correspondence
Ogden, Sept. 1.-THE peculiar action
of the Republican board of county COM
missioners in appointing all Republican
administrators was fruitful topic of
discussion today, and came in for a
good share of censure as an illegal
measure, undertaken for party advan-
tage. In accordance with the published
declaration of Chairman E. M. Conroy
of the Democratic county committee,
attorneys examined the status of the
case with a view to taking whatever
legal action might be deemed necessa-
ry
Much surprise was evinced that the
city chairmen of the last municipal
campaign committee were not notified
to send in the names. instead of the
county chairmen. Clerk HollongiS-
worth offered the explanation that the
registration agents were county Off
GERS and it was therefore a county af-
fair, though they may serve only at
the city election. Another defensive
view offered was that the county chair
man of the Democratic committee did
not submit three names for each dis
trict, as required by law. This view
was combated by the argument that
even if the chairmen had all failed to
comply with the law, the duties of the
commissioners would have been the
same. The intent of the statute is that
the registration agents shall be the
same in politics as the majority of
voters of his district were at the cleo
ton previous, as shown by the vote
on congressman.
What Statute Says.
Section 1885, pertaining to registration
agents, their appointment and politics,
reads as follows:
1T shall be the duty of the board of
county commissioners to appoint as
registration agent for each election dis
trict person who, at the time of the
appointment belongs to the party which,
| in the district for which such agent is
appointed, cast the highest number of
votes for representative to congress at
the election next preceding the ap-
pointment of such registration agent"
Later on in the section occurs the
following:
The true intent and meaning of the
provisions of this chapter, with refer
ence to the appointment of registration
agents is that the registration agent of
each district shall belong to the polit-
ical party which at the preceding cleo
ton cast the highest number of votes
for representative to congress in the
bOAAllOAg lOl lnC GicCLlO1
at the time of the appointment.
Among the many decided opinions ex-
pressed as to the partisan action of the
commissioners were the following,
which may be taken as representative
of dozens of others:
Daniel Hamer, .ex-state senator:
Il think the commissioners clearly ex-
ceeded their authority. Under no con-
struction of the statute can / see how
they could claim the right to appoint
republicans. except in those districts
where Republicans had plurality vote
on congressman. Mr.. Roberts was the
nominee of the Democratic party in it's
state convention, and was the nominee
of no other state convention The fact
that he was Endorsed by other local or
CARNATIONS does not change matters.
There were but three candidates for the
office of Observation-Disclosures, FL
dredge and Foster 1t seems to me
there was but one thing to determine
and that was what candidate received
the highest number of votes in each
district, and then appoint registration
agent of his political faith Under any
construction it would seem to me to
rest between the Democratic and the
Bryan Silver party, and that the Re-
publicans cannot claim the agents, ex-
cept in the five districts,
Weber Claims All.
A. j. Weber, chairman of the Bryan
silver committee, said:
i claim that the Bryan Silver party
is entitled to all the registration agents
except in the few precincts carried by
Mr.. Eldredge for congress. Mr. Rob-
erts was the candidate of the BRYAN
Silver party as well as of the Demo-
Gratis. The vote on the legislative
ticket shows that we cast more votes
for Roberts than the Democrats. but
/ if we were not entitled to the appoint
ments, the Democrats certainly were.
! Ogden was emphatically anti-Repub-
] lican last year, as 1t is now, and Rob
/ ertS carried twenty out of the twenty
! five precincts. The Republicans have
right to five registry agents, and no
/ more. AS to the other twenty pre-
/ cincts the only question. as shown by
the letter sent to the different chair
men. was whether the appointments
should be made from the names SUBJ
mitted to DR.. Conroy or from those
submitted by the Bryan Silver com
mittee The clerk. in his letter of Aug.
20, said: The Republican party is en-
titled to submit names for registry
agents in each Of the following ogden
election districts. to-wit: Sixth,
! Twelfth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth and
Twenty third And yet the Repub-
licans submit names for all the pre-
eincts, and the board under whose di-
] rection that letter was drafted by the
/ clerk and mailed to the chairmen Of
the respective committees, coolly ap-
points a Republican in each district.
The action of the commissioners is an
outrage, and is in defiance of all law
and Of political decency. What we shall
! Go about it l do not yet know"
| c. A. Smarthwaite: 1T seems to me
! to be an application of the spoils sys-
| tenn in the distribution of county Of
fees. and it should react against the
| party responsible for it,
| H. w. Civilian, chairman city Demo-
cratic committee: II thought that the
| city committee, rather than the county
committee, would be notified to submit
a list of names. 1t did not particularly
matter and I did not bother about it.
| 1 think the action of the board is par
tisan and illegal, and legal steps will
be taken to protect the Democratic in
terests in the matter. If the Demo-
Gratis were not entitled to the agents in
1 those districts where Roberts received
a majority, then the Bryan Silver peo-
pie certainly ought to have them
VIII Ask Aid of Courts.
Chairman Conroy said last night, in
reply to the claim that the Democratic
party had lost the tight to have regis
! trars, for the reason that he did not
submit three names for each precinct:
Il did not have to submit any names,
/ htlf did If oaffar. Of ooIIrt psSU