The age-herald., 1899-12-08
ROBERTS ISSUES
 PUBLIC ADDRESS Claims That Congress is Setting
 Dangerous Precedent DOES NOT COMMAND DOLLAR Violence is Threatened the Safe
 guard of Liberty. DENIED THE HOUSE POWER TO ACT He Says if the Present Method is Fol lowed This Grand Institution Would Crumble Like Sand Mound
 in Mighty Tempest
DENIED THE HOUSE POWER TO ACT

Washington, December 7.-Brgham H. Roberts, of Utah, who was not allowed to be sworn in as a representative in con- gress of that state, has issued address to the American people. It contains much that was said by Mr Roberts on the floor of the house and by MT. Richardson, who opposed the resolution of MT. Taylor, of Ohio. After reviewing the facts and pro- ceedings resulting in the appointment of the committee, he says:
 "phe member from Utah Is not allowed to take the oath of his office, and committee is appointed to try him to his alleged guilt of the offenses charged. Nay, even more is granted than was asked-at least more than was asked upon the floor of this house. For a hostile committee has been appointed to inquire into the Its membership is made up entirely of those who voted to adopt the method of proce- dure. Not one man who voted against it was allowed to find a place upon that com mittee, and if the creation of such a tribu- nal for such purpose be allowed, there Is no reason why the committee should not be made up of members of one political faith-for the majority may do as it pleases about that ask the American people to stop and think what that may mean to this country in times of high political .ex- citement and party strife and passion.
 '1. A formidable minority in the house may be reduced either to very insignif- cant minority, or even plotted out of exist ence.
 "2 The representation to which a state is entitled on the floor of the house may be denied to it-as in this Utah case-for any length of time this committee may elect to deny 1t such representation. Suppose that dn this case the committee shall see proper to proceed with reasonable expedition to consider the questions involved, but what is there to hinder it delaying its action un- der one pretext or another as long as it pleases? It may take week. a month or year to make its investigations, for it is authorized to send for papers and persons, to examine witnesses, and is not even in- structed to report at as early day pos sible. It can prolong its investigations for two years as well as a month or a year, if it so elects and meantime deny a state representation as to their choice of a rep reSentative.
 1T Utah, Why Not Other States?
 If the present republican house can thus deprive Utah of her represen tation there is mo reason why it could not deny Virginia hers, even though she has ten representa- tiyes, as easily as one can be turned away from the bar of the house and one state as well another if a bare majority in the house chooses to have it so. And if the present republican house can do this in the case of Utah or Virginia, there is no reason why the next democratic house could not proceed in like manner with representatives from republican states under this new and unprecedented rule of procedure
 ''3. This new precedent also strikes down the constitutional guarantee of right of one accused of crime to a speedy and pub lie trial by an impartial jury of the state wherein the crime shall have been commit ted. The proposition is not to deprive me of my seat in congress by the presentation of records of conviction for crime before courts before which I have been found guilty, under the due forms of law. The proposition is to try me before the commits tee of the house to send for persons and papers and witnesses to ascertain my guilt or innocence of an alleged misdemeanor, re- ported to have been committed in Utah. It will be useless to deny this statement by saying that $n the charge against me, which resulted in the appointment of this extraordinary committee of investigation, it is said that transcript of the proceedings of a court in Utah evidences the fact that the member from Utah pleaded guilty of a misdeneanor in the year 1SS9-twelve years ago, and when Utah was territory. Whatever political disabilities were created bv that event were removed by the sover- eign state of Utah, when, in the adoption of her state constitution In 1895. she by her sovereign power declared what should be the qualifications of her electorate, and I possess them all. And this side of the en- abling act and the admission of Utah, am at the defiance of my enemies to produce any court record of conviction for crime, or with any time since the misdemeanor of 1Ss9 and the house has no right to proceed on any other evidence than such court records.
 Denies Authority of House
 1T deny the existence of the lawful power of the house to prevent me from being sworn in on the presentation of the same evidence of prima facia right upon which others are admitted to membership.
 II deny the right of the house of repre- sentatives to resolve itself into a justice of the peace court to try me for misde- meanor alleged to have been committed, in order to find grounds of expulsion or exclusion from the high office to which was elected.
 T deny its rights to confer any such power uponSits committees.
 .If I were guilty of the misdemeanor charged. even fagrantly so-here in the capital-I could not even be arrested for the offense, so slight Is it considered un- der the law. The constitution gives the