The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-16
GOVERNOR is SUSTAINED
and EVANS BILL IS DEAD
Measure is Killed in the Senate by Vote of Nine
TO Nine
Friends of the Bill Defend Utas Right to Regulate Her
Own Affairs

The senate late yesterday afternoon.
BY a vote of 9 to 9. sustained Governor
Wells veto Of the Evans bill. The prob
able result was so well understood by
the senator's that it was agreed not TO
make any speeches except in explana-
ton of votes. An audience that filled
every seat in the gallery and over
flowed into the floor had gathered to
hear the remarks and witness the vOt-
ing.
Some OF the members made no talks
at all. The speeches of most of the
others We're brief and cOuched in mod
crate terms. Even the author of the
bin failed to become excited or to offer
any severe criticisms on the power that
had made the accomplishment of hiss
purpose impossible. 1T was Senator
Murdoch who moved that the bill pass
Notwithstanding the objections of the
governor.
Senator Alder's was the first name
called. in casting my vote for the
bill" said he II did not at the time
consider whether it would meet with
the approval or the disapproval of his
excellent excellenCy. the governor. 1
Rave had no reason to change my opin-
ION and 1 therefore vote aye"
Allison Denounces Bill.
AT the time this bin was intro
duced," said Allison Il feared that it
would pass. At that time i predicted
60 the people OF the United States and
would be construed by them as mean
ing a revival Of polygamy in Utah. /
submit that my predictions have been
verified friend just back from the
east told me yesterday that people ev-
erywhere were deplOrinE the passage
of this measure and demanding that
the question of pOlygamy be regulated
by federal enactment They were de-
nOunCinE the people of Utah as cove
trcra I
believe mischief has been done. but 1
believe % per cent of the sting
has been taken out of il by this veto
massage. which / cOnsi0er the greatest
paper that has ever been ISSUED from
the office of our g eat executive. pray
to God that no such piece of 1egisla-
ton VIII ever come before a Utah leg
islature again
Howell Votes for Veto.
In explaini his vote Senator Howell
said that it as more than ten years
since The practice of poiygamy was pro-
BAiblled in Utah Later the conSti-
tuition mad forbidden it and laws had
been enacted on the subject. The dis
cussions on this floor" he continued,
have shown that unlawful cohabita-
ton and the so-called adultery which
has been the result of the plural mar
riage system ought not TO be prose-
cuted. And il was the general opinion
that in time the present condition of
forever.
BeneNlug thoroughly Ia the sincerity
Of the people / represent, i hoped that
tue time had cCfle when the same laws
and the same restrictions that apply
20 residents of other states might be
applied 10 our state and be ADEQUATE
to meet the present and future respect
ing this subject. But unfortunately the
division on thtC question has ~been the
same division that we have witnessed
In this state Ter. years. 1 am pleased,
faNaaH
imous in one opinion Snd that is that
the present conditions in this state
are satisfactory to all parties and all
people and that he VINO becomes an In
former should be odious in the sight
OF all men, 1 hardly think that here
after any man viii attempt 10 bring
odium on his neighbors and agitate
this question In Difference. now. =.
the feelings of large part of our PEG
pie. 1 vote no.
said Senator johnson: II believed
when l voted for this bill that Utah
had the right TO regulate her own in
ternal affairs without the advice or
consent of the people of other states.
am still of that opinion and cast my
vote again in favor OF the bill"
Young Utah INDICATED.
The governor has spoken and his
words have no uncertain sound said
Senator Kiesel- He saw his duty and
ne h2d the courage to perform it. /
think he is the greatest governor in
these roclx-ribbed mountains. The in
PRODUCTION Of this bill has been bene-
fieiai ir that it has shown to the peo-
pie al over the United States that our
high authorities are not Wiling TO go
back 90 the old conditions. Young Utah
has been indicated"
Senator Larsen spoke briefly. Il viii
sas-" he said. that when this bill was
first introduced I strongly doubted the
propriety of il. I have the highest re-
card for the people for whose benefit
IL was introduced and [ wanted To
Sons advanced by our excellent GOV
ernor have become convinced that
Il was unwise and / shall. vote to sus-
tain the veto"
Shoots Reasons.
Senator Smoot said he had read the
veto carefully and he would like to
discuss every feature OF il IL it were
not for the limited time. Il see" he
went on, that The governor says he
IS the product OF the plural marriage
relation. I want to say that I'm with
him in that condition. and further
more. that my good old father. whose
picture hangs on the wall of this cham
Der. and who served as mayor of Salt
Lake twelve years without cornpensa-
ton and Of whose record 1 am proud.
wOul1 have died childless If it had not
been fo- that principle. There are 9TH
mon people have kept faith with the
American nation. There has never
been any occasion when a pledge was
made tn8t it was not kept. The proud
boast OF our business men is that theil
credit is par exec lence wherever they
want to Go business. Being Of he
parentage that / am. raised and e,1u-
Gated AZ have beer. / want to say
TO you that / would not do myself JUS
: fice or my father or my dear beloved
another justice il 1 didn't say with the
senator from Wayne that this govern
ment has no right to interfere with
our internal affairs. / believe that we
viii regret that the governors veto
was sustained and that this bill failed
70 become d law. You can't tell me
. thst tho business men and the jntelli-
gent Dien and the statesmen OF the
United States Will not say the people
81 Utah did not DO right in protecting
the people who lived in the plural re.
Iation and that they have NOT acted IN
good faith. With rae this has simply
been q question Of what was right. My