The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-13
Served in Congress and Was Elected
Senator.

the Edmunds law was before congress.
The election resulted in is, 568 votes be-
lIeS cast for Cannon and 1857 for
Campbell Mr.. Campbell protested to
Governor Eli II. Murray against the
issue of a certificate of election to
President Cannon, on the ground that
he was not a citizen of the United
states, that his certificate of natural
lzation was fraudulent, that he was
still subject of Great Britain, that
females had voted for him, and that
be was living in pOlygamy. Governor
Murray sustained the protest and is
sued the certificate of election to Allen
G. Campbell. President Cannon de-
clared this action of the governors to
be Illegal and fraudulent and began
suit TO annul the governors certificate
But Judge John A. Hunter, before
whom the matter was tried, declared in
favor of Campbel's petition. on the
ground that Mr.. Cannon was not a
citizen In this shape the case went
10 congress, and there Mr.. Cannon won
the contest and was seated Before
his term of office expired, the Edmunds
Dill became a law. DISTINGUISHING no
lygamists, and this threw Delegate
Cannon out of his seat and ended his
public career. Before retiring how
ever, he was accorded the floor and
delivered a speech in which he de-
tended the system of polygamy as
practiced by the Mormon people. This
is considered TO have been the most
able speech delivered by President
Cannon during his ten years in con-
gress.
Elected Senator.
The attempt to have Utah admitted
into the Union in 1862 as the State of
Deseret." with William II. Hooper and
George Q. Cannon as the United States
senators, has passed from the minds
of most people. and at the time was
swallowed up in the more exciting
event of the civil war, then in progress.
but it was an event in the life of the
subject of this sketch. The legislature
that was in session in the spring of that
year elected Mr. Hooper and Mr.. Can
non senator's and sent the former to
washington with memorial and con-
stitution that had been adopted. Pres
rdent Cannon was in England at the
time, and he was notified to Join his
colleague in Washington in June This
he did, and the two did all in their
power to secure the admission of the
stat-- They failed because of the bit
ter opposition in congress to polygamy
The people of the territory thought
that they We're deserving of much
creolt Tor trying to get into the Union
at that time when so many of The
southern states were trying to get out
and when many people abroad thoug1t
the south would win in the fight, ON
the 9Th Of June J. NJ Bernhisel
then delegate in congress from Utah
presented the constitution of the State
of Deseret and the memorial in the
lower house, and the following dav
Senator Lapham of California moved
that they be printed and that Messrs
cooper and Cannon be admitted to the
hoor Of the senate. The matter was
referred to the committee on territO-
rtes. and there it died. The next dav
Senator Lapham presented a resolution
. TO admit the senators-elect to the floor
of the senate, but it went over and
never came up again.
Close to Election.
In connection with this it may be
stated that President Cannon was very
close to a seat in the United States
senate at beast twice afterward The
first time was i'm 1895, just after the
state was admitted and two senator's
were to be elected. There was a strong
sentiment throughout the state in IA
vor of sending President Cannon as
one Of the two, and il is still claimed
by many that he was ambitious to go
to washington in the capacity of sena-
tor; but his son, Frank j. Cannon, won
the honor, and by common consent
among the Republicans of the state Ar
thur Brown was named as the other
senator
The second time was in the closing
hours of the legislature of two years
ago when many members, both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans. tried to break
the deadlock that had prevailed