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 Utahs Right to Regulate Her
Own Affairs

The senate late yesterday afternoon,
BY vote of . to 8. sustained Governor
Wells veto of the evans bill. The prob
able result was Sc well understood by
the senator's that it was agreed not to
make any speeches except in explana-
ton OF votes. An audience that flied
every seat in the gallery and over
flowed into the floor had gathered to
near the remarks and witness the vOt-
ing.
Some of the members MAZE no talks
ut all. The speeches of NOS. of the
others were brief and couched in mod
crate terms Even the author of the
biz failed to become excited or to offer
any ssVere criticisms on the power that
had made the accomplishment of his
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
biz, 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
have 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 I feared that it
would pass. At that time j predicted
that its passage would be proclaimed
To the people OF the United States and
would be construed by them as mean
ing revival of pOlygamy in Utah. /
submit that my predictions have been
verified. A friend just back from the
east told me yesterday that people ev-
erywhere We're deploring the passage
of this measure and demanding that
the question of pOlygamy be regulated
by federal enactment. They We're de-
nouncing the people of Utah as cove
nant breakers and pledge breakers. ]
believe mischief has been done. but /
believe 20 per cent of the sting
has been taken ont of il by this veto
message, which 1 consider the greatest
paper that has ever been issued from
The office of our 8. eat executive. pray
70 God that no such piece of legisla-
ton VIII ever come before a Utah leg
islature again"
Howell Votes for Veto.
In explainiD his vote Senator Howell
said that it as more than ten years
Fince the practice of,cOiygamy was pro-
lktbIled in Utah. inter the consti-
tuition had forbidden it and laws had
Dsen enacted or the subject The dis
Gus ions 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
rage system Ought not TO be prose-
cuted- And IL was the general opinion
affairs VIII ts extinguished forever.
Believing thoroughly IN the sincerity
of the peo0le / represent, 1 hoped that
the time had come when the same laws
and the same restrictions that apply
TO residents of other states might be
applied to our state AID be adequate
TO meet the present and future respect
ing this subject. But unfortunately the
division on this question has been the
same division that we have witnessed
I Z
though, 60 observe that we are unan-
imous in one opinion end that is that
the present conditions in this state
are satisfactory TO all parties and all
people and that he who becomes an in
former should be odlous in the sight
OF all men, ] hardly think that here
after any man viii attempt to bring
odium on his neighbors and agitate
this question In Difference, now, i,
the feelings of a large part of our peo-
pie. 1 vote no"
Said Senator Johnson: II beneved
when i voted for this bill that Utah
had the right TO regulate her own in
ternai affairs without the advice or
consent of the people Of other states.
am still of that opinion and 1 cast ny
vote again in favor of the bill"
Young Utah indicated.
'.The governor has spoken and his
words have no uncertain sound % said
Senator kiesVL He saw his duty aud
ne had tie courage to perform it. 1
think ne IS the greatest governor in
, reese rock-ribbed mountains. The in
troductt3n OF this bill has been bene-
ficial in that il has shown to the peo-
PIE all over the UTited States that orr
nigh authorities are not willing to 60
back TO the OLD conditions. Young Utah
has been vindicated''
Senator Larsen spoke briefly IT win
say .le said, that when this bill was
first Introduced / strongly doubted the
propriety Of it. 1 have the highest re-
gard for the people FOR whose benefit
1t was introduced and 1 wanted to
protect them. But listening 10 the rea-
sons advanced by our excellent gov
ernor l have become convinced that
# VS. unwise and l shall. vote to sus-
tain the veto"
Shoots Reasons.
Senator SInoot said nc had read the
veto carefully and he would like to
discuss every feature of il il it were
not for the limited time. II see" he
went ON, that TIE governor says he
IS the product of the plural marriage
relation. I want to say that I'm with
him in that condition ard further
more. that my good old father, whose
picture hangs on the wall of this chani-
bar. and who served as mayor of Salt
tiou and Of whose record / am proud.
would have died childless if it had not
been for that principle. There are 9TH
ers in that same condition. The Nor
mon people have kept tSith with the
American nation. There has never
been any occasion when a pledge was
made that IL was not kept. The proud
beast Of our business men is that their
. credit is par excellence wherever they
want to do business. Being of the
parentage that ] am. raised and edu-
Gated as 7 have been. I want to say
10 you that I would not do myself JUS
J ztice or my father or my dear Icved
mother Justice if / didn't say with the
senator from Wayne that this govern
ment mas no right to interfere with
cur internal affairs. believe that we
will regret that the governors veto
was sustained and that this bill failed
II become a law. You can't tell me
!. tiiat tbs business men and the intelli-
gent man andaihG statesmen of the
United 5ta5es VIII rot say the people
n Utah did not do right in protecting
ils people who lived in the plural re-
Iation and that they have not acted in
good faith With this has sim NV