The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-23
FAREWELL TO LAWMAKERS.

The session of the Seventh Legis.
laturo of Utah has come 10 its close, and
the State may draw long breatL of re-
( lief.
Doubtless. too. the legislators will feel
that n mighty burden has fallen from
their shoulders. The situation which
they confronted was most difficult,
They brought to their task devotion
TO the public veal and fair share of
ability: but the situation in this State
is prcclusiye of individual exercise Of
these characteristics in an Independent
way, and therefore there could be none
Of the strong movement which usually
appears in the sessions of the Legisla-
lures of other States. Every man in
this body knew that the most states
manlike plans could be swept away IN
an hour, and The advocate of such plans
might be left without a following, On
one side the Mormon members did not
dare 10 inaugurate measures of import
ance without consent from church head
quarters; and on the other side able
Gentiles of the Assembly discovered
that without the church support for
bills calculated TO enhance the public
veal, those bills were marooncd on a
desert isle of desuetude.
The greatest question before the Leg
islature was that of State finances;
and the chief regret arising from the
session is that the demoralized condi-
ton of the State finance has not re.
ceived proper reparation. At rhe inccp-
tIon of the legislative session. The Trib.
une called attention to the fact that the
Governor of the State, who should have
presented somewhat fully matured plans
to the assembly, had left the whole fan
cial question III a state OF indefniteness.
His rrite observations on necessary
economies coupled with equally trite OBJ
servatlons upon necessary expenditures
left the lawmakers in chaos. 1t was
not expected that Governor Cutler
would attempt TO legislate for the peo-
pie in his message; but in view of the
fact that the assembly meets but once
in two years and then for mere period
Of sixty days-coupled with the further
and even more important fact that the
majority of the legislators come TO their
duties without antccedent preparation
it was incumbent upon the Governor
to suggest some well digested plan for
tho rehabilitation of State finances.
Wanting this, and constantly dominated
by the Federal bunch, processing the
right TO deliver the priestly message
of authority--to do the thinking for
the Legislature-it is not surprising
that out of the chaos grew no sufficient
order of public affairs.
In this grave matter the State must
drift for another two years, However,
the situation, while somewhat serious,
is clearly not despairing; for the
reason-not at all connected with
the laws and not at all created by
the malign influence that dominates the
State-that the rapid increase of wealth
and population here, the growth of IN
dnstries, the multiplication of capital
and tho increase Of visible and taxable
property, will doubtless afford ample re-
sources out of which the Legislature at
the session Of two years from now can
make plans to redeem the common
wealth from all deficit and all danger.
The State has been spared many bad
laws and many doubtful ones. If there
has been disappointment to reform
ers in the failure to give to us the Gal
weston idea for municipal government,
there has been countervailing benefit
in the refusal Of this Legislature to
pass unconstitutional ripper bills.
Take it all in all this Legislature
probably has done as we'll as any body
Of law makers could do in Utah under
the peculiar conditions of the State.
The Tribune wishes to all of them
hearty God speed, and trusts that every
effort made by them for the advance
ment of the public interest may find
fruition in the facts.