The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-11
CONTRADICTORY LEGISLATION.

CONTRADICTORY LEGISLATION.
The ways Of a legislator, or perhaps
it would be better to say the ways Of
a bunch manipulating legislature, are
past finding out. Illustrations are easy
to find Just now there are some dis
crepancies that perhaps Legislators
themselves have not realized.
We have on the way to enactment
bills providing commission forms of
government for the different classes OF
Utah cities. The people in these cities
are not TO be allowed to say whether
they want that form of local govern,
ment or not. 1t is to be forced upon
them without any back talk. This com
mission form of government is put for,
ward as a panacea for all municipal
ills There will be nothing but hcav.
emily rapture, both to those who ad-
minister the municipal form of gov
ernment, and those who live under the
new and seraphic administration. VIII
we get q commission form Of admins
tration. Human nature is to be entirely
changed, and all the evils that arc
commonly supposed to be attached to
humanity will be done away with when
once we are compelled to accept this
commission cure-all form of govern
meut
But-hold a bit! 1t won't do, says
the legislature, to trust this heaven
born commission administration with
the granting of licenses to sell liquor.
TiTat must be taken away from the
angels of light and entrusted to the
Judges of the district courts.
Bnt-the district courts are already
so crowded with business that an ad-
ditional Judge each must be provided
for the Salt Lake district and for the
Ogden district. This additional Judge
being needed, not to attend TO the ad-
mlnistration of the saloon business, but
10 help clear up the calendar which is
now so clogged as TO stop the wheels
of Justice. II is hoped that, by the
addition Of a Judge in each of these
two districts, the ordinary business of
the court can be kept along up to date.
Eventually, however, If the saloon bust
ness is TO be taken out Of the hands
other Judge or two in each district
ought to be provided to do business
for the saloons. There would be this
advantage also in providing such
Judges to attend to the saloon work,
that it would be less embarrassing to
the other judges to supervise judicially
the work of the saloon judges, than if
the regular judges who attend to the
judicial business Of the court had both
to administer and supervise the sa.
looms, and then pass judicially upon
heir own work as such supervisors and
administrators And as the Federal
bunch has succeeded in dragging the
saloons into the politics of the State,
and keeping them there, this device will
compel the saloons to see to it that
Judges are elected who will f'treat
them right.
1T woull seem as though, if we are
10 have a commission form of govern
n.ent whether we want one or not, and
if that commission form of government
is SO sky-high superior to all others,
that it might be entrusted with this
ordinary municipal function. And it
would seem, further that, If the bust
moss of the courts at present is so
clogged as to need fifty per cent relief
in Ogden and twenty-five per cent re.
lief in Salt Lake, the saloon business
ought not to be dumped into the ju-
dicial hopper; but that if it is, some
further provision Of relief is impera
tive lest the courts get into their for
mer clogged condition by administer
ing the liquor law and then passing
judicially upon their own administra-
ton.
1t is hoped that the legislature will
take bird 's-cye view of the situation
which is thus created, and when ad
journment is had, that a diagram will
be authorized to be made up by the
executors and assigns of the legisla
ture, showing the people of the State
just where they are at with respect to
this jumbled, job lot legislation.