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Show SPEECH OF HON. G. L. CONVERSE, OF OHIO. In the House of Representatives, Aug. 5. The House having under consideration the conference report on the sundry ?? appropriation bill ?? the ?? amendment. Mr. Converse-Mr. Speaker, when the subject of appointing a board of commissioners for the Territory of Utah was before the House for consideration I made a statement that one of the purposes in contemplation was to place the treasury in that Territory into the hands of a returning-board. I did not then see the means by which this was to be accomplished, but under this Senate amendment to the sundry civil appropriation bill it is evident that you put out of office the officers elected by the people of that Territory. The officers of that Territory, elected by the people there, have ever since the organization of that Territory proved themselves to be honest in the administration of all monetary affairs connected with it. There have been no defalcation, or extravagance, and no charges of the misapplication of the people's money. By this amendment you take the entire control out of their hands and place it in the hands of the Governor appointed by the president of the United States. There is no requirement of law as to the qualifications of the Treasurer whom he shall appoint. There is no requirement as to the bonds, which shall be taken for the protection of the treasury. There is no requirement of the law as to the appointment of the accounting officer called the Auditor of public accounts, so that practically under this amendment your place, as I have said, in the hands of Governor Murray not only the treasury of the Territory and the collection of all taxes, but you authorize him as well to appoint an Auditor of Accounts, the only auditing officer known under the laws of Utah Territory. By this provision it seems to me that you have bound that Territory hand and foot, and given it over to carpet-bag Governors and returning-boards to rob, as the Southern States have been robbed by the same class of officers within the last few years. The amendment which I desire to offer to the Senate amendment and which the House gave leave to have printed in the Record is as follows. Provided further, that the foregoing provision of law shall not apply to any officers who have not been guilty of polygamy, where under the laws of the Territory of Utah they can hold their respective offices until their successors are elected and qualified. The letter of certain Federal officers in Utah, published in the Senate proceedings the other day, shows that the object of asking this appointing power to be conferred upon Governor Murray is to reach the offices of Territorial Treasurer and Auditor of public accounts. Those offices are named in the letter. I only desire, sir to put this statement on record and leave to the future to determine whether the statement be warranted in the facts which shall transpire or not. There could have been no objection to passing an amendment to the Senate amendment extruding the term of office of Public Accounts who were elected by the people and are citizens and residents of the Territory, provided they were not and are not bigamists or polygamists. That amendment has been refused, but without debate, without opportunity for amendment, without apology a law has been enacted by an amendment on an appropriation bill depriving the people of the Territory of the officers elected by themselves and providing for the appointment in their stead of men selected by a Governor not elected by themselves, by a non-resident Governor who has no interest in them and has no interest in the Territory. The law as it now stands is intended to place in his hands entire charge of the great and growing interests of that people. The men whom he selects to hold these important offices, to collect the taxes, keep and disburse the moneys, audit the accounts, may be non-residents like himself. But whether he selects residents or not, they may be his mere tools, without character and without the confidence of the people mostly interested. There is no appeal or review of his decision. An appointed Governor's word becomes law to the people from which there is no appeal. I do not desire to say anything against the Governor of Utah himself; but if the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Blackburn) who passed a high econium upon his character will examine the files and papers in the office of the Bureau of Justice in this city he will find an examination last Administration of Mr. Murray's proceedings as Marshal of Kentucky which I think would induce him to modify his opinion. The Governor's recent performance in certifying that a man was elected Delegate to Congress who received only ?? votes while his opponent received 18,000 votes is not calculated to inspire confidence in either his judgment of his probity. But without regard to him, such power ought never to be taken from the people and placed in the hands of any one man. Neither ought he to be subject to such temptation. |