OCR Text |
Show News Items. OPPRESSING UTAH Washington, Feb. 2S. The debate in the Senate Yesterday upon the amendment amend-ment of 'he legislative approportion bill providing lor the districting of Utah, is deserving ot a filler rep m tlun that sent out b,' the Associated Press. The ammendinent, it will be remembered; carried with it an appropriation oljj.ooo to be expended by the governor, territorial terri-torial secretary and the Utah commission, commis-sion, under whose direction the work was to be done. It was upon the impropriation im-propriation that the ritjht was made, j After a number of ntlemen had aru- I ed in support of tiie amendment, Mr. Riarm, of Texis said: "I do know for the purpose ol d'in; S"inettng which Ihey ouj;ht to do themselvt-s which may be a precedent for bad influence influ-ence in connection with this apportionment; apportion-ment; or else it has behind it the intention inten-tion that in some way there shall be something done, which does not accoiii with the view which 1 at least take in regard to what an apportionment bill oulit to be. J do believe the appropriation approp-riation of $5,000 is unnecessary, and it seems to me it is bound to be misused in any possible event." Mr Edmunds Mr President. I shall not take up lime after the observations of my fiiend Item Kansas, lam wilhiif (or cue, if the committee is, to call it Ji.ooo instead of 5, 000. That will pay lor tleik hire, il that issatistactoiy to the Senator rom ltidianua, Theie was no objection to this and1 the amendment was thus amended. that I am as familiar with the whole history of the subject of apportionment and representation as other. 1 suppose that is the first instance in the history of the country whete the governor of a state or territory has been charged with the duty of apportioning representation in the legist itive branch 1 f the government. govern-ment. It is unusual; it is anomalous, it is unjust; it m.y be oppressive, and in rav judgement oulit u t to be done. Any harsh, unjust and partial legislation breeds disrespect (or the authoiity from which emanates; it impresses the people with sense of injustice, and sucli things ought to be svoided. No gieat incon veuietic can result from the subject standing over until the territorial legislature legis-lature of Utah can meet, when it can a ipurtion the representation 111 the leg islature as has been done in other territories terri-tories and in other states. Conformably j to the customs and practices of tiie j American pe ple in such mitttrs, I trust j this amendment will not be adopted." Mr EdmundsMr President, I think il was in 1SS6, alter full investigation bv both houses and full consideration and debate, that Congress with the approval of the President, determined that the ptblic interests involving Christian. tv and imoralitv; and soon, as we thought, involving opposition to the rule f any priesthood in any community of this C'Hintrv, determined that the legislature of Utah should not be peimitted to keep its Mormon hierarch in pot.er by its own apportionments, which were then exceedingly bad and uijust, iu the same-way same-way that the Senator says may some tunes happen by the uhjust exeis.ee t.f power, Congress then l&top-.jttioncd and provided for exactly vvbai should be done. Now a new census having been made, it is proposed for the same lea-sous lea-sous and for the same public policy ol justice and opposition to any governing political priesthood, the laws ot the United States iu that Territoiv, and not its leyislatuie, shall make this reapport-mem, reapport-mem, and that is the whole of the st.uv. "There is not t me now at this late stage of the session to discuss the Mor moil heirarchy. I hope theufoie, lhe .Senate w ill adopt this amendment." Mr Reagan I desire to say one woid, if am not tiespassiiig- Already we have inflicted upon thai people and that teintory some very hrtish, and I would sy cruel, leg slaiion. It lias, however, had the elli ct to very materially iniiii-ence iniiii-ence die political character ol the people peo-ple ol tiiat territory; that is, the- two great cite s ol Salt Lake and Ogden are under the contrJe of the gentiles. The m.i)oi ity of the population that is com posed 1 f gentiles. Surelv it is not necessary nec-essary to go beyond the harsh legislation legisla-tion that we have already adopted w,th Tafertnce to that pe p'e and violate all Me rules on such subjects by taking ,from their legislature the orivilege ol appointing its own representation Mr l ui pit.- Air Piestdent, There is one clause of this amendment especially odious and indefensible. I move to strike out the woid "thousand" aftei the word "live" and insert the wuid "hun-lrtd"soas "hun-lrtd"soas to make the money appropriated appro-priated under it $500 instead of $5,000. The persons designated to redistrict the teriitory of Utah are the governor and the conmiissioneis already appointed under what is calied the Edmund. bill. All the persons designated are alieady saleried odiceis of the United States. 1 do not know that any of them draw less than $5,000 a vear. The members ol the Utah commission each dtaws $s,ojo a year and the office comes neater being a sinecure than perhaps any one upon the pay roll of tiie government. Why the compensation of these officers should be doubled meiely for this nominal piece of woik I do not know. All the labor under the amendment will I e done in the office ol ihf secretary of state; a "ale. ied .fiicer. The only ex e dtme 4 ley will have will be to walk from ti.i.jr .residence to the government building or to the office of the secietary of state. Five bundled dollars will abundeiuly cover all tl e siationary made use ol by them and it is a sulheienl appropriation appropria-tion for th s purpose After some lutther discussion between Turple and Edmunds. Plumb aroe and ;said: "I wish to say to the Senator of Weimont, and to the Senate in this connection, con-nection, it seems to me lhe appropriation appropria-tion is not nete-i:arv. They could d i no mora than a committee of a legislative body could do and they do not requite a special appropriation at ali. If this were committed, as it ought to be in my judgment, I mean as in the case of an ordinary tenitoiv, to the legislative authority au-thority i f ihat territory, we would not give them the nt u. ey for th. t purpo e, and nobody else would, but tne legislature legisla-ture would take the mat er up. It wo Id go to the committee on apportion ; ' nient and tliev would take the leiums of the census j :st exactly as the legis-latuie legis-latuie of Kansas will do and without one single dollar ol addition! expense and that apportionment. I cannot help feeliug that in seme way this will rtsu t although of course not so designed, iu ! either giving ail these peope a larger compensation that they ought to have, or the author. ty to appoint somebody L |