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Show THE UTAH INDEPENDENT August 28 1970 Page 12 ment. If the Opposes Gateway (Continued from page office contrary to the 1 ) ture proposed an amendment to Article VII of the Utah Constitution pertaining to the executive department of state government by adding thereto a new Section 24 purporting to grant to the legislature the power to provide for continuity of state and local government operations in periods of emergency resulting from disasters caused by enemy attack and also providing that (i)n the exercise of the powers hereby conferred the Legislature shall in all respects conform to the requirements of this Constitution except to the extent that in the judgment of the Legislature so to do would be impracticable or would admit of undue delay. In anticipation of the adoption of the foregoing amendment the 1959 legislature passed three measures purporting to provide for the appointment of emergency executive, legislative and judicial officers upon the approval of said amendment. House require- ments of Article VII, Section 3, of the constitution. Amazing as it seems, that bill would have pe- rmitted the appointment of emergency state officers who were not even citizens of the state or country. House Bill No. 83 abolished quorum and majority requirements for the transaction of business by the legislature in absolute violation of the mandatory requirements of Article VIj Section 11, of our state constitution. The voters approved the foregoing proposed constitu- gateway amendment had been in existence ten years ago, the people of this state would now be shackled by an amendment which our supreme court stated would permit the legislature to ignore all provisions of the constitution, if in its judgment such is necessary to insure the continuity of government. The Salt Lake Tribune editorial implies that the section by sec- uences of their actions in 1959 and the subsequent embarrass- vention to overwhelmingly ment it caused them. As a result of my personal knowledge and involvement in the foregoing, I successfully persuaded the state Republican con gateway amendment. Please let the people know all the frets surrounding the history and consequences of this proposed constitutional amendment. pose the adoption of the tion amendment process is troublesome in effecting change. I pose the following questions: Does the Tribune really be- lieve the people of this state would permit the relocation of the seat of government of Utah any place in the world, including tional amendment in the general Moscow or Peking, if such a proelection of 1960 and, with its ap- posal was forthrightly put to proval, the legislation above set them? Does the Tribune really believe our people would approve of forth became law. The Supreme Court of the doing away with citizenship and State of Utah on January 8, 1962, age requirements for emerunanimously held in the case of gency state officers if such an Lee v. State Board of Canvassers , amendment was directly placed etal , 13 U.2d 15, 367P.2d86l, hefore them? Does the Tribune really believe that the people of the Legislature and the voters vio- Utah would abolish quorum and lated Article XXIII, Section 1, of majority requirements for the if that constitutional Bill No. 81 permitted the estabthe Utah Constitution, which relishment of an emergency seat of quires that if two or more change was directly submitted to them? Until ten years ago I would government within or without amendments are proposed, they the State of Utah without limitashall be so submitted as to enable not have believed that our legislation in contravention to Article the electors to vote on each of ture would even consider such them separately. It is this latter broad, unrestricted, and even revXIX, Section 3, of the constitution, which permanently locates provision which the gateway olutionary changes in our form of the seat of government at Salt amendment would abolish government. Following the Utah Lake City. House Bill No. 82 thereby permitting vast constitu- Supreme Courts decision in the abolished all qualifications of tional changes with little realized foregoing case, I had several legistheir total lack emergency state executive officonsequences by the adoption of lators admit to me cers other than taking an oath of a seemingly innocuous amend of knowledge of the conseq that the amendment approved by leg-islatu- re Ken G. Edward Granger producer of the movie Anarchy (Continued from page 1) of the very popular hook, Prophets, Principles and National Survival, will be the third speaker in the series. His October 24 talk will bear the same title as his book. Newquist is a convert to the LDS Church, a member of the Seattle Stake High Council, and a coordinator of the Seattle Stake Seminaries. How to prepare for the Com-min- g Depression is the subject to be detailed by G. Edward Griffin on Nov. 7. Griffin is author of The Fearful Master, a book about the United Nations. He was USA. W. Cleon Skousen will speak Nov. 21 on the topic, The Middle East Key to the Coming Crisis. He has authored numer- ous books, including Fantastic Victory and The Naked Communist. He is presently an associate professor of religious instruction at Brigham Y oung University. The concluding Utah Forum Speaker will be Lee Hayes on Dec. 5. Tickets for all the Forum lectures may be purchased at the door. co- - ubscirihe Today IMILY (peg. clip and mail today THE UTAH INDEPENDENT Box No. 627 4 Salt Lake City, Enclosed find lB51 Address I Utq.li 84105 for a oneyear subscription to the UTAH INDEPENDENT. Subscriber's Name Griffin Utah Forum Series BEST BUY OF THE MONTH IF& op- i08) |