Show OPPRESSING UTAH Reagans Defense of the Right of the Legislature I TO REDISTRICT TH TERRITORY 1 To Permit the Governor and CoiumlKion to Do it I TinAmerican Plumb Criti cIes the Industrial Home WASHINGTON Fob 28 Special telegram to THE HERALD The debate in the Senate yesterday upon the amendment to the legislative leg-islative appropriation bill providing for the redistricting of Utah is deserving of a I fuller report than that S3nt out by the Associated As-sociated Press The amendment it will be remembered carried with it an appropriation 1 1 I V appro-priation of 5000 to be expended by the governor territorial secretary and the Utah commission under whose direction the work was to be done I was upon this appropriation that the fight was made After a number of gentlemen had argued in support of the amendment Mr Reagan of Texas said I do know that I am as familiar with the whole history of the Subject apportionment and representation us others I suppose this is the first instance in-stance iu the History of the country where the governor of a state or territory has I been charged with the duty of apportioning j representation in the legislative branch of the government I is unusual it is anamalous it is unjust it may bo oppressive op-pressive and in my judgment ought not to be done Any harsh unjust and partial legislation breeds disrespect for tne authority au-thority from which i emanates it impresses im-presses the peoplo with a sense of injustice and such things ought to be avoided No great inconvenience can result from the subject sub-ject standing over until the territorial legislature legis-lature of Utah can meet when it can apportion appor-tion the representation in the legislature a has been done in other territories and in other states Conformably to the customs cus-toms and practices of the American people peo-ple in such matters I trust this amendment amend-ment will not be adopted Mr EdmundsMr President I think it vas inlS6 after full investigation by committees of both houses and full consideration con-sideration and debate that Copgress with the approval of the President determined that the public interest involving Christianity Chris-tianity and morality and so on as wo thought involving opposition to the rule I of any priesthood in any community of this country determined that the legislature legisla-ture of Utah should not be permitted to I keep its Mormon hierarchy in power by I its own apportionments which were then exceedingly bad and unjust in the same i tvaj that the Senator says may sometimes happen by the unjust exercise of power Congress then reapportioned and provided for exactly what should bo done Now anew a-new census having been made It Is proposed pro-posed for the same reasons and for the same public policy of justice and opposition opposi-tion to any governing political priesthood that a body authorized and created under the laws of the United States in that territory 1 terri-tory and not its legislature shall make this reapportionment and that is the whole of the story There is not time now at this late stage of the session to discuss the Mormon hierarchy hier-archy I hope therefore the Senate will adopt this amendment Mr Reagan desire to say one word if I am not trespassing Already we have inflicted in-flicted upon that people and that territory some very harsh and I would say cruel legislation I has however had the effect to very materially influence the political character of the people of that territory that is the two great cities of Salt Lake and Ogden are under the control of the gentiles The majority of the population popu-lation there is composed of gentiles gen-tiles Surely it is not necessary togo to-go beyond the harsh legislation that we have already adopted with reference refer-ence to that people and violate all the rules i on such subjects by taking from legislature legis-lature the privilege of apportioning its own representation Mr Turpie Mr President There is one clause of this amendment especially odious and indefensible I move to strike out the word thousand after the word five and insert the word hundred so a to make the money appropriated under it 500 instead in-stead of 5000 The persons designated t redistrict the territory of Utah are the governor and tho commissioners already appointed under what is called the Ed munds bill All the persons designated are already salaried officers of the United States I do not know that any of them draw less than 5000 a year The members of the Utah commission each draws 5000 a year and the office comes nearer being a sinecure than perhaps anyone any-one upon the pay roll of the government Why the compensation of these officers should be doubled merely for this nominal piece of vork I do not 90 know A the labor under this amendment amend-ment will be done in the office of the secretary sec-retary of state a salaried officer The only expenditure they will have will be to walk from their residence to the government govern-ment building or t the office of the secretary secre-tary of state Five hundred dollars will f abundantly cover all the stationary made use of by them and it is a sufficient appropriation appro-priation for this purpose After some further discussion between Turple and Edmunds Plumb arose and said I wish to say to the Senator from Vermont and t the Senate in this connection con-nection it seems to me the appropriation is not necessary The commisoion has before i all tho data necessary They could do no more than a committee of a legislative body could do and they do not require a special appropriation at all I this were committed as it ought to be i my judgment I mean as in the case of an ordinary territory to the legislative authority of that territory we would not give them the money for that purpose and nobody else would but the legislature would take the matter up It would RO to the committee on apportionment and they would take tho returns of tho census just exactly as the legislature of Kansas will do and without one single dollar of additional expense and tHat apportionment I cannot help feeling that in some way this will result although of course not so designed in either giv gal g-al these people a larger compensation they ought not t haveor the authority t appoint somebody for the purpose of doing something some-thing which they ought t do themselves Mdi may be a precedent for bad influ 4 ence in connection with this apportionment or else it has behind it the intention that in some way there shall be something done which does not accord with the view which 1 at least take in regard to what an apportionment appor-tionment bill ought to be I do believe the appropriation of 5000 is unnecessaryand and it seems to me it is bound to be misused mis-used in any possible event Mr EdmundsMr President I shall not take up time after the observations of my friena from Kansas I am willing fore on for-e if the committee i to call it 81000 instead in-stead of 5000 That will pay for clerk hire if that is satisfactory to the Senator from Indiana There was no objection to this and the I niendment was thus amended |