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Show McBRIDE ON BILLS. He Reviews at Length the Measures Now Kefore Congress. A friend of Hon. J. II. McRridc hnving addressed a letter to him at Hoise, Idaho, asking his opinion of the C'aincLaulkner and Teller bills, received the following in reply. Omitting the introductory part of the letter Judge MeBride says: "My opinion is that the Faulkner bill is a very objectionable measure for many rea-reasons. rea-reasons. It reverses the entire theory of congressional legislation for 1'tah for the lust lifteen years, and assumes a condition of things, as the reason for such a change, without sufficient experience to jussify it. Since tne passage of the got of 1874, which put it into the power of the courts to enforce en-force laws, which was absolutely necessary to enable them to perform ilicir functions, congress ha6 constantly restricted the local authorities in U tah by frequent and necessary neces-sary legislative acts. It repealed the woman suffrage law, enacted the statute providing for the Utah commission to supervise elections, elec-tions, made all the judges and qffleera of the courts appointive, aud the judges and supervisors super-visors of elections also; limited the authority author-ity of the legislature in many ways; all for the purpose of protecting the minority and preventing encroachments on the part of ecclesiastical authority on the rights of the people. "No one conversant with the condition of affairs in LTtah during all the time tin- leg lslatlon was had, disputes its necessity, except ex-cept those who were then determined to resist re-sist all legislation that interfered with church rule. "These laws have vindicated their wisdom by their results. They have overthrown polygamy, they have eompullcd the church authorities to disavow and abandon all altciuptf to control con-trol the political rights of its followers, and have secured an honcrst and fair administration administra-tion of the election law, This triumph howevr, lias only been recent. re-cent. Reforms which cone as a result of modifying the entire system of governm-n-ta) rule do not mature iu a day. The principles princi-ples lying at the bottom of such reforms may he conceded, but the pf aetlcal appliea-eation appliea-eation of them is always slow. So that while we have the principle which was vindicated vin-dicated by this legislation fully conceded, the practice which it was Intended to reverse re-verse will still be affected by the old habits of the people for a considerable time. The old custom of having the bishop of a mOrmon ward advise the people now to vole as a part of his duty, may no longer exist, but the habit of his flock to take his advice, will still give him control ill political affairs, when he is disposed to exercise it. To assume as-sume that a reformation has been wrought that is sufficiently radical to justify bwer-ing bwer-ing that all the evils and dangers of church rule have become obsolute, is to admit the improbable, if not the impossible. Lime must be given to permit the masses to learu their rtcfita anil how to exercise them. The Faulkner bill takes lor trranteil that a declaration of principle alone will take the place of this education by practice. It assumes that the people of Utah not only acted in eu-t eu-t inly good faith (which many honestly doubt ) in renouncing polygamy and church rule, but they are well prepared to exercise with discretion and prudence all the powers of local government which have been taken from tliein because of their having abused than in the past. This I regard as unwise and premature. No abuses are charged as haying resulted 1 from the present manner of governing the territory. On the contrary it was never more prosperous or progressive that it now is. In all respects the government is satisfactory, satis-factory, aud the community more harmonious harmon-ious than ever before. While I admit that the old order of things is passing away, and there are many reasons to believe that in the near future harmony will prevail among all classes in I'. ah. II would be an unsafe and unwise experiment to invite, those who have always been distrusted, to the exercise of power w hich might at once he perverted as they have been before. It Is impolitic and unnecessary. No territory ever had conferred upon it the extensive local authority which the Faulkner Faulk-ner bill grants. It is the more remarkable that such a measure should be granted, w hen experience has conioollcd the government govern-ment to legislate always in the opposite direction di-rection for L'tah. It is not only the opposite point of view from what congress hns acted heretofore; it goes further than congress has ever done in any other instance for any territory. ter-ritory. The experiment will put at hazard all that has been gained, and is well and properly criticised as an effort to legislate iu such manner as to herd the mormon people into the democratic party. This is its evident purpose by its movers. I am in favor of organizing political par-tloa par-tloa in Utah on national party lines, but this movement to make the democratic party champion the mormon people as a means of getting votes, is a shallow trick, premature, dangerous anil demagogical. The bill to admit L' tali as a stale is liable to ths same objections. It is only another attempt on the jiart of some repuidicans to outbid tho democrats in order to get the mormon vote. 1 am distinctly Opposed lo both measures. 1 am in fnvor of wailing until the new order of things in l'tah is not only recognized but estabiishen : until all honest and fair men are satisfied that harmony among her population popu-lation has become a fai t, and until they can all work together for the common good. Then we can properly crown the highest lands of the American union with the glory I of statehood, and Utah redeemed from the follies of the past, stand like a beautiful maiden, an admired and worthy member of the grand sisterhood of statca. In regard to these efforls by both parties to make partisan eapilal on cither side, di serving serv-ing of rebuke and condemnation. It will serve to keep up the old contest by local organizations, or-ganizations, which both parties ought to j discourage, and is in my opinion a political j blunder hording on a crime." |