Show HIS FIRST VETO the bail bill returned to the legislature with the governors veto in tuesdays session of the legislature the following communication from the governor was read W W jeiter speaker of house of representatives sir B P 13 entitled an act providing for the giving of bail and amending section cli apter 1 title 9 of an act aco elating ula ting the mode of procedure in criminal cases approved february 22 1878 has received my most careful consideration it having heretofore been alie subject of earnest controversy the arguments urged by the friends of tins measure for a change of the existing laws on the subject of bail is that an I 1 imported judiciary boastfully hostile to the people of utah have used the discretionary power entrusted to them by the present law as an engine of injustice oppression and inhumanity without specification in detail careful scrutiny will show that all the evils which are stated as possible to follow in continuing the law without change are based upon the assumption that our judges will betray high trust and use the discretion entrusted to them to arbitrarily oppress the unfortunates charged with crime the charges made as to the past conduct of our judiciary and those implied as to their future cannot receive my endorsement our present bail law ig a good one obtaining in other communities and giving satisfaction personal liberty in so far as it can be consistent with the safety of society and the punishment of crime is safely guarded in the malting of our laws so many safeguards have been found necessary for the protection of the innocent and the freedom of the citizen that criminals taking advantage thereof escape merited punishment A party charged with crime bail provided before conviction clothed by law with the presumption of innocence judges of character and uh partiality to conduct the trial counsel provided for liim or selected by himself a jury of his peers to find his gull ar innocence appeal and hai under proper condition allowed after conviction execution clothed with the power of respite and pardon the innocent are less likely to be punished alian the guilty escape the judge upon the bench can be more wisely entrusted with which is gotai bit but judicial than the wealthy and strong party convicted of crime can be clothed arbitrary power to commute his punishment to money consideration the amendment proposed recognizes this fact by leaving to the judges this discretion in the greater matters while denying it in the lesser H P no return without my approval CALEB W WEST governor the bill above referred to reads as follows after conviction of an a defendant who has appealed shall upon application bo admitted to bail pending said appeal as a matter ol 01 right in all cases where the offense charged ia not murder rape or other infamous crime punishable with more alian civo years imprisonment in alie biary and in these cases lie may be admitted to bail as a matter of discretion where the charged is not punishable with death |