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Show PASSAGE OF THE EDMUNDS BILL. On Tuesday afternoon, the news reached Utah that the House had passed the Edmunds bill without amendments by a vote of 190? to 42, nearly five to one. In the face of such a vote a presidential veto would be hopeless even were the president disposed to disapprove the measure. We publised [published] the bill in full on Feb. 24th, but it may not be amiss to recapitulate its prominent features. Section 1 provides a punishment of a fine of $500 or imprisonment for five years for polygamy. Section 2 provides a fine of $300 and imprisonment for six months for cohabiting with more than one woman. Section 3 provides that the above offenses may be joined in the same indictment. Section 4 disqualifies from sitting on juries before whom indictments for polygamy or illegal cohabitation are being tried, all persons who practice or believe in polygamy. This section simply means that all juries before whom indictments for polygamy, &c. are tried must be composed exclusively of non-"Mormons." Section 5 gives the president power to grant amnesty to offenders under such limitations as he shall think proper. Section 6 legitimates all polygamous children born before January 1st 1883. Section 7 deprives of the right to vote or hold office all practical polygamists and their wives, but does not, as was first attempted, deny the right to vote on account of a belief in polygamy. Anti-"Mormons" think this the weak point in the bill as the disfranchisement of practical polygamists and their wives only, will not materially affect the results of elections in the Territory. Section 8 provides: "That all the registration and election offices of every description in the Territory of Utah are hereby declared vacant, and each and every duty relating to the registration of voters, the conduct of elections, the receiving or rejection of votes, and the canvassing and returning of the same, and the issuing of certificates or other evidence of election in said Territory, shall, until other provisions be made by the Legislative Assembly of said Territory as is hereinafter by this section provided, be performed under the existing laws of the United States and of said Territory by proper persons who shall be appointed to execute such offices and perform such duties by a board of five persons, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, all of whom shall not be members of one political party, a majority of whom shall be a quorum." Under the laws of the Territory, the county court, consisting of the probate judge and three select men, appoint three judges of election in each county, and at least one member of the court must be present when the returns are canvassed by the county clerk. This is all that the members of the county court have to do with elections but it is enough to constitute them "election officers" as the appointment of judges of election is an important function. The county assessor and collector is ex-officio an election officer, his duty being to register the votes. The county clerk is the most important officer in connection with elections in the Territory. He canvasses the returns, certifies to and makes abstracts of them and issues the certificates of election. Whether these offices are vacated entirely, or only so far as they have to do with elections, seems uncertain. The language of the first clause of Sec. 8 is: "That all the registration and election offices of every description in the Territory of Utah are hereby declared vacant." A strict interpretation of this language would, it would seem, throw out of office every officer who has anything to do with elections. But the succeeding language of the section would indicate that its object was simply to place the conduct of all matters pertaining to elections, in the hands of men appointed by the commission, and that no such a radical disruption of affairs as the removal of an office of all county courts, clerks and assessors and collectors, is contemplated. The commission will probably settle this point, if it is not settled before they begin their work. Under section 8 each member of the commission is to receive a salary of $3000. per annum and the commission is to appoint proper persons in each county and precinct, in lieu of those now elected, or appointed by the county courts, to conduct all matters pertaining to elections. They are to canvass the returns and declare the results. They retain this power until a new legislature enacts laws for the government and conduct of elections, which laws shall conform to the laws of Congress and the Organic Act of the Territory. This done, the commission becomes obsolete, and the government of the Territory will relapse into pretty much the same condition that it is in now, save that their will be no polygamists in office. The People's party will still poll a vast majority of the votes of the Territory, and the legislature will consist almost, if not wholly, of their representatives, as will the remaining elective officers of the Territory. The next legislature will be elected under the present laws of the Territory, so far as the date of the election, the manner of proceedure [procedure], &c. is concerned. But if Mr. Cannon is denied his seat in the House, it will devolve upon Gov. [Governor] Murray to fix, by proclamation, the date of a special election for Delegate to Congress. The commission will thus have to enter upon its duties earlier than if Mr. Cannon should be seated, as it will conduct the special election. On the whole, there are no provisions in the bid that need cause the slightest disturbance of public tranquility. It is an unwise and an unconstitutional law, but it is oppressive only in that it disfranchises polygamists, and denies a fair trial by an impartial jury in case of indictments for polygamy, &c. There is nothing in it that need effect business matters detrimentally, or that should give rise to anxious forebodings, and we are pleased to say that the masses of the people for whose oppression it was designed, are not at all distorted by it. |