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Show A GOOD ARGUMENT. The following communication over the signature of "Republican" appearing in the Ogden Herald of Aug. 24th, we deem worthy of reproduction in the Journal, as it is a very intelligent argument on the subject of which it treats. It is apparent from the start the Utah Commissioners have made that they realize that their mission here is to administer and not to make the law. Hence, they have resolved to appoint registration officers to revise the present registration lists as provided in section 5, Territorial Statutes of February 22, 1878, Sess. Acts 1878, page 29-30, and which revision is to be made during the week commencing the second Monday in September by adding the names of such voters as may not have already been placed on the list; and this is the whole duty to be performed in the September revision, so far as the voters are concerned. By Section 2. the registration officers or their deputies, are to visit each house in the several precincts beginning at the time of assessing the property for taxation, in 1879, and every year thereafter, to proceed to the revision of the last preceding list, ascertain every person that has died or removed from the precinct or is otherwise disqualified as a voter," and to erase the same from the list and to add such as have not been listed. This is to be done during the period of assessing the annual tax, and by the Territorial Statute is to be performed by the Assessor of Tax, but by the Edmunds bill the registration officers are to be appointed by the Commission, and by Section 17, Territorial Statute of February, 1878, Sess. Acts, page 17, Chapter 8 entitled, "Of Revenue," this duty must be performed each year on or before the first Monday in June. Then by Section 3 of the Chapter on Elections Sess. acts, 1878, page 29, the registration officer is to receive at his office such names as may have been omitted for the entire week beginning on said first Monday in June. By Section 8 of this chapter on elections it is made the duty of the County Clerk of the respective counties to advertise each election when to be held and what offices are to be voted for, and to post up a list of the voters in each precinct at least fifteen days before the election, and to designate the Senior Justice of the Peace in each precinct. It provides then that the latter will hear objections to the right of a contested name being a legal voter. Any objections to any one on said list being a legal voter may be made in writing, by any legal voter of the precinct, and filed with said Senior Justice who shall thereupon issue a written notice to the person so challenged, stating the place, day, and hour when the objection will be heard. The person making the objection shall cause to be served the notice and shall make return to said Justice. Said Justice is to proceed with the hearing and if he finds the challenged party disqualified shall so decide and shall within three days prior to the election transmit a certified list of all the names of such disqualified persons to the Judges of Election and said Judges of election shall strike such names from the registered list before the opening of the polls. The Edmunds bill neither vacates the Justice's office, nor transfers his duties to the registration or election officers. But the Territorial Statute has been by express provisions adopted by the Edmunds bill and it is therefore in effect now a United States Statute. If the provisions of the Edmunds bill however, should be construed as devolving upon the Judges of Election this duty, still the time and manner of the challenge and determination thereof has not been changed, but adopted, and the only change would be to substitute the Judges of Election for the Senior Justice of the precinct. It is most certain from the provision of the Edmunds bill and Territorial Statute that neither the election officers nor the registration officers, have anything to do with the qualification of the voters at the November election. The present list stands intact, with the addition of such names, as may not now be thereon and if there be any objection to any name on the list he may be challenged before the Senior Justice of the Peace as provided by statute. It is true neither the laws as they now stand nor the faithful and impartial administration of them suits the notions of the Tribune, but President Arthur believes in abiding by the law as enacted and he cannot ?? to have his administration, even in a small way, contaminated with the illegal and odious character of the Returning Boards of the Seceded States, which so burdened the Republican party as to put it in a popular minority of a quarter of a million votes, and came near giving the country a Democratic Administration, and but for the pledge of reformation within the party it would have been defeated at the last National election. Give us the law as it is, though the Heaven's fall. |