Show IA A Reply Reply to the Junior IJunior Chamber Of Commerce Editor Vernal Express i This This letter is in reply to an ani i apology to the people of Vernal City published in the Vernal Ex Ex- Ex Express Express press on October 30 1947 and to tl clarify your article of the same date In the apology of the Vernal I Junior Chamber of Commerce and In your Article It was intimated Inti- Inti mated that a technicality had been raised by me relative to toi i the registration of voters in the i Vernal City Office I I did raise this technicality and after stating the facts con con- concerning this I will state the grounds upon which my objections were based i It appears that the Vernal Junior Chamber of Commerce made a request that the Vernal City Council appoint a registration i tion agent The Mayor B H HI called the City Coun Coun- Council I cil together and appointed Mr i Taylor City Manager as a reg reg- agent five Eighty votes were registered In the Vernal City Office The statutes of the State of Utah provide that registration agents can only be appointed by bythe the Board of County Commis Commis- Commissioners and sets forth the conditions and circumstances under which these registration agents can be appointed app Mr and slid the City Council exceeded any authority which they had and had no authority to make this appointment appoint appoint- appointment ment A was placed with Mr air on the day of regis regis- registration advising Mr I and the City Council and the i Board of County Commissioners of the of this regis regis- registration registration agent having been ap ap- appointed appointed pointed pointed by by the Vernal City Mayor and the Vernal City Coun Coun- dl cit Mr Hugh W Colton City At At- Attorney Attorney torney admitted in the presence of Mr and others that this appointment was il il- il illegal legal and that the Mayor and City Council acted without authority In making this appoint appoint- appointment appointment ment In the face of of these facts and my protest a representative of Vernal City sent the list of names illegally registered in the Vernal City Office to the duly appointed qualified and acting registration agents of North Ver Ver- Ver Vernal nal City and South Vernal City and these registration agents included them on the day fol fol- fol following lowing the statutory date for registration in their respective Registry Books without any legal legal right to do so so- so soI I then placed formal chal chal- challenges lenges with the duly appointed qualified and acting registration North Venial City and to the rho he right of these thesa five eight people who registered at the Vernal City Office to vote The majority of these eighty eighty- five people illegally registered were permitted to vote anyway end and Mr won by a fifty vote majority The Constitution of the Unit Unit- United ed States the Acts of Congress the Common Law of England the Constitutions of the various states d the statutes of these various states make up the framework for the American system s of Government Registration Acts were pass passed for the purpose of preventing citizens of other states from voting In the State of Utah Uth and preventing a rich candidate from purchasing votes at the expense of a poor candidate Our law makers saw fit to enact registration r statutes for forthe the purpose purpose of preventing the purchase of votes and to pre pre- prevent pre pre- prevent vent citizens of other states from voting at Utah elections when they had no right to vote I After a ballot Is given to the duly appointed qualified and acting registration agent and i entered by this registration I agent in his Registry Books and after the voter has voted it Is quite impossible to contest and determine how there illegal voted since the right of secret ballot prevents one from I obtaining even on a witness I stand from this voter information tion with regard to his secret b ballot I obtained a list of these names from the registration agents a of North Vernal City Precinct and South Vernal City Precinct and I did not feel that it was a fair cross section of voters representing both political parties I will furnish this list to any Interested person The statutes of the State of Utah are as sacred sacr d to the rights of each citizen as the Constitution of the United States of America 01 or the Constitution of the State of Utah School boy enthusiasm or the desire for public office does not Justify Junking ol of laws laws unless these laws are re re- repealed re- re repealed pealed or amended according to the provisions och ochs of f the et law The franchise s of the eW voter oter is isa a fundamental right of the citi citi- citi citizen zen and the citizen must exert some effort eUort to meet statutory re reo requirements if he wishes to exer exer- exer exercise cise else his vote It would be impossible sible to up set-up a registration booth in the citizens citizen's front yard I have no apologies to offer to the Vernal Junior Chamber of ot Commerce the Citizens Ticket or any other individual or group of f individuals l I have dictated this letter and ask that no part or portion I of the same be deleted stricken or altered and I trust that this information herein contained will clarify the matters for the public which the Mayor of Ver Vert Vernal nal City the City Council Council the President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors of the Junior Chamber of Commerce did not pretend tp If understand un why type thia-type type of ot registration was wallo challenged challe ed CLYDE S JOHNSON Paid Political Ad |