Show THE UTAH commission REPORT hon john ohn W noble secretary y of the he AMer for washington A ca U sim the utah commission respectfully s brijito u the following report of its ito proceedings pi for the year ending september 1 1891 during which period four sessions have been held in salt bait lake city and one in of ogden covering in all a period of about seven months on one session was rendered necessary by ream reabon n of the fhe fact that congress I 1 imposed in upon the commission the ad duty doty of making a reapportionment reap portion of the TeI territory tory for let dative purposes which will be more fully referred to hereafter ON ELECTIONS elections have been held under the supervision euper vision of the commission Commie sion since september 1 1890 as follows congressional I 1 general tor for members of the legislature and county and precinct officers officer I 1 special elections election a 8 ogden city march IS 16 1891 2891 school elections salt lake City March 10 1891 8 birch creek march 30 1891 municipal elections elec Oona 26 in the following cities november beaver 3 eaver caty beaver county december 8 1890 ephraim sanpete county february bogde ogden weber county augusts august 1891 american fork utah county august 3 1891 payson utah county august 8 1891 nepal juab county august 1891 pleasant grove sanpete county august 8 1891 lehl lehi utah county august 3 1891 manti sanpete county august 8 1891 alpine utah county august 8 1891 spanish fork I 1 itah county august 8 1891 Co coalville alville summit county august brigham box elder eider county august 3 park ity summit county august 3 8 1891 tooele thoele thoele tooele county august 3 1891 Spring springville ville utah county august 8 1891 fillmore millard county august 8 1891 corinne box elder bider county and in the following towns august 8 1891 kasab kanab kane county august 8 1891 salma salina sevier county august 3 1891 heber wasatch county august 3 1891 monroe sevier county august 3 1891 santaquin San utah county august 3 1891 huntington emery county august 8 1891 midway wasatch county total 34 84 OFFICERS muni apal mayors mayo 19 councilors councillors Counci lors V presidents of towns 7 town trustees 85 recorders 20 treasurers Treasur ers 19 marshals 19 assessors aad d collectors 20 P lice justice I 1 justices of the peace 40 county and precinct selectmen 60 50 collector I 1 superintendents of district schools 25 coroners 2 school trustees 10 justices of the peace Con constables constable es territorial orial delegate to congress I 1 commissioners to locate university lands 8 members legislative council 12 members house of representatives 24 TOTAL OFFICERS municipal county and precinct territorial 40 total 7 registration officers appointed by the 60 commission M W judges of election appointed by the commission 1107 board of canvassers appointed by the ai commission 10 total 1462 HALT LAKE otry CITY june 1889 june 1890 june 1891 IN UTAH june 1887 june 1888 june low 1889 june jun e i 1890 june 1891 VOTES CAST FOR FOB TO CONG 2890 peoples party liberal 6 egia scattering 28 total CAST TOB FOR OF 09 THE OP OF democrats democrat republicans liberal scattering 68 total 28 CAST roa FOR or OF TEM laava co UN CM democratic republican liberal scattering 47 total total vote cast in the territory for selectmen the result of the election for or members of the legislature was FOR 1 liberals or anti mormon A 4 democrats 8 total 12 TOB FOR TIM HOUSE OP OF liberals or anti mormon 8 democrate Demo crata 16 total 34 24 the last legislature stood politically as follows liberals or antl anti moi mon 2 peoples or mormon io 10 total 12 OF liberals or antl anti mormon 6 5 peoples or mormon 19 total 24 A liberal atin gi a in the council of 2 and iu in the house of Representative 3 at the election held J in n november 1890 for the purpose of choosing a delegate to congress the issues were made the lines sharply drawn between the liberal or anti mormon party and the peoples or mormon on ron hon C C goodwin being a t I 1 candidate for th the former and hon r johie joh T caine lor for the latter the canvas of the territory was an active y one and much partisan feeling W was deve developed loved in a total vote of ron hon john r T caine received votes AR a f against votes cast for h his la opponent and 28 scattering was duly returned as elected and was awarded the certini cate of election when the municipal election for the city of ogden was held in february 1891 the liberal party was confronted by an organization called the citizens party A convention eDtIon by that name dame was held and candidates placed in nomination some of whom had bad 6 hereto fore acted with the liberal and some L with the peoples peopled party subsequently the peoples peopled party convention ratified and adopted the ticket thus selected it wis was charged that the liberals having control odthe of the registration and under the usual custom cust m of appoint ment likely to control the election boards contemplated and were preparing paring for a wholesale system of frauds in order to carry the election and it i was demanded of the commission that it appoint one member at least of each I 1 t board of election from tie newly formed citizens party for the purpose of investigating the condition of affairs the commission held a session in the city of ogden inviting representatives of all the parties to appear before it the representatives senta tives of the ther Citizens party made demand for representation accompanied m by the assertion that the peoples ples party had bad disbanded this was promptly disputed by the representatives of the peoples party each and all of whom vigorously asserted that that party bad not disbanded a and nd would demand the representation the law gave it upon each of the election boards one asserting that the peoples party only supported the citizens ticket as choice between tween two evils ay and would have its own ticket in the field at the next election the commission declined to d depart apart from the customary rule of action and appointed to constitute the Eleb election tion boards two from the liberal and one from the peoples party the commission believes from personal observation of the conduct of the election that it was fairly conducted and was free from any attempts to override the will of the people the greater portion of the citizens ticket was elected by a small majority As the time approached for holding the general territorial election in august 1891 a new condition of political affairs confronted the people of utah the peoples party was wan officially declared disbanded by its territorial committee and it was anjou announced need that for the future an alliance would be sought with the two great national parties this departure frow from established methods was hailed by some as the end which had been long hoped for while others looked upon it as a ruse through which the leaders of the mormon church were seeking statehood well knowing that their large majority would control the state thus formed upon this conflict of opinion the commission announced no judgment preferring that the experiment be a fair trial and be judged fudged by its resu results I 1 ts whether the disbanding of the peoples peopled or mormon party be an act of good faith or a ruse by which to ket get rid of the power and control of the national government the commission is of the opinion that it is a step in i n the direction of educating the people to think for themselves politically will tend to loosen the bonds in which they have in the past been held liy by the church and thus be productive of good in the end in view of the fact that the mormon church has invariably in the past dictated the political movements of its adherents and presented a united front against any and every party which came in contact with it those who now doubt doub tits its sincerity may well be excused for doubting that church has through the peoples peopled party strenuously opposed every effort made whether by laws jaws of congress the action of the courts or of the utah commission to putdown put down polygamy it has appealed to the courts generally going court of last resort upon every question that could be raised to sustain its assumption that it was justified in obeying the alleged dillof will of god expressed through daily revelation vouchsafed only to themselves as against the revealed will of the nation its it has denounced the commission through all the years it has hag been administering the laws directed against polygamy and kept a united force constantly standing and ready to oppose every effort to compel its on submission to the laws of the land when disfranchisement deaf ranch stared the church in the lace when the city and county of salt lake the city of ogden oden and county of weber and park city had bad been wrested from its control and other places were showing signs oi 01 becoming anti mormon then and not till then did this change come this commission hopes it Is the beginning of a better era it cares not what the motive underlying the movement may be if its results be for the enfranchisement of this people and the substitution of better ideas and methods for those which have prevailed in the past it will do no harm to utah or to the nation to wait awhile and see what this sudden conversion as sudden as that of saul of tarsus will bring about time which proves all things will prove whether it will be for good or ill it is worthy of note DOW tb that at gentiles Gen tilea more than ever before voted the liberal ticket by their vote vota av wed their disbelief in the sincerity oi of the new political movement it is but two years since this corn mission and its registration officers were charged with fraud and crime because the city of salt bait lake had bad shown a gentile majority of 41 it iu the august election 1889 the result of the bait lake municipal election of february 1890 1891 when the gentiles Jentile As elected a mayor and city council by a majority of was wade the occasion c cas ion of again vilifying the commission by publishing wholesale charges of corruption from one end of the land to 4 the other A sufficient answer to these charges is found in tile the increased registered vote and increased liberal majorities in the business centers as shown show n in salt lake city and the later elections iu in june 1889 when the registry for salt lake city was made by which a Get gentile itile majority of 41 was attained we the registration lists exhibited a total of nf in june 1890 and in june 1891 1027 3 nearly all of which represents an anti mormon gain an increase of gentile immigration under this registration the liberal liberal party of salt lake elected its re presen natives by a majority of 1045 over its highest competitor and of over the republican and democratic comp competitors eti combined aad the old charges of fraud against the commission and its ite officers ficere of have not been once heard hearda it would seem that no better vindication of the work of the commission could be wished for and the redemption of these great business buei nesa centers of utah from the blight of the old regime points the way to the final redemption of the territory if the lessons of the past are heeded and the work continued which has thus far produced such gratifying results As a means of securing impartial and fair elections throughout the territory the commission from time to time as the exigency arose issued to its berls registration and election officers circular of instruction which are given gl vents as sp ap perdices pen dices A B C and D to this report and which it is believed were generally observed aud and acted upon many of them do not differ materially from those heretofore published and acted upon others seemed required to meet a present need aud and the prompt acquits licence of th the e officers so 80 allayed partisan fears that less complaint followed the august election of 1891 than ever before this commission ha hag hereto fore recommended and now repeats repeals the recommendation that such legisla isla 1 tion be had as will make its ita reg registration officers responsible to it for their actions ATTITUDE OP OF PARTIES TOWARDS MORMONISM the democratic party of utah in its ite declaration of adopted in convention july 20 1891 has th the e following upon local aff affairs kIre be it resolved that we accept the declarations and action of the mormon people abandoning the practice practice of 1 polygamy y and the peoples party in an disbanding the same as done in good faith and all sincerity and we favor the he restoration of the franchise to all it dl 19 1 franchised franch isee citizens who will obey hy in laws ol 01 the united states T the be republican party adopted the following ia resolution solution I sixth sixta we are opposed to the dis frant bise ment of any citizen except for he be shall have been of which convinced convicted crin arime a by due process of law and we favor the free exercise of the power of amnesty to all citizens franchised disfranchised dis on account of polygamy or polygamous re irions s ns who will obey and uphold the laws ia of the united states chere Is inserted the liberal antl anti mormon platform OF THE commission questioned the CO commission emission was of that under the pres present ant territorial law school within the elections leat lons for purposes utah should be conduct of Terri territory tor 7 ed by it but in ed e by bv officers applin appointed may mav last the COrD corporation oration of salt lake ordered an election upon the question of if issuing school bonds upon the commission 00 mission undertaking to provide ap for such the machinery an election brought against it to enjoin a suit t was manner interfering with it from in any such desm the election suit was brought in the third district court of the united states before judge anderson andersen who sustained the views held by the commission nod and the election proceeded under its ita vision an appeal was taken to ouner supervision Se the supreme courts court which by a majority reversed the decision 0 of f judge ity anderson Anlo rHon A new election was order held by officers chosen by ed edmnd and was the She mu Municipal authorities while th the 0 soundness of the decision is doubted commission has sub the by bv many witted to the ruling as one which all are bound to respect and obey unless reversed revere BY bv act of congress of march 8 1891 the duty was imposed upon the utah commission as soon as practicable the basla basis of the census or of said and upon territory taken in the year 1890 to redistrict said territory and 1 apportion representatives in the same in such mauner manner as to provide as near as ma may y be for an equal representation of the people except indians indiana not taxed accordine to DUM numbers bars and by districts as nearly compact ot as possible in the legislative assembly and to the num ber berof of members of the council and house of representatives thereof re as 88 now established by law ju compliance therewith the cornin mission mission met in salt rait lake city on the loth day of may 1891 and after due and i careful consideration and after publicly putli cly inviting suggestions and plano dans from all parties and persons interested te re apportioned said territory and caused such reapportionment to be recorded in the office of the secretary of the territory as required by the terms of said act asset out in the fol foi lowing circular issued to all registration and election officers in t the he territory but little criticism has been made in regard to tho apportionment and the Oom commission mission invites comparison between the apportionment as actually made and the plan submitted to it il by the tee representatives of the peoples party which is as follows here follows the proposed apportionment tion ment offered by R W |