| Show HOME RULE OR STATEHOOD editor ly deseret news not long I 1 received a short abort note of which the following is a copy hadley D johnson dear mcdear sir 1 I notice byth by the times ellmes that you are opposed to the bill providing home rule for or utah I 1 am at IL a loss 1088 to understand the position you take if you have time to do no 80 I 1 should be pleased to learn from you the grounds of your opposition to the proposed ine measure gaure 11 1 1 I 1 withhold the name of the writer of the above note but remark however that lie he to is a well weh known prominent enk pj popular a A d influential gentleman as well welt go as a thoroughly posted democrat and one who is entitled to be respected spec sped ted and who is highly respected by me for the many admirable qualities with which he Js is endowed inasmuch is as this thi s gentleman seems to desire to obtain my views in regard to this important question though for what purpose I 1 do not know and as the salt lake times saw proper to print at without any reason being assigned the alleged fact of my opposition to the home rule bill so no denominated I 1 respect respectfully lully ask the use of space in the columns of your widely circulated paper to explain some of odthe the reasons which I 1 induce nd u ce me to occupy the position I 1 do on the question in the first place not dot having interviewed me the reporter for that paper did not know personally what my views are and no doubt wrote from hearsay but in any event the word oppose does not express my views at all to oppose is to resist to combat to withstand now my position is not oue one of colbat combat or resi resistance I 1 merely entertain and ex express press my own ideas of what would best beat tee interests of the people of utah I 1 coincide par bially withe Pope ope who wrote for F or forms ef government let tools contest eon test Wh Wha ateer teler is best beat administered is best I 1 will quarrel wab with no man on this au question estion but entertaining personal views am not afraid or asha ashamed reed to announce them in my plain si simple g P 10 e way to the point then I 1 remark that it I do not yield my support to the bill in question because I 1 think there is 18 another plan which would if adopted prove grovef pro of far greater benefit to utah I 1 I 1 refer to that of statehood and I 1 believe that if we urge this home rule plan whether successful or not tine the effort will be in the way of and hinder a and a d delay the ad mission admission of utah as aa a sta state te I 1 merely have a choice in favor ai of statehood in preference to the plan proposed by the home rule bill I 1 do not say that the present system of governing 9 V utah ip if better than the pi eat ed measure but I 1 do say that state hood would be better than either and I 1 believe that should congress see proper to make any change it would be more likely to admit us as a stater than to pass an act such as is in asked for such sach a change would be in fact a revolution so great that my opinion to hi congress would hesitate to effect it it must be born in mind that for years the united states has been bea in the habit of governing goVern inc the territories somewhat according to the provisions Dro visions of our organic act acl can it A reasonably be expected that after so long a time so great a change as the proposed one would be abruptly brought about I 1 think not anit and hence withhold my support tolt to it I 1 have been informed that the pro 61 posed poleu measure was adopted by ao some in of my workers coworkers co in the Demo cratto party and I 1 wish to say that my failure to see the matter as they see it 14 does not arise from a disposition to antagonize an agonize any portion of my democratic friends on the contrary what I 1 w write rite is merely to let them k know n 0 w that tha 1 I who have been a life long advocate of home rule still adhere to the principle 1 if fj this his question bad been submitted to the democratic territorial convert tion held in this city last july and if that convention had adopted and made its advocacy a part ot of its platform J thet then in that case I 1 should have ha e been P willing to waive my person personal I 1 eions but as such was not the cae me 1 I teel feel that I 1 am at perfect liberty to dlo dig sent from the views of its friends rie ud and this dissent as I 1 have said is based upon the fact that I 1 prefer statehood I 1 observe that senator teller has in produced trod a bill providing for the admission of utah as a state should ana afi enabling act such as he be contemplates contemplate become a law I 1 think it would be much better for utah than would bel be l the bill introduced by senator paulk faulk ner and I 1 repeat the opinion that I 1 ite prospect of success in both houses bouses of congress would be as good if not bet tev ter than the faulkner bill As one of the sovereign states in the union we could say that we possessed home role similar to that possessed by other states should such enabling act de pawed passed 1 have BO no doubt tb that at the people of utah would adoris a constitution hoping to be relieved of the pi present resent system again to the platform of the democratic territorial convention held in july last 1 find and the fol following towing upon the subject of statehood for U we declare that we are demo and that ou our ir party never has bas and never will favor the admission of territories until all the necessary con for statehood exist we have no hesitancy in declaring that statehood would be a great boon to this territory and when utah is fully prepared and the people desire it that we will be found foaud as we have a a party over ever been supporting the right in view of these quotations the did the members of that convention doubt the existence of the necessary conditions for statehood in utah andia and if ibbe it be true that this home rule bill is a pro idues democratic brains way may it not bein be inferred forred that the proprietors of brains also entertained similar doubt butia but if so are such doubts supported by facts I 1 think not my linares impression is ia that utah possesses all the conditions entitling her to become a state if so and if it is right to admit states possessing the necessary conditions why will not my democratic friends loin join with me in supporting the right and ask congress to pass an enabling act for our admission as a state referring to the question of rule I 1 understand that rule io in the sense wed used in this connection to be su preme command or authority government empire control and power if this to a correct definition of the term rule will somebody kindly inform me how hew the framers and advocated of this bill expect to obtain supreme control and ad power fiat utah yielding as the bill does doea the right of congress to withhold at will the power asked for the terms supreme control and with the idea power powe rare are inconsistent arof of congressional f and veto in point of fact no territory can be supreme aw preme nor can any state because an ac the democratic convention hold held last truthfully asserts the july vry government of the united is a national supreme within its achere An here PY anil and that the several states of tire e union are sovereign within boliere tj buethe territories are not sovereign in this country the theory theary is that vested in the people who tare lare supposed to delegate certain powers to their representatives the members of the son senate ate and the house of representatives in congress all men in th the states eStates are sovereign but persons residing in the territories having no voting representation in con gress fIro cannot be called sovereign why because a sovereign is one who possesses pos esses the highest power without control and citizens of the territories have no power excepting such as congress has temporarily conferred upon them and whick which the same power can take them at its pleasure they have no voice in the enactment pf af the laws of the united states which govern them nor in the election of the president bouvier describes a territory as being Is a part of the country subject to said aad belonging to the united states which ls not within the boundary of the Stat states epand and on has a tempo temporary razy government ern ment 11 1 1 the present territorial system was adopted bout about a hundred bundred years ago and although not provided corinthe for inthe in the constitution has baa been en grafted upon our political system and has thus far been consented to by the people and sustained by the courts do the friends of the ho home me rule bill desire that this abnormal ex excrescence cresence shall remain in definitely thus withholding sovereignty from ae the citizens of utah I 1 believe that every citizen of the united states whether rea idine in aa state or in a territory is ia endowed with a sovereignty I 1 have always held that a sovereign does not lose that attribute does not forfeit it by from a state to a the same only being held in abeyance it is an inchoate right inalienable and can be forfeited only by his own act true it re remains malins in a state of innocuous desuetude to be resumed and be come active on the return to a state ot its possessor or when the territory in which he resides shall ishall become a state believing this position to be tenable how can I 1 consistently stoutly ask congress to continue to hold utah and her citizens as they are now held bold in political bondage at the expense financially of the taxpayers such expense probably amounting to a hundred thousand dollars annually in excess or what we are burdened with under the existing system especially when all the necessary conditions for statehood exist which I 1 hold to be the caw case the home rule bill does not make apy provision for the protection and safe gate keeping of the mo money ney of the people which may inay remain in the treasuries of the territory and of the several counties on the lot day of january 1893 as 88 it does not require the trek treasurer surer or any other officers offie ers elected in november 1892 to execute bonds and as aa they are to take possession of their several offices and any funds remaining nine in the hands of their predecessors who had given bonds on the first dy of january 1893 it will readily be seen I 1 hat bat the people would have no security for their money which might if shenew the new incumbents should prove dishonest be lost without a reasonable prospect of its final recovery As regards the conditions nce essary to statehood I 1 repeat that they really exist comparing our population of in 1890 with the much smaller number of inhabitants of idaho of wyoming and one of the dakotas who will not admit that as to population we are amply provided and as to our population in regard to morality virtue and intelligence the statistics show that we compare favorably with any of the states now in the union regarding the ability of th tho people of utah to support a state govern ment it is only necessary necessary to say that they were assessed for the year 1891 the ehor enormous ou sum m of over id six x hundred b u n d red thousand dollars which being able to pay affords evidence that they could sustain n P a state govern government me D t that a majority of the citizens of utah desire to obtain statehood cannot be reasonably doubted I 1 think and I 1 infer as much from the fact that they adopted a constitution in 1872 a d asked for admission and have asked the boon more than once since that time D JOHNSON |
