| Show THE UTAH commission REPORT CHICAGO ill ili sept 16 15 1892 to the hon john W noble secretary of the interior washington D C sir the utah commission respectfully submits the following report of its proceedings for the year ending september 1 1892 during which time three sessions have been held one at chicago from september 22 to september and two at salt lake city one from january 11 to march 12 and one from july 21 to august 13 1892 POLITICAL in its report for 1891 the commission recorded the abandonment of its organization by the Peo peoples pleIs party and the proposed division of its ite voters upon national party lines but one general election ejection has been held upon that basis and it may yet be considered in the light of an experiment although in 46 the opinion of the commission a change is apparent in the political I 1 situation in utah which if properly tottered fostered and honestly managed will be productive of good results it is hardly to be expected that a people who have been taught for years to hold bold themselves aloof from and even in hostile attitude towards all who differed from them in religious beliefs and political methods should at once be able to conform themselves vesto to an entirely new order of or to familiarize themselves with the great questions upon which the great oar ties naturally divide such a thing would be anomalous in human affairs and it was for this reason that bat the commission expressed no opinion upon the sincerity of the sudden change it may be said that a large majority of the gentile population of utah doubted and still doubts it although many are beginning to feel that the change must come sooner or later and that reforms never move backward the rhe commission is glad to note the interest that is manifested gene generally rolly in political questions and the growth of sentiment on party lines it does not believe however that the end is reached rather bather it believes that a be ginning has been made which augurs augure well for the future and hopes that no hasty or unwise legislation may be en acted which might retard rather than hasten the desired results the commission has been severely criticised criticized by the MORMON CHURCH authorities for asserting that the Church interfered with and dirt directed eted the poll tics bics of iab members and la in the general conference of the church in october 1891 a series of resolutions were presented and adopted declaring the statement to be false it may be noticed however that the resolutions which will be set out later in this report implied ly admit that there has been beenau appearances pe arances of such interference and domination in the past and declares that there is no foundation or excuse excuse for the statement that church and state are united in utah or that the leaders of the church dictate the members in political matters it to is noticeable too that the statements of the commission were based upon a oase case in the mormon ecclesiastical court at Pro voin which as late as january 1890 joseph D jones was tried and excommunicated annn charge of having joined the loyal league of utah and because aits its principles are in direct opposition to some of the principles of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints for instance the principle ot of celestial marriage and local self government and that while the conference denied the existence of any interfere interference or dictation it did not and sever never has denied that such trial conviction and excommunication occurred just as the commission stated it the official declaration of the church I 1 referred to if followed out i i practice is a anew new del departure arture and cabaot but prove to be another important step in advance prior to the municipal election for salt lake city held in february last the commission Commik sion appointed hon elijah sells bells secretary of utah as chief registration officer it also re quested chief justice zane to hear and da determine termine objections which might be filed to the right of those registered to vote this fact should be sufficient answer to the malicious charge that the commission takes care that tha only tonly irresponsible and sometimes disreputable per sons are appointed to perform those duties no complaints were made to the in regard to the registration tra tion and not a single objection was filed against any one registered as a voter the judges of election for each poll were appointed from each of the three parties republican democrat and liberal the result of the election was a vio via tory for the liberal party it having a clear majority over the reau republican blicaus and democratic parties combined As AB the liberals had bad a minority representation resen tation in the election machinery at each poll this fact should iet fet i f et at rest the virulent charges which have been so eo ohen made that in preceding eleo elec eions it had only succeeded through fraudulent practices here follows a list of the municipal elections held this year CHANGE IN ELECTION LAWS in march last the legislative assembly of utah by law duly approved by the be governor provided chaton the tuesday after the first monday in november 1892 and biennially thereafter a general election for territorial county and precinct officers shall be held the term of the officers so BO elected to legin begin on the first day of january following and continue for two in the case of county collectors Coll ectore whose terms are to begin on the lot ast day of june also that on the tuesday after the first monday in november 1892 an election sha I 1 be held in each city town village and school district ex dept capt in such cities as shall have held an election in 1892 prior to may slat for all elective municipal officers the term of the officers so elected to begin january lot 1893 and continue one year the terms of present incumbents to end at the same time that on the tuesday after the first monday in november 1893 and biennially thereafter in each olty city town village and school district an election shall be hold held to fill all elective offices therein the officers so elected to hold their offices for two years from the first of january following also that an election for members of the legislative assembly be hold held on the tuesday after the first monday of november 1893 and biennially the thereafter I 1 heretofore Here the territorial county and precinct elections have been held in august and the municipal at times ranging through nearly every mouth month in the year by the new enactment ALL ARE ABE TO BE BB HAT upon the same date the territorial orfa il county and precinct elections occurring in the even numbered years and the legislative and municipal in the odd numbered years to correspond with this change of holding elections the r registration titration tat ration laws were also aleo changed so mat that the registration commences now on the first monday of august of each year throughout the territory to be completed belore the first monday in september omissions may be corrected during the week commencing on the last monday of september and the completed lists and affidavits are to be delivered to the clerk of the county court on or before the second monday in october the filing and hearing of objections to the right to vote la in left as before to comply with the law will require at least two and perhaps more sessions of the commission in each year only the long winter sessions being rendered unnecessary complaint was waa made before the congressional gress lonal committee that after the commission had suggested changes in the registration law the legislature on eo a law to remedy the evils which was approved by the commission and still was vetoed by the governor this is an incorrect statement the commission has not approved such an enactment it has no authority so to do advice has bas more than once been asked of iti individual dividu al members of the commission upon such proposed legislation and their opinions as to the property of the pro posed reforms have been freely and frankly expressed but the acts when passed have always contained features which could not be endorsed by the commission the act in question contained tea fog tures and provisions which seemed objectionable to the boveri governor or who alone has the power of approval or veto and ad it failed to receive his approval with his reasons of failing to approve the act the commission has nothing to do but is satisfied that the governor not only acted conscientiously in atie matter and lor for what he deemed to be the best interests of the people of the territory but that be was right in withholding his approval POLYGAMY prior to the last report of the corn COM mission the president presided of the mormon church had issued a manifesto on the subject of polygamy which was claimed by the authorities to have the force and effects of abolishing that institution but because the commission pointed out the fact that it was merely an advice to suspend the operatic n of what the church authorities sill claimed was a divine law and presented facts which tended at least to show that polygamy and its kindred offenses were still to some extent be bearg ing practiced it found itself at once the subject of the most violent denunciations as retailers of falsehoods the report was published in but one of the salt lake papers on the ath of october its first appearance it in print in utah on that day the general conference of the church was in session and a committee was appointed and on the same day presented the following preamble and resolutions these resolutions have already been published if by these resolutions and dea declarations lars they mean to say that the commission states falsely that it has such information the reports are on file in the archives of the commission it they mean that these sworn officers of the government report falsely it may be answered thas thac these officers live in and are familiar with the precincts make the house to house canvass for foi registration and cannot possibly po sibly have an interest in reporting anything but the facts and that common abundantly corroborates their reports denials and denunciations prove nothing both have been resorted to by the church church authorities for many years they denied the existence of polygamy when it did exist and only ceased to deny when it could no longer be hidden the utah commission has and can have nothing to gain by inventing and narrating falsehoods or pervert ing the truth it aims to set naught chught down in malice and naught extenuate 21 how long was it before the formulation of the Off offending report that professor talmage principal of the letter latter day saints college a school where both sexes are taught testified under oath in the united states district court at salt lake as follows we teach that we have a right to obey all the revelations of god I 1 believe that the revelation in regard to plural marriages is in mom god and believe that if the constitution was properly administered the laW against plural marr marriage i age would never have been passed I 1 think congress overstepped over stepped its authority in passing that law we teach pupils that the revelation in regard to celestial marriage is from god and that it is their duty to obey all plural marriages marriage are celestial but all celestial marriages are not plural the revelation on plural marriage has not been expunged from the book of doctrines and covenants nor have the countless arguments in its favor been withdrawn from the hands bands of the people or their teachers what avails it chento say the doctrine is not taught since the report of 1891 was made some of the highest authorities in the mormon church have been called upon to testify in the united states district court in chatis known as ei cheat cases here is given the testimony of presidents woodruff canpon cannon and smith and apostle lorenzo snow before for the master in chancery in the church oases cases the foregoing is not a statement made by the commission it is in the sworn statement of the beliefs and teachings of the highest dignitaries of the mormon church two weeks after they placed before the general conference of their church and had unanimously ai adopted opted their denunciation of the utah commission as liars because it said in its report that they believed and taught that doctrine ait is in the bof testimony of the three dignitaries who affixed their names to the declaration of the first presidency saying of the commissions report jit it to is utterly without folio foundation in i truth it may be added that this joseph F smith who spoke so certainly upon I 1 this subject had NOT BEEN VISIBLE in the territory for nearly eight years until the meeting of that conference during that time he had been a fugitive from justice in hiding biding on the underground 22 evading the officers of the law and upon his full confession that he bad been guilty of th the practice of this very doctrine and his earnest appeal for clemency and solemn promise to obey the law in the future had lust lust received the pardon from the executive which permitted him to be present and attack and denounce as falsifiers representatives of the government who had been ori OB the ground from six to eight of every of year the years during which he was a fugitive eight in hiding in other parts of the 1 I world w the utah Cum commission mission would nr attention to the fact which it estehr aate call no cause for regret but rather thing thina to be gratified with that botne ann in e three of the public and official deai gions of the church which mark change of front as to the tha heretofore it 1 card inal doctrine of its credi the act the commission are given ell the of for or their promulgation the thess colum reason sion considers this fact stronger a denoe dance than it could elsewhere adding evi w addae to prove that the work it was asks upon to perform has been beul we callea anc thoroughly done the commission credits the chu r with all that can reasonably be oli for it from the official d e C has promulgated naua it much credit has been assumed h the mormon church and b y people beom their change of front on the fo 1 e subject polygamy and their asserted of 0 submission and obedience to the theila laws Sr of the general government and nr found reverence for the pro nira of nf courts of the country in this conn the tion it may not be unprofitable connee to re r certain facts which may have had 1 al potent influence in taji change conge of front producing S fht it is IB matter of a history that by bv r son of their peculiar were practiced practice the ahw wy DRIVEN FROM OHIO I 1 AND 0 IlLINO IB when they migrated to the MaO mountain 81 they were left to themselves from 1847 to 1862 and there openly and ana practised practiced then naadi ma a crime by statute but a 4 ha violation of the common law of ahn country and of the of the tha civilized world in 1862 the practice otice pra under the b ban came of the penal laws law of the nation by the th e enact enactment meS of what is known an ai the poland tow law but these people openly dolled defied mind and set bet that law at naught and the courts tor for twenty years found it impossible to on a force it or to punish to for r its violation by b reason of the u united ui ted action of the thadeo pee ale in preventing the axe execution C atlo n 0 oath kf the laws and process of the courts the country demanded MORE STRINGENT LAWS and the edmunds law was passed in 1882 giving the courts more ding the penalty of and authorizing the appointment or of i the utah commissions commission whose 1 are limited to the provisions of one on N 1 small section of the law the courts were busy and became able to make their power felt and the work of the th commission was progressing but bott both were always confronted with the |
