Show THE GOVERNOR GOES THE GOVERNOR COMES tonight with some gome little ceremony and solemnity Ga governor vernor caleb W west week will be formally inducted into 0 office such a thing as an inauguration to is a new thing u rider der r utah skits but why not it adds somewhat to the impressiveness impressive nesa of the situation and conveys to the rising riding generation some thing lf if a sense of what the ve veoplis oples position is relative to that of the executive we all know governor west excellent well weil some of us have had occasion to differ with his methods in days agone but that he came among us with good motives that hia mission minion was to dispel social acerbities acerbi ties and bring about an era of good will and general prosperity may riot cot be questioned he has sufficient stubbornness born ness and discrimination to not be switched oft off to any mere ism or cot coterie erieg and we bt beleve lieve enough native justice and impartiality to extend to or withhold from no man or set of men any favors rewards or punish ments menta which under similar circumstances cum stances would not go to a man or men mein of conflicting views to the others the NEWS extends to the new governor a hearty welcome with best wishes for a successful and harmonious administration for the outgoing executive this paper has no words worda but those of good will and friendship now albeit at times we have had bad to differ with him in bt radically as to some of his official sets and have had bad to criticise criticism critic ise some of his measures of policy but we have ever sought to judge of his work in a spirit which prompts us to recognize differences of attitude and education and no words have been spoken against him because of such differences or for any personal reason we realize that he be has occupied a peculiar and in most circumstances trying position tiou but that he has always sought the best interests of the territory sri as he understood them and the ultimate welfare of all her people we firmly believe hence carping criticism and vilification have neither been indulged in nor uphold upheld in others it speaks well for bit hl conservatism and prudence that hat he has haa been deemed worthy to hold held office in the territory longer than any other official we ever had bad longer than al most moat any official in any of the territories and that at the end he to ie able to retire with the consciousness of duty well performed and the respect of his hie follow fellow citizens is no slight alight tribute to his hie character the circumstances alluded to render appropriate a brief resume of his official career which coveris the most momentous momen toua and on the whole prosperous period of utah to history arthur L thomas was appointed in april 1879 secretary of tte the territory ot utah by president hayes he was wa re appointed by president aithur in april 1883 slid and served until april 1 1887 eight years in ill all a longer period than any other secretary in the history of the territory in 1880 he was appointed supervisor of the census for the district of utah and in 1881 was appointed a special agent of the government to collect the statistics ut of schools and ana churches in 1884 he be was elected by the legislative As assembly embly one of four commissioners to compile the he laws of the territory a and ad in 1888 a director of the deseret agricultural and manufacturing society he was acting governor vernor of the terri tory for all but live five days of the ciegis dative assembly of 1882 and for one half the session of 1884 was appointed in Deu december ember 1886 a member of the utah oom commission mission to succeed A 8 S paddock elected U S senator from nebraska and in april 1889 he was tendered by vie the president the office offlie of governor of utah and qualified on g may aay ath 1889 As acting governor in 1884 he ap proved the law giving salt lake city the power it now enjoys to control and regulate the liquor traffic it will be remembered that at the time the legislature metin January 1884 under the rulings of the district court the liquor ordinances passed by the city were successively declared invalid and them the saloons loons were running every hour of the day an and 1 night mr thomas sent to the legislature Legia lature a substitute bill which was at once passed and approved it has stood the test of and has haa been taken as the basis upon which subsequent liquor acts have been framed in 1885 acting governor thomas was placed in a trying position by the action of the federal court in the celebrated hopt case the court had refused to perform a plain duty and grant hopt hope a stay of sentence pending his appeal to the supreme court ot of the united states hopt appealed to 0 o acting governor thomas for a respite the people became greatly excited and demanded that the murderer be executed the streets were thronged thron ged on the morning of the day fixed lor for the a great mass meeting was held in the walker opera house which adopted resola eions demanding that the law be allowed to take its course and hopt be executed in the face of this popular laro clamor lamor governor thomas decided the prisoner was entitled under the law to a respite and granted it he was at first severely condemned but public opinion rapidly changed and his course was applauded the su SQ freme court of the united states sub granted hopt a now new trial thus vindicating the governors Governor Ps action in the most pronounced and authoritative way he approved the first absolutely free school law in the territory and has approved many other important laws his reports to the government have been comprehensive and volume and in these respects unique and valuable as compared with those of most of his predecessors and his messages to the legislature have always commanded approval the amount of the assessed value of property has increased during his administration more than one hundred and twenty five per cent during his administration as governor the peoples party die dissolved solved and the organization of the people on national party lines occurred in 1891 he issued the call for the great irrigation congress which met in salt lake city he holding of his congress in this city appeals strongly to the pride of the people of utah the attendance of many prominent men gave great importance to jt ita deliberations and the resolution adopted declaring ii eclarin la in favor of th the cession of the unsold non mineral lands lads to the states a aud ud territories may be said to 40 have been beau the commencement of a movement which will finally result in such action being taken by the government ern ment his appointees to official position have been as a rule men of high char acter and he be has given no reason for the bior or of suspicion that any appoint was hideto ade to promote sper a personal donal or political end we think behas he bad always given as generous recognition to the mormon people as a man in his hia place consistently could in the appointment of census enumerators in 1880 we were fairly represented and his record is exceptional among gentile taleb governors for his appointment of mormons cormons to office aheu the latter day saints in their general coti conference ference adopted the polygamy manifesto as their position in begird to that practice for the future governor thomas transmitted a supplemental report to the secretary of the interior to the effect that the notion action of the he people should be deemed t 0 have been taken in gooi booi faith until there was good reason for thinking think ug otherwise this report was not made public and it was not known what his bis posit position iop really was until he be made his bis annual report one year later during this time he wad waa subject to severe criticism but he kept silent preferring to wait until time would make his bis position clear he came to this territory a young nian man of twenty seven and has served the ibe territory fourteen years a longer service than has been rendered by any other official in its history when appointed governor he was a citizen ot of utah pour four of his ob children ildren were born here and their mother sleeps the final sleep upon our soil he has mad eUtah his home heme and now ack acknowledges bowl edges boother no other and in conclusion his moral character has always been above suspicion |