| Show UTAH IN CONGRESS among the reports made to the house of representatives on january la nuary 24 1893 was wab one by the house committee on territories submitted by chairman mr mansur the report ISMS awon on Abill A bill to enable the people of utah to form a constitution and state and to be admitted into the janion on an equal footing with the original states it was committed to ftfe committee of the whole house on the state of the union the opening pages of the report con inist arist of a number of documents which chave aade heretofore been published in the they are given in the following lorder proclamation by president harrison anade january 4 1893 granting amnesty ft offenders against the edmunds law of 1 the manifesto of the first presidency jbf W the church issued september 25 aft 1 ft r fr 1 I the e motion in relation to the manifesto aa adopted at the church conference in ig salt ailt lake city october 6 1890 governor thomas report to the secretary of the interior on the manifesto official declaration of the first presidency of the church made october 6 1891 goi denying the allegation of the utah commission that plural marriages had been contracted during the preceding year the petition of the first presidency and A apostles astles asking amnesty this is dated member december ig 19 1891 the official endorsement made december 21 1891 of governor thomas and chiel chief justice zane to the petition for amnesty the governors report for 1892 on the petition memorial of the utah legislature of 1802 asking admission into the union the resolutions relating to statehood adopted in 1892 by the territorial republican and ana democratic conventions and the references to the same subject r in the national party platforms of 1892 the ime report then says I 1 when dehen we remember that utah has a aw population pu lation of people and pro property perty of an assessed valuation of over J soo I 1 xo oooo and of a real value of not less les s aan being a population and fre waith alth far exceeding that or of any terri except south dakota that has ever sheea fan admitted into the union as a state itis and must be evident to all that the waly barrier in all the past to the admission iWA mission ision of utah as a state was that of polygamy POLYGAMY exterminated while your committee utterly con kemu the doctrine of polygamy and that so long as the mormons cormons con it ted the larger part of the population be territory of utah and perso personally nilly or as a matter of faith with or without the practice believe in the doctrine of polygamy then it was proper and right dij for the federal federal government 0 to o use all of its vast powers to secure the overthrow and destruction of that practice yet in view of the foregoing facts set forth in this report as well as the concurrent testimony of all parties interested in the welfare of utah who have appeared before your committee at its hearings upon this subject during the present congress as well as the vast amount of testimony submitted to your committee during the fiftieth congress upon the same topics compel your committee to believe without doubt or hesitation that the institution of polygamy as taught by the mormon church whether of faith or of practice is no now w absolutely stamped out and exterminated CHARACTER OF MORMON PEOPLE your committee in regard to the beneral general character of the mormon people for or thrift honesty morality sobriety and virtue other than their disputed doctrine of polygamy call attention to the following statements and excerpts of evidence produced to your committee the mormon church will be 63 years old on the ath day of april 1893 polygamy was not taught or proclaimed in the bouk of mormon the church long existed without polygamy an and d was about 23 years old when the revelation of polygamy was promulgated two of the three original witnesses to the translation of the book of mormon seceded from the church after it had adopted polygamy and upon that account the revelation concerning it was first made public in 1852 and published in the book of doctrine and covenants in 1853 let us now see what are the general characteristics of the mormon people under the teachings of their religion the statements of judge C S zane ex U S marshal F H dyer governor stephenson of idaho bayard taylor dr miller miles grant mrs emily pitt stevens and judge alexander white regarding the people of utah are incorporated rated in the report they have all appeared in iche the columns of the NEWS the committee next proceed with the subject of population the territory of utah possesses in in a marked degree those requirements essential to statehood the necessary population and resources the census of 1890 places the population of utah at which is more than the combined population of the states of montana and in excess of the entire population population of the adjoining states nevada idaho and wyoming and more than required ired under the census of 1890 for a representative Me representative in congress the population has greatly increased since the census was taken the governor of the territory in his report to the secretary of the interior interior dated october i 1 18 1892 2 estimates the population at being e i ng an increase of over the census report this is d deemed a very conservative estimate and the population today today may be safely placed at the idea often expressed by persons ignorant of the facts that the people of utah are mostly foreigners is most successfully refuted by the census re ports which make the hollowing following showing total american born bom total foreign born bom the proportion of foreign born bom to american born bom in utah is less than in the states of north dakota minnesota montana nevada wisconsin rhode island california massachusetts south dakota new york michigan washing ton and the territory of arizona only in three states and one territory has the foreign population decreased more than in utah during the last census decade the percentage of aliens who speak the english language is greater in utah than in thirty two states and two territories the population of utah consists largely of the white element there bein being of colored persons embracing civilized civilized indians chinese Japa japanese and hawa hans as well as negroes only 2006 in the entire territory less in in proportion to the whites than any of the pacific states and territories the total number of votes cast at the election for delegate held in november 1892 was being an increase of over the election for members of the legislature held the year previous WEALTH AND RESOURCES utah has all the elements of greatness within its borders its resources being varied diversified industries flourish and the future gives promise of wonderful results the splendid system of irrigation which has been provided largely by community operation cooperation co renders crops certain and assures abil food su supplies plies at cheap rates statistics statistics are given in relation to agriculture irrigation live stock mining building and investments banking home industries the salt industry S sugar su a I 1 factory manufactures assessed Asses assessed sea V valuation fu aaion of property public lands railroads natural gas etc the report says under the heading of EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS utah has an excellent free school system supported by taxation and much attention is being given to the cause of education and the schools of the territory give promise of great development and usefulness the amount of territorial and district school tax levies for the benefit of the common free schools for the year 1891 amounted to besides the common schools utah has its due proportion of private church and denominational schools in his report for 1892 the commissioner of schools for utah says in my last annual report the number of children of school age in the territory was given at of which were of mormon parentage oa Da and were of non mormon parentage according cordi I 1 n to the present report the total num number ber of children of school age in the territory is of which are of mormon parentage and of non mormon parentage this shows the increase in in one year of the children of acho school 0 I 1 age e who are of mormon parentage to at be e os 08 4 per cent and the increase of those of non mormon parentage a e to be per cent the schedule exhibit fx exhibit hibit A of school population shows that there are children of school age in in the territory who attend no school 1 the report for the pre preceding cedil year ingi 1891 showed it wa will therefore be noticed that while the number of children of school age is ra rapidly idly increasing the aulber of a those ago who attend no school is decreasing A table showing that the total amount invested in the educational establishment of utah is Sl and the general distribution or of the schools throughout the territory is from the report of the commissioner of schools for 1892 the remainder of the committees mit tees statement statements state mentis js as follows only about 5 per cent of the people of utah are illiterate and this fact considered in connection with the educational facilities of the territory and the ambitious character of the people is ample assurance of one of the most essential characteristics of good citizenship but the aim of education in utah is not merely to reduce the number of those who are technically denominated illiterates but to give to the pupils the same train training i n g and learning that may be had in the best be st schools of the east and therefore the course of study includes in not only the usual and ordinary branches but extends to the higher studies which are taught in the schools of the older communities utah has not been unmindful of the more unfortunate class of its citizens it has established at provo a large and well equipped asylum for the insane asane and at ogden a reform school provided with all the necessary means lor for educating and instructing in some industrial pursuit such boys and girls as have no parents or homes and those who can not be controlled by home influences THE ENABLING ACT the bill provides an enable enabling ing act ct for the people of utah territory and the terms upon which the constitutional convention will be held and the constitution ution framed and submitted to the people for their ratification or rejection the enabling act submitted is almost literally a copy of that passed at the last session of congress by this house or the admission of the territory of ne mexico all persons qualified to vote for rep resen natives of the legislative assembly are authorized to vote for delegates to form the convention which shall consist of delegates who are apportioned upon the following theory of of representation every county to have at least one delegate and one additional for every 2000 2000 of population and for the larger fraction thereof the election is to be held for delegates on the first monday in august after the passage of this act A new registration of voters is to be made under the provisions of the laws of the united states and the territory the registration to commence on the first monday in june after the passage of this act delegates to the convention shall mett me t at the seat of government the third monday after their election and declare on behalf of the people of their proposed state to adopt the constitution of the united states whereupon the convention is authorized to form a state cons titu ion and government for the proposed state of utah it i is s required r ed that such constitution shall be republican in form and make no d distinction is in civil or political rank on account of race or color except as to indians not taxed and not be repugnant to the constitution of the united states and the principles of the declaration of independence they shall provide by ordinance irrevocable without the consent of the united states that no inhabitant shall ever be molested in person or pr property opert y on account of hip or her mode of rel religious ivious worship thoben the convention shall also provide that the proposed state of utah shall forever disclaim all right and title to the public lands lying within the boundaries thereof and all lands lying within the limits of the State owned or held by any indian or any indian tribes and until the indian title sha shall 11 have been extinguished by the united states such indian reservation shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the united states all indian lands shall shall remain under the absolute in jurisdiction u ris and control of the united cited states the other provisions usual in in an enabling act are required especially that the debts of the territory are to be assumed and paid by the state and provision made for the establishment and maintenance of public schools to be open to all the children of the state free from sectarian influence the constitution thus formed to be submitted to the people of utah territory ry for ratification fi or rejection at an election to be held at a time fixed by ordinance of the convention when tf a majority ol of votes cast shall be for the constitution the governor shall certify the result to the president of the united states if he shall find the constitution and government of said proposed state to be republican in form and all the provisions of the enabling act are complied with it shall be his duty to issue a proclamation announcing the result of the election whereupon the proposed state of utah shall be deemed admitted by congress into the union upon an equal footing with the original states also that until the next general census or until I 1 otherwise provided by law utah shall be entitled to one representative in the congress of the united states who together with kith the other state sate officers may be elected at the same time the election is held for the adoption of the constitution sections 6 to 14 inclusive relate to the different grants of lands which it is proposed utah shall receive from the general government in view of the mountainous and arid and character of the land and as the larger part of all agricultural lands lying along the streams fit for cultivation without irrigation have either been homesteaded homestead ed purchased ur chased or secured under the various ea land acts of the government it is provided that sections 2 16 32 and 36 in every township of the proposed state are granted to it for the support of common schools with indemnity for all lands heretofore taken up to be made in such manner as the legislature may provide with the approval of the secretary of the interior one hundred sections of land are granted for the purpose of erecting public buildings at the capital acres for the use and support of an agricultural college io 10 per cent of the proceeds of the sales of public lands within the state sold after the admission of the state and after deducting all expenses shall be paid to the state for a permanent fund to be devoted to the i common schools of which the interest only shall be annually expended all lands granted to utah for educational purposes are to be disposed of at public sale at a price not less than 5 per acre two townships of land are to be reserved for the use of the university of utah all schools colleges and universities provided for foe in this net ack are to remain forever under the exclusive control of the state no part of the proceeds of the lands can cabbe be used for the support of any sectarian or denominational school college or university all mineral lands are exempt from any grant made under the act the lands here given ven to the state of utah are in wu lu of al all 1 g grants rants of lands for the purposes of internal improvements also swamp and overflowed lands and of saline lands and shall be in quantities as follows for irrigating purposes acres for insane asylum acres for |
