| Show THE PRESS ON GOVERNOR MURRAY IN commenting on the summary removal of governor murray for cause several newspapers refer to to the great services he has rendered in putting down polygamy it is not to be eap exp expected acted mat the press of this con country D will discourse Int intelligently ellig e atly on an anything y that thai relates to utah affairs because the cloud of prejudice is so thick over their eyes that they cannot see the facts and they are only willing to listen to one side of the question so they are always in a fog I 1 but it seems that they might understand something on this point on general principles if they would only reflect a little they would surely surety see that the powers of a territorial governor are so small that he cannot do much in the commonly desired direction no matter how great his will might be his authority is chiefly exercised at the silling ol of the legislature legislate Legis latu re which occurs once in two y years ears s td ad then consists of assenting to or rejecting g such measures as that body in may ay enact during the rest of the time he is little more than ihan a figure head he can issue commissions to officers appointed under the laws of the territory and appoint notaries not aries public will some of our esteemed contemporaries show us in what way he can do extraordinary things for the suppression of polygamy it may ma be said lie he cau can stop tiie passage of taws laws in its favor well bless your gentle souls the legislature has never passed or attempted to pass any bills in favor of polygamy the only measure which had a bearing on the question during the session just closed was the election bill and that contained the following oath to be taken by all citizens before being registered and qualified to become voters and office holders territory OF UTAH county ot of J I 1 ss I 1 being first duly sworn or depose and say that I 1 am over twenty one years of age and have resided in the territory of utah utah for six months and in the precinct of one month lately preceding the date hereof and I 1 am a native born bon or naturalized as the case may be citi zen of the united states and a tax payer and I 1 do further swear or affirm that I 1 am not net a bigamist biga inist or a poly earnist gar and that I 1 do not cohabit more than one woman subscribed and sworn to before me this day of registration officer for precinct this bill the governor vetoed Noth nothing ingelse else bearing on the polygamy question came before him for consideration era tion thus his action on that question was not in in aid of the suppression of polygamy lu iu any shape or form he has done nothing of that kind in the enactment of laws neither has he done anything to wards towards it ju in the execution of the law he has talked a great deal he has made many misrepresentations to the government and the public he has posed as an anti polygamy champion but jt it was vas all posturing and declamation there has been nothing more to it deceiving the president into the error of sending troops here to suppress an uprising that had no existence except in lying telegrams did nothing towards the suppression of polygamy it had not the remotest bearing on the matter there is nothing in the whole career of governor murray in utah which can reasonably be construed into an effective act in putting down polygamy if his perfidy jn in gamuga giving a false certificate of elec election to his friend who was not elected is cited that cannot be shown to have affected the polygamy question one iota if it is claimed that ft resulted in the ejection of the mormon delegate f from rom congress the claim is invalid as affecting polygamy it did not touch it in the remotest degree polygamy g was not affected by that movement any more than the tides or the mountain breezes or the sunlight it did not stop a marriage or break up a family inai murray aaa done in utah or out of utah has affected the question except to fasten conviction of mormon principles closer to the hearts of the people whom he has abused and d reviled and whose civil rights as well wel I 1 as religious liberties he has sought to destroy d not an act of ills his can be pointed pointe binte d out which will justify the remarks of our contemporaries and when they talk of what he be has accomplished complis hed towards the cutting down of polygamy they provoke derision in all who are acquainted with the situation ht murrays Mur arrays rays chief exploits have been of a convivial character and as the leader of a movement to foster the prejudices of congress and tho the country with the object ot of obtaining a legislative commission for utah or the disfranchise went of the mormons cormons Mor mons so that the adventurers he represents may grasp gras P the government gather the revenue and spend the money of the industrious and peace loving people of the richest territory of the united states |
