| Show THE commission TO THE COERCION COMMUTER thic THE reply of ef the utah commission to the coercion committee of the loy loyal a I 1 league appears in our colum columns fis today to day it is a terse and pointed paper showing unmistakably that it was fram framed ed by gentlemen well versed in legal logic having truth tor for its base and the reasoning being la in harmony with the foundation it I 1 is s entirely free from ambiguity goine direct to the point at issue the first statement alone is a clinch er and has not deen been and ca camal be e denied b by the coercers coer cers the cheath nth furni furnished shelby by the commission is in accordance with the law As this cannot but be admitted by those who demand that it be changed and stretched it 11 places them clearly in the position of persons insisting upon more than is an fn in accord accordance anbe with nith the law there is a direct home thrust in reason number two if the changes insisted upon are equivalent to the act of congress they are a superfluity the law of itself being all sufficient ent if this equivalence does not exist tile the prop proposed obed alterations are illegal that manner of putting patting the proposition made a clean sweep of the ground upon which the committee of coercion had canted 1 teet feet the commission tate take the consistent cOnsitt ent ground that statutory construction in which the exercise of the f franchise ran chise is involved should be accordi according Rg to the strict language of t abe be law with a leaning to in favor of political manhood on the other hand those who undertook to coerce the commission insist upon a departure from the language of the statute and a construction in direct 0 opposition P to political manhood they eos demanded an interpretation and manipulation that would break the poetical poi poA equality of citizens establish a caste with their own owa chasn r 1111 in the ascendant that they might demolish the rule in relation to majorities and ride into local power acquiescence with such a demand would be intrinsically illegal not to say outrageous the law to is unambiguous aud and there is no necessity for mystified interpretations of it it is its own interpreter ter preter citizens of this territory not specifically dis disqualified are on taking the oath prescribed by law entitled to vote the lateness of the application of the coercers cour coer cers the nearness of the time lime tor for beginning the work of registration and the large expense that would ensue as a consequence of a change would not taken singly or in the aggregate tur nish dish a good and sufficient reason for or the declination of the commission to make the alteration had bad the demand been in accord with a requirement of the law had there been ample time and there been no danger of encroaching upon the period devoted for registration and had the expense been ever so great conformity with the abe outrageous poil political trick would havo have been most disgraceful it if would have practically placed the committee in ia the seat ot ol the commission and consigned the latter to eternal infamy fortunately however the latter resolved to be governed by the law in place of adopting the illegal formula of a bevy of political pl plotters cloeters which did not even nave have the merit of plausibility the commission take fake the ground that congress was wa anotia not in the business of prescribing moral and religious cr creeds e eds for citi citizens zent and had not undertaken to penetrate the inner hiner recesses of the human mind ilind a process outside the range of human mental philosophy and deal with its inter internal dal condition condit fon on the mental status can only be judged in human affairs by outward manifestations fe to attempt to define and legislate upon human thought and belief independent of action is a printa prima facie absurdity those who attempt it trench upon the divine prerogative it involves an impossibility indicates a despicable disposition to tyranny tyra uny is a manifestation of the acme of af egotism and may only ohly be elpes expected from such persons as are seeking vl to reduce the majority of the people of ef utah to political slavery to serve their own ulterior purposes As far as the oath is concerned congress has prescribed it and the commission Commiss iOB lave have framed it in exact uniformity with the congressional idea now steps in a loyal league committee of perversion and coercion and demands that congress be treated with contempt and that the commission render themselves objects of the same sentiment by com a most outrageously illegal act that is the situation in a nutshell the patience and courtesy of the commission toward the committee considering the character of toe demand mand made by br the latter has been quite marked patience is not easily exercised when a flagrant attempt Is made to reduce those who are called to exhibit it to the level of cato cate pairs paws |
