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Show I'l AN ITEM. I f " In that very queer document, the Au- i ditor's report, there appears a very curi ous item. It reads thus: "ElilL.Mur-; "ElilL.Mur-; ray, Governor, for services of messen ger, etc., for the Executive office for the years 1884-5, $2,000." The Legislature of Utah Territory had no business to appropriate ap-propriate the Territorial funds for any i such purpose, and Governor Murray had ;i ; no business to accept any such money. j j Why the appropriation was made is not a :'; difficult matter to guess it was a sop j j V thrown to the Governor for the purpose J f of inducing him to approve other matters I i in the appropriotion bill. That bill con- tained no more improper item than the ! ;f one appropriating $2,000 ''for services of ! : messenger, etc., for the Executive office ' I-.? . for the years 18S4-5," and if Governor "7 Murray did not know this he should have known it. He must also have known J " " that the Utah Legislature, which passed ' the bill containing this item, had no love ' whatever for him, and regarded him as an obstacle to the accomplishment of I , their ends.yet Governor Murray approved j j the act of the Legislature giving him a I f gratuity of $2,000, but refused to go on ! with the rest of their scheme. Governor ! I I Murray is the paid servant of the General j t I Government, and it is a part of his duty 1,1 to see that the Legislature makes no im- ! proper appropriations of the common I j 1 funds of the Territory. Does any Federal j official think it proper for the Territory to i give him largesses and gratuities? If j Buch there be they are highly improper officials. If it is proper for the Territory to appropriate $2,000 for messengers for ;j the "Executive office" it is just as proper ! for the city to do the same thing. The I Government pays ita servants what it j thinks is a just compensation, and if i. ' - those who become Government servants do not so think they should refuse to serve the Government, or else their self-respect and sense of propriety should make them refuse additional compensation from any source. ' . The Governor of Utah Territory, above all others, should refuse to accept such additional compensation, both on account of his position and the peculiar circumstances surrounding Federal Fed-eral officials in this Territory owing to the local question. The Legislature of Utah Territory don't care whether the Federal officials here receive a single cent for their services, and when appropriations are made "for services of messenger, etc., for the Executive office," it is not because they have any solicitude on account of the Executive office. Governor Murray was guilty ot a grave indiscretion in permitting per-mitting the Legislature to appropriate $2,000 "for services of messenger, etc., for the Executive office for the years 1884-5." |