A Blow at Mormondom

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 A BLOW AT MOBMONDOM.

Go Y.Murray Vetoes tlie General

Appropriation Bill.

NO SINEWS OF W A K

To Be Handled By the Church—

Their JJeply to the Strictures
of the Executive.

SALT L A K E , March 11.—Governor Mur-

ray yesterday sent to the Legislature a
veto of the general appropriation bill.
Notwithstanding the imperative need of
the apropriation to carry on the Terri-
al government, he says he must decline to
sign it hresause it contemplates a continu-
ance in authority of the present usurping
incumbents of the offices of Territorial Aud-
itor and Treasurer. The Legislature has
constantly sought to restrict the authority
of the United Spates in this Territory and
to expand local power. Numerous cases of
this are cited and the Governor says: " I
am asked to either sanction the usurpa-
tions or aliow the government of the Ter-
ritory t i suffer want for the funds neces-
sary to carry it on. I do not hesitate as
to my duty and fully accept the responsi-
bility which that duty imposes upon me."
He calls attention to his efforts to bring
the laws and usages [of the Territory into
conformity with the National statutes; a 1
of which have been ignored or attempts
made in reverse lines. He directs atten-
tion to the wishes of the American people
that
UTAH SHALL ALIGN ITSELF
with the prevailing sentiment of the coun-
try, and so cause the Territory to cease
being an object of special attention on the
part of the General Government. But the
Governor has been mot in all efforts to im-
press the wish of the National authorities
on the people here by the opposition of
those who claim to be leaders of the ma-
jority of the people of Utah. They pro-
claim that their opposition is primarily
to the laws which I am sworn to uphold,
and, so far as I can, see faithfully executed.
Because of this .all the virus of the local
press and pulpit controlled by them has
been poured out upon me, as if I were the
offender instead of the law, which it is our
common duty to obey. The Legislature in
the past has been unmindful to my appeals,
but now I most respectfully invite your
body to say whether it would not have
been wiser and better for Utah and the
Mormon people who compose so large a
majority of the population, if some of my
appeals had been heard.''
The Governor continues: "If you shall
neglect to make proper provision for pub-
lic interest, for
THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS,
etc., then those interested in the preserva-
tion of good order will of necessity bo com-
pelled as a general government to take up
such items as arc necess-jry and right, and
make the ^appropriations we ought. The
fact that there is a determination to con-
tinue to use the powers of the Territorial
Government to uphold the leaders of the
organization to defy the laws of Congress
against polygamy and to maintain their
pretensions to dictate the civil affairs of
the jjjgrritory, must invoke discussion and
diffeflM|^^>n this or any like measure be-
twec^^^^«gislature and Governor. It is
this ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ e p s us from coming together
like ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ • p u b l i c servants, all striving
for t ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ w n good. Our local govern 1
m e n ^ ^ H U ^ n l v inharmonious with the |
iawTJ^th^miTed States, b i t it; represents'
a syTtem which is in antagonism with any
government which it does not control. It is
thisMeaJof government, this defia nce of law-
ful government", which I amjasked to acqui-
esce and aid by appropriating money to
maintain its purposes and support its in-
struments.
In signing this bill I am asked to assist
the local power of this Territory in tramp-
ling under its feet
THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES,
spurn the decisions of the United States
Supreme Court, disregard the opinion of
the Attorney-General of the United States
and my own. I am asked to give the reve-
nues of this Territory, collected from all
classes, into the hands of those who have
been held in place in direct opposition to
the plain law of Congress under an illegal
statute of this Territory and a void election
held years ago, the pretended term of which
long since expired, and whose sureties in the
event of malfeasance or defalcation in office
could escape all pecuniary responsibility for
loss of public funds.
The control of the president of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over
public money through eclesiastical author-
itv over its guardian is a bad if not unsafe
practice. They should be divorced and
honestly kept apart, An objection nearly
akin to the main one is that nearly half of
the total appropriations provided for, after
passing through the hands of the usurping
auditor and treasurer, are finally disbursed
by boards chosen in a manner equally
with those persons in violation of the laws
of Congress."
THE MESSAGE CONCLUDES:
" I have only to say-I will not consent to
the appropreation of one dollar of public
funds by the unlawful agencies existing.
This Territory has been permitted to defy
the laws and courts long enough. It must
either cease to do so or with my consent it
shall not longer cover its disregard of tlie
laws of my coantry under the forms of Ter-
ritorial statues. I have not the moral
courage nor the legal right to sign this bill,
and herewith return the same without my
approval."
THE MOKMON REPLY.*
SALT LAKE, March 1 1 . — T h e following
resolutions were to-day adopted by the
Utah Legislature, occasioned by Gov-
Murray's veto of the General Appropri-
ation bill yesterday:
W H E R E A S , All laws in force in this Terri-
tory have been so passed by the said Legis-
lative Assembly and been so approved by
the Governor and have been so forwarded
to Congress and have not been disapproved,
and
W H E R E A S , Under our political system
the rignt to pass upon the constitutionality
of any law in this Territory is vested in
the judicial and not in the executive auth-
ority, and
W H E R E A S , The officers to whom his Ex-
cellency refers in his said veto message as
"holding over unlawfully and long after the
expiration of their terms under an illegal
statute and by an election void in itself,"
were duly elected and qualified and
duly commissioned by his Excellency Gov-
ernor Eli H. Murray, in accordance with
the law passed as prescribed in the organic
act, by a Legislature selected as therein
provided for, and said law was duly ap-
proved by the Governor and was not dis-
approved by Congress, and has not been
declared invalid by a competent court,
said law was not, therefore, void, said
election was not illegal or did said officers
unlawfully hold over, therefore
Rosolved, By the Council and House of
Representatives of the Legislative Assembly
of the Territory of Utah, that the refusal
of His Excellency to sign the bill because
of his opinion concerning the official status
of the Auditor and Treasurer, is only a pre-
text instead of a reason; that he has made
of the absolute veto p o w e r vested in him
an engine of oppression, partisanship and
malice, that in giving official utterance to
the sentiments that the regularly enacted
and approved laws of Utah are acts of
nul'ification, Eli H. Murray openly and
wilfully insults the patriotism of
the various legislative assemblies of
this Territory by whom these laws
were passed, that he openly, defiantly
and for revolutionary purposes insults the
patriotism of the good people of this Ter-
ritory by whom the said legislative assem-
blies were elected and whose representatives
we are, and lastly that he willfully and de-
liberately insulted the intelligence, patriot-
ism and devotion to d uty of his predecessors
in office, who while possessing the absolute
veto and being equal in authority to him
the said Eli H. Murray and equally re-
sponsible with the legislative assembly
have given their final approval of the said
laws, and be it further
Resolved, That the said statements of
the said Governor of Utah Territory when
analywd in their very bones and in the
lineaments of their every feature "are
found to be wilful, studied and deliberate
misrepresentations fabricated for the pur-
pose of arousing Congress and the people
of the U lited States to a bitter and unre-
lenting hostility to the people of this Ter-
ritory and of promoting thereby such hos-
tile legislation as would destroy every ves-
tige of liberty and republican government
in the Territory of Utah; that the unhal-
lowed purpose which he seeks bysuchstate-
mentsas these to promote in his public
utterances and career in this Territory
have been clearly demonstrated to be his
chief aim and desire ever since his appoint-
ment to the executive" chair, and that his
present attitude in withholding bis signa-
ture to needed laws and thereby obstruct-
ing the demands of legislation with nothing
but sailing accusations instead of sound
reasons for his executive disapproval places
him in the position of an obstructionist, a
nullifierand an arrogant and defiant oppo-
nent of the legal and constitutional de-
mands of a liberty - loving, loyal and
much abused people whose best inter-
ests it should be his highest aim to pro-
mote and whose constitutional rights he
has sworn to maintain, and be it
Resolved, That these resolutions be
spread upon the minutes of both Houses of
this Assembly.

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