UTAH. 



773 



gardens on UK- eastern shore of the lake the past 

 >,-;i-,.n e.iveivd :! Odd aeivs, bring from 12 to 850 

 .ich. The largest company engaged in i he 

 business Ims beds f<)\ering '?:; acres. 



World's Fair Exhibit. -The Utah building 

 was to have been finished by Dec. 5. The 

 design, which called for an outlay of $25,000, 

 was modified so as to bring the cost within $12,- 

 000. It is 82 by 40 feet and two stories in 

 height, Plans are preparing for the Great Salt 

 L;.ke pavilion, to be erected on the southwest 

 corner of the Utah grounds. In this pavilion 

 will bo constructed a model of the lake. It will 

 bo an exact representation of that body of water 

 in every respect, showing the natural outline of 

 the shore, all the islands, location of bathing 

 resorts, salt works, etc. This lake will be filled 

 witli water from the Great Salt Lake, which the 

 Union Pacific company has agreed to haul free of 

 charge. 



The most important part of the exhibit will 

 probably be that of minerals. 



The Escheated Church Property. The cele- 

 brated case of the United States vs. the Church 

 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints et al., in 

 reference to the personal property taken, has been 

 before the Supreme Court, the point in direct 

 issue being consideration of the report of Master 

 in Chancery Loufbourow, to whom the cause was 

 referred in 1891. It appears that when the 

 matter was considered several different parties 

 appeared before the referee and presented 

 schemes for the division of the escheated funds. 

 To the right of any except such as were parties 

 to the record, appearing in the consideration of 

 the case at this stage, the attorneys for plaintiff 

 objected, which position was sustained by the 

 court, and the cause as thus simplified presented 

 but two issues or schemes one advanced by the 

 attorneys for plaintiff sustaining the report, 

 and the other by the defendants, asking lor a 

 diversion of the fund to all the original purposes 

 to which it ba<J been devoted that might not be 

 shown to be unlawful. 



The report in question was as follows : 



1. That the fund be constituted into a perma- 

 nent school fund for the perpetual endowment of 

 the public schools of the Territory of Utah ; 



2. That a commissioner be appointed under bond 

 to have custody and control of the fund, to loan the 

 same under the direction of the court, etc.; 



3. That he report his acts and doings biennially 

 to this court ; and, 



4. That the income from said fund, after paying 

 expenses, etc., be apportioned among the several 

 counties ratably according to the children of school 

 age. 



The Church, by its counsel, argued that the 

 use of the funds for school purposes would be as 

 far as possible from the use contemplated by the 

 donors. On the side of the master, it was argued 

 that the scheme proposed by the Church was 

 really a suggestion to return the fund into the 

 identical hands from which it had been taken, 

 based no doubt on the theory that conditions 

 have been changed in regard to the practice and 

 teaching of polygamy ; that as it is decreed that 

 the property is not lawfully applicable to the pur- 

 poses for which it was originally acquired and to 

 which, at the beginning of the suit, it was l>eing 

 devoted, it would not be competent for this court 



to make an order which is not consistent with 

 the original decree; that in reference to the 

 claim that the practice and teaching have 

 ehanired in regard to polygamy, the testimony 

 had shown that there is no change in the belief 

 of the original authenticity of the revelation, and 

 that it is still a doctrine, but has only been modi- 

 fied by the later one suspending its practice, and 

 it is maintained that even this may be changed 

 at any time. Should the people receive such a 

 revelation, there would be- nothing to prevent 

 them from re-entering into that practice except 

 the civil law of the land. The word of the head 

 of the Church has changed the practices of this 

 entire people in a day, because of their belief that 

 the Deity so directed. From the books of doc- 

 trine, from the lips of every teacher of that creed, 

 there constantly comes the statement that the 

 revelation of polygamy is still a doctrine, but 

 has been only suspended. It was argued also 

 that, under the claim of the defendants, every- 

 thing would be really administered by the Church 

 heads, though trustees would be nominally 

 created. 



The decision, rendered in November, was in 

 favor of the Church. 



Notice has been filed of an appeal to the 

 Supreme Court of the United States. 



The Question of Statehood. As will be seen 

 by reference to the platforms of the three 

 political parties, the Liberals protested against 

 immediate Statehood, while the Democrats and 

 Republicans declared in favor of it. A bill con- 

 ferring it was introduced in Congress on July 30, 

 by the Utah delegate. It provides for a consti- 

 tutional convention and the submission of the 

 work of that convention to the vote of the people. 



Of course, it was not expected that anything 

 would be done about the bill before the next 

 session of Congress. 



The annual report of the Utah Commissioners, 

 made to the Secretary of the Interior in Septem- 

 ber, takes the ground that the sanction of 

 the Church has been withdrawn only tempora- 

 rily from the practice of polygamy, and will 

 be restored after a political purpose has been 

 served, and affirms that reports indicate that the 

 practice has not entirely ceased. This President 

 Woodruff denies, and says no polygamous mar- 

 riage has been contracted for two years. 



Political. At the municipal election in the 

 capital, Feb. 8, the first in which national partv 

 lines were drawn, the Liberals the party which 

 had opposed the division elected the whole city 

 ticket, and a large majority of the councilmen. 



The Republican convention, held in Septem- 

 ber, nominated Frank J. Cannon for delegate to 

 Congress. While expressing allegiance to the 

 general policy of the party, the platform called 

 for free and unrestricted coinage of silver. On 

 matters concerning the Territory it declared 

 opposition to the removal of the Utes to Utah, 

 but favored the giving of sufficient lands of the 

 several reservations to the Indians thereof in 3ev- 

 eralty, and the opening of the remainder to set- 

 tlement under the homestead laws, particularly 

 the Uintah reservation ; favored the cession of 

 the arid lands to the several States and Terri- 

 tories, and such an amendment of the land-laws 

 as will allow resident citizens to take from the 

 public lands the necessary timber for all do- 



