762 



UTAH. 



Constitution, which will be submitted to the 

 people for ratification in November, 1895. 



Legislative Session. The Territorial Assem- 

 bly met for its biennial session Jan. 8, and ad- 

 journed March 11. M. A. Breeden was elected 

 President of the Council, and A. B. Emery 

 Speaker of the House. The Council was made 

 up^ of 7 Republicans and 5 Democrats, the 

 House of 15 Republicans and 9 Democrats 



Among the more important acts of the session 

 was one providing for the organization and 

 government of a Territorial militia. An estray 

 law was passed providing that in cases where an 

 animal is taken for trespass or damage it must 

 be kept in charge by 'the person taking it up. 

 Within twenty-four hours after, the marks and 

 brands must be examined, and if the owner is 

 not known the Territorial brand sheets must be 

 examined also. 



A much-needed measure was that called the 

 horticultural law. It authorizes county courts 

 to appoint fruit-tree inspectors, and to provide 

 for the destruction of fruit-destroying insects. 



A law for preventing the spread of diseases in 

 sheep calls for the appointment of an inspector 

 for each county by the county court. 



The report of the World's Fair Commission was 

 presented. The last Assembly failed to make an 

 appropriation, and money was borrowed from 

 banks on individual obligations. A good exhibit 

 was made, the expense of which was a little less 

 than $60,000. The Legislature made an appro- 

 priation for paying the debt. 



The law in regard to licenses for practicing 

 medicine was amended. 



A bill was passed providing for putting police 

 and fire departments on a n on partisan basis. 



The sum of $2,000 was appropriated to be ex- 

 pended on the Capitol grounds, for the benefit of 

 men needing employment. 



Provision was made for a school for the edu- 

 cation of blind children on the same plan as that 

 for deaf mutes. 



Federation of Miners. The first annual 

 convention of the Western Federation of Miners, 

 formed last year at Butte, Mont., was held at 

 Salt Lake City, May 14. The objects of the fed- 

 eration were declared to be : 



To secure an earning fully compatible with the dan- 

 gers of our employment. 



To establish as speedily as possible and forever our 

 right to receive pay for labor performed in lawful 

 money, and to rid ourselves of the iniquitous system 

 of spending our earnings where and how our employ- 

 ers or their officers may designate. 



To procure the introduction and use of any and all 

 suitable, efficient appliances for the preservation of 

 life, health, and limbs of all employees, and thereby 

 j .reserve t<> s .cicty the lives of large numbers of wealth 

 producers annually. 



To labor for the enactment of suitable mining laws, 

 with a sufficient number of inspectors, who shall be 

 practical miners, for the proper enforcement of such 

 laws. 



To provide; for the education of our children by law- 

 fully prohibiting their employment until they shall 

 have obtained a satisfactory education, and in every 

 case until they shall have reached sixteen years of 

 age. 



To prevent by law any mine owner or mining com- 

 pany from employing any Pinkerton detectives or 

 other armed forces from taking possession of any 

 mine, except the lawfully elected or appointed forces 



of the State, who shall be bona fide citizens of the 

 county and State. 



To use all honorable means to maintain friendly re- 

 lations between ourselves and our employers, and" en- 

 deavor by arbitration and conciliation to settle such 

 differences as may arise between us, and thus make 

 strikes unnecessary. 



To use all lawful and honorable means to abol- 

 ish the system of contract convict labor in States 

 where it iiow exists, and to demand the enforcement 

 of the foreign contract labor law and the protection of 

 our American miners and mechanics against imported 

 pauper labor. 



To demand the repeal of all conspiracy laws that in 

 any way abridge the rights of labor organizations. 



To procure employment for our members in prefer- 

 ence to nonunion men. 



Political. An election at Salt Lake City in 

 January, to fill a vacancy in the Legislature 

 caused by death, resulted in a surprising victory 

 for the Republicans. Out of (5,600 votes cast, the 

 Republicans had a majority of 973. While the 

 excitement ran high, owing to its being the first 

 election ever held in Salt Lake entirely on party 

 lines, the vote fell 20 per cent, below that polled 

 in November, 1893. 



For the general Territorial election, to be held 

 in November, the People's Party nominated H. 

 L. Gant for member of Congress, and J. P. Ja- 

 cobson, F. H. White, and James Thompson for 

 commissioners to locate university lands. 



The Republican Territorial Convention met at 

 Provo, Sept. 11. The resolutions favored pro- 

 tective duties, demanded the remonetization of 

 silver at the ratio to gold of 16 to 1, favored the 

 cession of unimproved mineral lands to the 

 States and Territories in aid of irrigation and 

 the public schools, advocated the establishment 

 of a national board of arbitration, and of a postal 

 telegraph system by the general Government; 

 favored exclusion of paupers and criminals com- 

 ing from foreign countries ; declared in favor of 

 fixed salaries for public officers, and the pay- 

 ment of all fees into the treasury. The course 

 of the Democratic party on the Hawaiian ques- 

 tion was condemned, and also its failure to en- 

 force the Chinese exclusion law, and its refusal 

 to enforce the purchasing clause of the Sherman 

 law before that clause was repealed. Other dec- 

 larations of the platform were : 



"We arraign the Utah commission for its partisan 

 course in confining the appointment of registration 

 officers to one political party, in violation of the spirit 

 of the law. 



We arraign the Democratic Territorial officials of 

 Utah for gross and repeated violations of the civil- 

 service law, and such of the Democratic judges as 

 have dragged their high offices down to the offensive 

 partisanship level. 



We favor the granting of equal suffrage to women. 



Frank J. Cannon was nominated for member 

 of Congress. For commissioners to locate uni- 

 versity lands, John G. Robinson, C. R. Lyman, 

 and James Meikle were chosen. 



The Democratic Convention was held at Salt 

 Lake City, Sept. 15. Besides the usual declara- 

 tions of loyalty to the platforms of national con- 

 ventions of the party, the resolutions demanded 

 free and unlimited coinage of silver, approved 

 the income tax, the repeal of the Federal elec- 

 tion laws, and the revision of the pension lists, 

 and commended the action of the Democratic 

 party. 



