ject, however, to the above act and other Congressional and Territorial legislation.

Since the creation of the board the following-named persons have served as members, to wit:

Alex. Ramsey, of Minnesota, appointed June 23, 1882, resigned April 16, 1886.

A. B. Carlton, of Indiana, appointed June 23, 1882, resigned May 10, 1889.

A. S. Paddock, of Nebraska, appointed June 23, 1882, resigned December 20, 1886.

G. L. Godfrey, of Iowa, appointed June 23, 1882, resigned April 25, 1894.

J. R. Pettigrew, of Arkansas, appointed June 23, 1882, resigned October 25, 1886.

J. A. McClernand, of Illinois, appointed April 16, 1886, resigned April 25, 1894.

A. B. Williams, of Arkansas, appointed October 25, 1886, resigned April 25, 1894.

A. L. Thomas, of Utah, appointed December 20, 1886, resigned May 10, 1889.

R. S. Robertson, of Indiana, appointed May 10, 1889, resigned April 25, 1894.

Alvin Saunders, of Nebraska, appointed May 10, 1889, resigned June 6, 1893.

H. C. Lett, of Utah, appointed June 6, 1893, died March 27, 1894.

CHANGES IN ELECTION LAWS.

When the Board of Registration and Election was created, a Territorial statute, approved February 22, 1878, was in force regulating the matters of registration and elections and fixing the qualifications of officeholders. This act was modified by the section above quoted, as also by act of Congress of February 19, 1887, which, among other things, provided:

SEC. 21. That all the laws of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Utah which provide for numbering or identifying the votes of the electors at any election in said Territory are hereby disapproved and annulled; but the foregoing provision shall not preclude the lawful registration of voters, or any other provisions for securing elections which do not involve the disclosure of the candidates for whom any particular elector shall have voted.

SEC. 22. That the existing election districts and apportionments of representation concerning the members of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Utah are hereby abolished; and it shall be the duty of the governor, Territorial secretary, and the board of commissioners mentioned in section nine of the act of Congress approved March twenty-second, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, entitled "An act to amend section fifty-three hundred and fifty-two of the Revised Statutes of the United States in reference to bigamy, and for other purposes," in said Territory, forthwith to redistrict said Territory, and apportion representation in the same in such manner as to provide, as nearly as may be, for an equal representation of the people (excepting Indians not taxed), being citizens of the United States, according to numbers, in said legislative assembly, and to the number of members of the council and house of representatives, respectively, as now established by law; and a record of the establishment of such new districts and the apportionment of representation thereto shall be made in the office of the secretary of said Territory, and such establishment and representation shall continue until Congress shall otherwise provide; and no persons other than citizens of the United States otherwise qualitied shall be entitled to vote at any election in said Territory.

SEC. 23. That the provisions of section nine of said act approved March twentysecond, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, in regard to registration and elections officers, and the registration of voters, and the conduct of elections, and the powers and duties of the board therein mentioned, shall continue and remain operative

until the provisions and laws therein referred to to be made and enacted by the legislative assembly of said territory of Utah shall have been made and enacted by said assembly and shall have been approved by Congress.

By an act of the legislative assembly of the Territory, approved March 10, 1892, the following provisions in relation to elections and tenure of office were put in force:

SECTION 1. That on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and biennially thereafter, a general election shall be held throughout the Territory for the election of Territorial, county, and precint officers, who by law are or may be elective, and all such officers so elected shall qualify and enter upon the duties of their respective offices on the first day of January next succeeding their election, and continue in office for two years, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified: Provided, That county collectors shall not enter upon the duties of their office until the first day of June of the year next succeeding their election.

SEC. 2. That the official term of the present incumbents of any of the offices mentioned in the foregoing section, except county collectors, whose term shall extend to June first, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, shall extend to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, but not longer.

SEC. 3. That on Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, there shall be held an election in each city, town, village and school district in the Territory, except such cities which shall have held an election in eighteen hundred and ninety-two, prior to May thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, to fill all the offices of the same or pertaining thereto, which by law are, or may be made elective, and the officers so elected shall qualify and enter upon the duties of their respective offices on the first day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and continue in office till the first day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. That the incumbents of the offices mentioned in this section may continue therein and exercise the functions thereof till the first day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, but no longer. SEC. 4. That on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and biennially thereafter, there shall be held an election in each city, town, village, and school district in the Territory, to fill all offices of the same or pertaining thereto, which by law are, or may be made elective, also for members of the legislative assembly, and the officers then elected shall qualify and enter upon the duties of their respective offices on the first day of January next succeeding their election, and continue in office for two years, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

SEC. 5. That all acts and parts of acts, in so far as they provide for holding elections to fill any of the offices mentioned in this act (other than for special elections to fill vacancies) or in any manner for fixing the tenure of such offices otherwise than in this act provided, are hereby repealed.

SEC. 6. Nothing in this act shall apply to cities of the metropolitan class.

SEC. 7. This act shall take effect from and after May thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-two.

REGISTRATION FOR 1893-'94.

In accordance with the provisions of the Territorial laws (chap. 9, Vol. I, Compiled Laws, 1888), the registration of voters preparatory to the general elections was conducted and made with fairness, as well as the greatest legal strictness.

The canvass of voters, the hearing of objections, the filing with the county clerks of the oaths and copies of the registration books, was done in accordance with the statutory requirements. The registration officers numbered about 350, apportioned among the 26 counties as the necessities of each required, with few exceptions each precinct being provided with one deputy registrar. The necessary instructions-based upon the United States and Territorial statutes-were issued to the registrars, by the observance of which their work was greatly facilitated. Judges of election to the number of over 1,000 were likewise appointed and, as in the case of the registrars, supplied with the necessary instructions, and also with poll books, canvass sheets, and envelopes required by law.

ELECTIONS 1893-94.

At the general election held November 7, 1893, 24 members from the 17 representative districts, and 12 members from the 10 council districts were selected to the thirty-first Territorial assembly, which met in regular session in the month of January, 1894. The members elect were:

NOTE.-Powers, Allen, Parsons, Pigman, of the house; Taylor and Booth, of the council, were elected on the Liberal ticket from Salt Lake, but on the organization were classed as above indicated. Varian was elected at special election to fill vacancy occasioned by the death of Clarence W. Hall.

SCHOOL ELECTIONS.

In compliance with the statutes, elections were held in cities of the first and second class, to wit: Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake, and Provo on December 6, 1893, for the purpose of choosing members of the boards of education, and by order of the commission the returns were made to the Territorial secretary, who canvassed the same and duly issued certificates to the persons receiving the majority of votes.

SPECIAL ELECTIONS.

The death of Clarence W. Hall, a member-elect of the house of representatives from Salt Lake, necessitated a special election from the Fifth district, which was called by proclamation of the governor for Thursday, the 4th day of January, 1894, and pursuant thereto the election was held, and upon a canvass of the vote Charles S. Varian, Republican, was declared duly elected and certificate issued accordingly.

NEW COUNTY ESTABLISHED.

By an act of the legislative assembly approved March 8, 1894, all that portion of the county of Emery lying north of the following boundary line, to-wit, beginning at the intersection of Green River and the third standard parallel south, and running thence west on said parallel to the summit of the watershed next east of Huntington Creek, thence following the summit of said divide northwesterly to the intersection of the eastern boundary line of Sanpete County, was made a new county, to be known by the name of Carbon.

In obedience to the requirements of law the governor of the Territory duly issued a call for a special election to be held in and for said county on the 1st day of May, 1894, for the purpose of determining the location of the county seat and to elect all county officers made elective by the laws of the Territory. Pursuant thereto the said election was held on the date designated and the returns thereof made in the manner provided for holding general elections.

The returns of said election showed that the town of Price had received a majority of the votes cast and was selected as the county seat for the new county.

CHANGE IN ELECTION LAWS-ATTEMPTED.

During the session of the legislative assembly which convened on the 8th day of January, 1894, a bill was introduced providing for an act to restore the control of elections to the county courts of the several counties throughout the Territory, and which, in effect, would have repealed section 9, of the act of March 22, 1882-except as to the qualifications of voters and officeholders-and in addition thereto to impose upon the assessors of each county the duties of registration officers, and gave to the county courts the power to appoint all judges for general and special elections.

The above bill passed both branches of the legislature, but was vetoed by the governor, who, in returning the measure unsigned, submitted the following communication:

To the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

SIR: I herewith return without approval the bill for an act to restore the control of elections to the respective county courts of Utah-(H. B. No. 34, by Mr. Allen)deeming it an ill-advised attempt to revise and alter Congressional legislation. By the Edmunds Act Congress disqualified a certain class of persons from voting. These disqualifications can only be removed by Congress, and this act can not take effect unless approved by Congress. In the enabling act for the admission of Utah, which has already passed the House of Representatives and is now pending in the Senate, with promise of early consideration, Congress recognizes the changed conditions existing in the Territory and, in effect, removes the disqualifications imposed by the Edmunds Act. I do not think it wise, after favorable action by one branch of Congress upon this important subject, to submit the present bill and thus afford an opportunity, if not an invitation, for the reconsideration of what has already been done toward restoring the franchise to persons now disqualified, besides causing delay and perhaps imperil the enabling act. It could not hasten the desired consummation, and might retard statehood. While it is desirable to place the control of elections in the hands of the people, it is certainly more desirable to remove from a large class of our citizens the disqualifications that are now not only unnecessary but unjust, and we can not afford to jeopardize our chances of getting the greater boon in the hope of obtaining the lesser, which will swiftly follow the enabling act. Besides, we are assured that the present system will be administered during its future brief existence by bona fide citizens of our Territory.

I am, sir, very respectfully,

EXECUTIVE OFFICE, SALT LAKE CITY,.

CALEB W. WEST,

Governor.

March 8, 1894.

DEATH OF COMMISSIONER HENRY C. LETT.

On the 27th day of March, 1894, Commissioner Henry C. Lett died at Los Angeles, Cal., whither he had gone in search of health, having endured a painful illness during some months previous. He was the most recent of the appointees upon the commission, having been named by the President for the position on June 6, 1893, to succeed Hon. Alvin Saunders, resigned.

The deceased was a native of Ohio, and was born in Cleveland in that State in 1834. When yet a boy he removed to Illinois and engaged in teaching school, and in the early fifties he emigrated to Kansas and entered upon a mercantile career, but subsequently settled in Nebraska, where he became identified with the early railroad construction of that region.

In 1882 he moved to Colorado, where he became superintendent of the stone department of the Union Pacific, and in 1889 he came to Utah, settling in Salt Lake City, and in conjunction with his son engaged in the real estate business, being one of the organizers and first president of the real estate exchange. He was also prominently identified with the chamber of commerce, and at one time a member of the board of education. He was among those who took an early and prominent part in the organization of the political parties of the Territory on national lines, and his actions were the result of sincere conviction, viewed both from a local and general standpoint.

In 1892 he was the unanimous choice of his party as candidate for mayor on the municipal ticket, and upon the coming in of the present national administration he was strongly indorsed for the position of governor of the Territory.

In the affairs of life he was an upright and useful citizen, and was always in the van of progress wherever his lot was cast. In the discharge of his duties which were incumbent upon him as a member of this commission he brought to his aid all the industry and attentiveness which had characterized his active business life, as well as the zeal with which his political efforts were ever marked.

Possessed of a cordial and generous nature, he was ever courteous and kind, and never knowingly perpetrated a wrong. In his home life he found the greatest enjoyment, and numbered among his friends men of all ranks and parties. In his death the commission lost a most efficient and valuable member; the community a worthy and enterprising citizen; his political party an active, earnest, and sincere worker for the principles and measures which it espoused, while the loss to his family was such as could come only by the death of a kind and affectionate father. His remains were brought to the home of his adoption, and after appropriate services in commemoration of his life work they were conveyed to Denver, in the neighboring State of Colorado, and there interred by the side of his wife, who died several years previous.

COMMISSIONERS RESIGNED-NEW BOARD APPOINTED.

On April 25, 1894, Commissioners Williams, McClernand, Robertson, and Godfrey tendered their resignations as members of the board of registration and election for Utah Territory (Commissioner Lett having died March 27, preceding) thus creating a vacancy in the entire commission. Pursuant to the provisions of the act of Congress of March 3, 1893, requiring that commissioners thereafter appointed should be residents of the Territory of Utah, the President named as their suc