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Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, February 25, 1905, Image 1

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Vol. 4; No. 24. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, FEBRUARY 25, 1905. Pkich 5 Cents 8
I "j FRAUDS BEING EXPOSED g
Former Governor Wells last Tues
S day told tho Investigating committee
S of the house of representatives of the
H forgeries of Brigadier General John
HJ Q. Cannon, formerly adjutant general
HJ of this state; formerly editor of the
H Deseret News; formerly commander
H of the national .guard; formerly secre
HJj tary of tho St. Louis exposition com
H mission. In the light of the revela
j tlons of the ex-chlef executive it Is
H little wonder that the hero of Sco
Hj field and of Sunnyside has beaten a
HE retreat and is now secluding himself
H Bomewhere, because tho testimony
H adduced at the hearing appears to be
HE sufllclcnt to cause his arrest and pun-
Ishment.
H No one need marvel- that John Q.
HJ has hiked away to other climes, for
HI the atmosphere of almost any place
j will be more congenial than that of
HJ Utah. Ho is certainly up against it
n and up against it hard. It is manifest
Hj from the testimony that during his
!M term of ofllce he forged orders to the
VI amount of $2,078.27; and. that ho was
I the beneficiary of every order, although
M ono was made payable to Oblad &
IM Knight. Former Governor "Wells
fa Identified every ono of tho twenty or-
ders as forgeries, saying:
"At a cursory glance all tho orders
B mentioned appear to bo regular, but
the signatures of my name are for-
gcries."
The witness also stated that Can
H non, In tho presence of John M. Can
non and Joseph S. Wells, stated:
"Your signature is on the orders, but
you did not write it."
Tho peculations of Tohn Q. Cannon
appear to have begut i early as Oc
tober 10, 1003, and continued until
I Juno 14, 1004. The bmallest amount
was ?C35; the largest ?203.15.
It appears from tho evidence that
John Q. began to get a bit scared as
' the year 1004 drew to a close. The
j scare increased as the time for the
legislature- drew near and ho confided
Hs troubles to his brother, who tried
.i2lp hlm 0l,t- Treasurer Johnson
testified that John M. Cannon had of
rered to make good the amount taken
rom the fund through the medium ot
I ino forged orders, if he, Johnson,
would turn over tho forged instru
ments Subsequently General Can
nons attorneys asked, or demanded,
jneso papers, and when they were re
I bank requested they b deposited in
lnf!?U.llng was orueht out about the
interview between Governor Wells
of t. ? u S- Cannn in tho presence
or Joseph S. Wells and John M. Can-
lr'nfC0,pt as above stated- "
S0'1' however, that on that day
ulZT Yt1,s berated Jn Q- 1
"nmenaured terms, declaring that he
IB
had been a dead weight on his hands
for twenty years; that despite tho fact
that ho, Wells, had endeavored to help
him along; had honored him with
positions of trust; in tho caso of tho
secretaryship of tho commission had
alienated tho newspaper men or tnt,
city, who unanimously petitioned for
the appointment of M. J. Cunningham,
by turning tho newspaper man down,
Cannon had gone back on him and
had been a "millstone around his
neck." He upbraided him, so it is
said, with every dishonorable act
committed during tho time mentioned.
Under all of which John Q. sat mute
and silent.
Questioned as to what had become
of tho money, Cannon replied that It
had been used for regular expenses of
his family; that he had not drank nor
gambled it away.
Tho disclosures of the witnesses
were of such a startling nature that
tho members of tho house havo de
cided to Investigate everything con
nected with tho affair thoroughly.
They will also go Into tho affair of
tho Carbon county "war," whero Gen
eral Cannon was in command, and
will ask that every vouchor and war
rant be produced, in order that a
complete detail of expenditures may
bo had. Tho land ofllco will also bo
examined and its affairs probed.
A prominent country member of the
house stated to Truth that ho and his
country associates believed it was
high time to examine everything thor
oughly. "This affair Is a good hint
to us to go into matters and sco what
has become of tho money. There has
been an evident looseness In tho
handling of cash that should bo stop
ped, and wo are going to probo to tho
bottom, if we havo to appoint a com
mittee and continue it until, after tho
session Is ended."
Tho disclosures of Tuesday and
since are such as to place in a very
unenviable light tho senato which
passed a resolution thanking tho ex
position commission for its work,
and especially declaring tho belief
that not a cent had been "stolen, lost
or squandered." Senator Johnson's
statement to tho senate and his testi
mony on tho stand do not' dovetail
very nicely, either, while tho attitude
of tho first committee in trying to ex
plain matters away and cover up of
fense Is particularly peculiar.
Tho county attorney is expected to
take immediate steps for tho extradi
tion of Cannon, who Is said to bo In
Honolulu. That being United States
territory, there would be llttlo diffi
culty In getting him.
Truth is endorsed by every good
citizen In the state in its demand that
an investigation of everything con-
. . , , , -. .. . . i ,
nected with tho handling or stnto
funds bo had. It is duo to tho of
ficials themselves who havo handled
affairs of state honestly, and tho pub
lic Is entitled to know what has been
done. Let tho light bo turned on. Lot
tho guilty ones bo punished In every
instance. Too much condoning of of
fenses by men In high places has dcuu
indulged In. Tho common thicr io
railroaded to tho pen; tho rich man's
son Is entitled to no more considera
tion. Nor should those who cover up of
fenso go free. Compounding a felony
Is a gravo offenso against tho mnjesty
of tho law. No favoritism ought to
be shown. Had Cunningham been ap
pointed secretary and committed tho
offenso charged ho would bo In jail
whllo his friends would be trying to
hustle bonds for him. Play no favor
ites, but lot justice bo done.
n . -
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Hero is tho full text of tho bill In
troduced In tho state senato by Mr.
Lawrence to compel nows gathering
agencies as quasi public corporations
to furnish their service to any ono
publishing a newspaper who Is willing
to pay for It. This measure Is ono
of great importance to tho pcoplo of
Utah. As things aro now thcro Is
neither a Democratic nor a Hepun
llcau daily paper in tho capital of tho
state, and there can't bo until tho mo
nopoly enjoyed by the two mongrel
personal organs which moBquerado as
exponents of Democratic and Repub
lican principles Is brokon.
The bill as Introduced roads as fol
lows: Anact to prevent unjust discrimi
nation against publishers of rowspa
pers, by persons, association of per
sons, and corporations engaged In tho
business of gathering and distributing
for publication, Information or nows,
and declaring such combination to bo
unlawful.
Bo It enacted by tho Legislature of
tho Stato of Utah:
1. That all persons, all associa
tions of persons, and nil corporations
engaged in tho business of buying,
gathering, or accumulating informa
tion or nows for publication, and
vending, supplying, distributing or
disseminating tho samo for publica
tion, either to Its members or other
wise, shall bo deemed to bo engaged
in a business upon wheh a public In
terest is ingrafted, and shall make no
distinction with respect to nowspapor
publishers desiring to purchaso such
nows or Information for publication.
2. It shall bo unlawful for any per
son, association of persons, or corpor
ations engaged in gathering and fur
nishing nows for publication, to make
any discrimination or distinction with
respect to a person or corporation on
gaged In publishing a nowspapor.
3. Any combination by persons Hf
having for Its object or effect tho ml
controlling of Information or nows Un
gathered or accumulated, for dlstrl- Ifl
button and publication, shall bo deem- BH
ed a trust, and hostilo to tho public 19
wolfnre, and Is prohibited and do- JH
clared unlawful. KS
t. All persons, associations of per- Hpj
sons, and corporations engaged In tho HE
business of gathering and dlssemlnat- HI
lng information or nows for publlca- ityl
tlon by its mombers, or stockholders, iHJ
or otherwise, shall bo doomed to bo H
engnged In a business In which tho 'jHJ
public Is interested, and shall furnish jHjj
such nows to any and nil newspapers jHj
desiring to publish tho samo nt tho HE
same prlco as charged to tho members
of Raid association, or corporation, or jHf
stockholders of any such corporation, W
without discrimination between tho :D
members or stockholders and such W
newspapers desiring to publish such Hi
Information nnd nows; and shall ron- fin
dor equal and impartial sorvlco to all M
publishers of newspapers who shall a?
offer to pay a rcasonablo prlco thcro- 1
for. , u
5. That any contract or agreement 'jjjyi
In violation of tho provisions of this 5'
net, shall bo absolutely void and not Jul
enforceable either In law or equity. fiJ
G. In all actions brought under this Sjj
act, it shall ho sufllclcnt to provo that jgfi
a trust or combination as doflned jFjjj
herein, oxistls, nnd that tho defend- h
ant belonged to It, or acted for or in jfljfc
connection with it, without proving Hjl
or producing any artlclo or agroomont, 1H
or any written Instrument on which it Uj
may havo been based, or that It was HJ
evidenced by any written Instrument E
at all. Tho character of tho trust or H
combination alleged may bo ostab-
llshcd by proof of its goneral rcputa- W
tlon as such. If
7. All tolophono nnd telegraph &
companies employed to transmit such fif
information or nows shall bo doomed It?
to bo agents of such persons and cor- fs
poratlons, and all legal process may S
bo served by tho ofllcers of tho law jn
upon such tolephono and tolcgraph mi
companies ;and an offer to pay a rea- h
sonablo prlco to said tolophono or tol- if
cgraph companies shall bo equivalent D
to an offer to pay tho samo to the per- W
sons or corporations gathering and jfe1
disseminating such Information or m,
nows. jjn
Tho word "porson" or "per- JP
sons" wherever used in this act, shall Jul
bo deemed to include corporations, if.
companies and associations, existing ff
under or authorized by either tho laws w
of tho United Stntes, or of any of the m
territories, any state or any forolgn If
stato. ' 111
Thcro Is much merit In the senate II
bill presented by Senator Wesley K. A
Walton, which obviates tho necessity Hj
of a complete now registration of vot- Hj
ors overy four years. Tho bill, as wo Hj
understand It, provides that those who Hj
voted at the previous election will bo 9J
carried on tho rolls for tho next eloc- HJ
7" JS
.. r ."MM

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