Series 1126
UTAH COMMISSION [1249]MINUTE BOOKS, 1882-18964.0 cu. ft. (10 vols.), and 3 reels of microfilm
DESCRIPTION: These seven volumes detail the
activities and document the philosophies of members of the Utah Commission. The
Utah Commission, officially known as the Board of Registration and Election in
the Territory of Utah, was established under the federal anti-polygamy act
known as the Edmunds Act in 1882. The same act vacated all offices and
prevented polygamists from registering to vote, voting, or holding office; the
Utah Commission was given oversight of compliance with the act. Five members
were appointed by the U.S. president with the consent of the U.S. senate. The
duties of the commission were defined as "each and every duty relating to the
registration of voters, the conduct of elections, the receiving or rejection of
votes, and the canvassing and returning of the same, and the issuing of
certificates or other evidence of election in said Territory." ("An Act
[Edmunds 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,
section 9." Utah Commission series 1126, Utah State Archives, Volume A, p. 5).
The series begins in volume A with a transcription of the Edmunds Act
and Chester Arthur's appointments of the original five commissioners.
Additional appointments were made over the years as terms expired or
commissioners resigned. Their appointments and oaths are also entered. Later
legislation, notably the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887, and pertinent court
rulings are noted as well. The series ends in volume G with the annual report
of the commission following Utah's admission as a state in 1896 and the
dissolution of the Utah Commission.
The dates, times, and attendance for each meeting of the commission
are recorded along with a description of the business conducted. Minor entries
in the minutes include location of office space, hiring and paying of clerical
personnel, payment of election officials and related expenses, etc. Polling
places, new precincts, and redistricting are also covered.
The major portion of the volumes is devoted to election procedures.
The commission appointed registration officers and judges of elections in each
precinct for each election, and those appointments are listed. The rules and
regulations promulgated by the commission to assist the officials in their
duties are copied into the minutes or glued in as the final printed circulars.
The commission also appointed a Board of Canvassers and wrote similar rules and
regulations for their benefit.
The Commission and the board canvassed election returns from around
the state. The returns from elected territory-wide offices, such as delegate to
Congress and University Lands Commission, down to precinct level offices, such
as justice of the peace and constable, are entered in the minutes. The
commission also appointed canvassers and broadly oversaw municipal elections,
but the returns for these are not recorded. Protests surrounding voter
registration issues, candidates for election, or ballot tampering were received
and resolved, the discussions being recorded in the minutes.
The second most extensive entries are the reports of the commission to
the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The reports detail not only the
commission's activities, but the members' perceptions of the sociopolitical
climate in Utah and their suggestions for federal legislation. The annual
reports frequently summarize for the Interior Secretary the historical context
of Mormon and non-Mormon conflicts, both in regard to polygamy and secular
matters. The reports may be hand written or published copies from the
government printing office attached to the minutes; in either case they form
voluminous essays on topics directly and peripherally related to the
commission's purpose.
In the reports, major movements on the part of the federal government,
such as the Edmunds-Tucker Act or President Harrison's granting of amnesty to
disenfranchised polygamists in 1893, are documented and discussed as are major
movements on the part of the territory or Mormon Church, such as repeated
attempts for constitutional conventions (including details on the successful
1896 convention) or Wilford Woodruff's Manifesto ending LDS Church sanction of
the practice of polygamy. Topics included in the reports cover the elections,
extent of polygamy, irrigated lands and their control by Mormons, geology and
the influx of non-Mormon miners, Mormon history and theology, and even the
public and parochial schools. The background presented in the discussion of
these topics is often used to explain the commission's accomplishments and
problems, and to substantiate appeals for additional legislation to curb
polygamy and Mormon secular influence.
ARRANGEMENT: Volumes and their entries are
chronological with the volumes labeled alphabetically. Index entries are
alphabetical by first letter of subject.
RELATED RECORDS: The ELECTION PAPERS,
series
364, contain certificates of election issued by the commission during
the 1882-1896 period as well as returns and other election papers from both
before and after those dates. The Commission also kept ELECTION RETURNS
REGISTERS,
series
396, from 1891-1895. Commissions issued to elections officers
monitoring elections are found in a COMMISSION REGISTER,
series
304. Further financial records of the commission may be found in
ACCOUNT LEDGERS,
series
1125. LETTERBOOKS, series 1139, contains letters mailed in conjunction
with their activities. REPORTS TO THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR are also found
in
series
85194.
FINDING AIDS: Three extant indices give
topical access to minute books A, B, and D.
CUSTODY HISTORY: Upon dissolution of the
Utah Commission in 1896, their records and office equipment were turned over to
the Secretary of State and the Governor of Utah. This included volumes A-G plus
indices, as well as 48 other volumes. The archives acquired 5 cu. ft. of Utah
Commission ledgers from the Secretary of State in 1957.
PROCESSING NOTE: The minute books were
microfilmed for security purposes in 1960. Archival processing was completed in
1989 by A.C. Cone.
CONTAINER LIST
| Reel |
Box |
Description |
| 1 |
1 |
Vol. A, Index |
| 1 |
1 |
Vol. A, July 18, 1882-Nov. 14, 1884 |
| 2 |
1 |
Vol. B, Index |
| 2 |
1 |
Vol. B, Nov. 14, 1884-July 9, 1887 |
| 3 |
1 |
Vol. C, July 16, 1887-Sept. 30, 1887 |
| 3 |
2 |
Vol. C, Sept. 30, 1887-Nov. 12, 1888 |
| 4 |
2 |
Vol. D, Index |
| 4 |
2 |
Vol. D, Nov. 12, 1888-Aug. 22, 1890 |
| 5 |
2 |
Vol. E, Aug. 24, 1890-Mar. 23, 1893 |
| 6 |
2 |
Vol. F, June 15, 1893-July 22, 1893 |
| 6 |
3 |
Vol. F, July 25, 1893-May 7, 1894 |
| 7 |
3 |
Vol. G, Apr. 27, 1894-June 30, 1896 |
