Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-09-18
The Administration and the Nor.


The policy of the present administration
toward the Mormons is so far decidedly
a non-committal one. Aside from Presi-
dent Cleveland's eVasve reply to the Nor
mon delegation, assuring them, in gen
eral way, that the laws shall be impair
TALLY executed, no attention whatever
seems to have been paid to question
which is uppermost in the minds of
large proportion of the American
people. 1t begins to look little
as though the Presidents professions,
in this matter, as we'll as III the case of
civil service reform, were likely to end
where they began-in mere words. He
has assured the American people that the
laws against polygamy shall be impartial
ly enforced SO also he has promised that
the principles of civil service reform
should be put into practice in the matter
of appointments. Everybody knows how
well the latter promise has been kept {;
and is it any wonder that the Indifferent
attitude OF the administration as regards
the former promise, is exciting doubts
whether it will not meet with the same
eqnivocal performance
There certainly would seem t. be good
ground for the suspicion, on the part of
many Republicans, that the present adj
mlnlstratlOn proposes to curry favor with
the Mormons by "a policy of acquiescencc
and virtual liberation. And what lends
more color to this suspicion, is the atti
tude, and open profession of some
of the leaders of the Democratic
party. For instance, if the Salt
Lake ilcrNld has fairly represented Gen.
Mcclellan, that prominent Democrat has
expressed the opinion that the policy o
the present administration toward the
MOrmons in Utah will be liberal to the ut
most degree. One of the generals re
marks has an exceedingly suspicious look
When asked his opinion of the raid
made by the United States against tn,
MormOns, by the recent enforcement OF
the Edmunds law, General Mcclellan
replied that he had not investigated the
facts in the case, "but," he added
"all people should have their rights ant
the equitable protection of the law, with
out regard to religion, politics. color, pre-
ylOus condition, or anything else. That il
Democracy, pure and unalloyed." II
other words, General Mcclellan falls il
with the whining argument of the Nor
mon leaders that they have been persecut
ed for their religion, and deprived of thei
rights and liberties as citizens b,
the enforcement of the laws agains
polygamy. If this is what Gen
eral Mcclellan calls democracy, pur
and unalloyed," the American peopl
would vastly prefer the adulterated al
ticle.
What the Mormons are hoping for, an,
what they seem more than likely to gai
from the present administration, is sor
of doubledealing policy on the part of tn
government, which, while it deceives tn
American people by specious profession
and show of authority in reality wink
at the evil it pretends to hate, and cor
dones the offence which it assumes t
punish Such a state of affairs as thi
would indeed be a sad departure and fall
ing away from the policy of the Republ
can party under Mr.. Arthur. Let II
hope that Mr. Cleveland will yet fulfil
the promises which he has made to tn
people.