Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-08-22
THE RETURNS.

The Utah Commission have completed
their labors in connection with the late
election, and the result is known by all.
At the last election the Democratic
party for the first time in the history OF
Utah placed straight Democratic ticket
in the field. The Territorial Central Re-
publican Committee held a meeting on the
same or the day following the nomination
of the Democratic ticket, and passed reso-
lutions looking to the placing OF fusion
ticket in the field. composed of Democrats
and Republicans, in opposition to the |
Peoples ticket. The Territorial Demo |
cratic Central Committee took no action
in the premises, nor any committee OF the
Democratic party, and the plan for plac-
ing fusoin ticket in the field was oppos-
ed by this paper. By some it was said
that the Republicans had been deliberate
" insulted by this paper, and that it had
announced to the world that no Repub
lican votes We're wanted to aid the Demo
cratic ticket. If Republicans were in
suited on account of anything that was
said in this paper, it was because they
were bent upon being insulted; but if the
structures that were made upon the Re-
publican party by the DEMOCRAT, and the
structures that were made upon fusion
tickets, were an insult to individual Re-
publicans, then we cannot but suppose
they were far more anxious to be insulted
than to be. placated, and we have no ex-
cuse or apologies to offer. But when lis
said, and when it was said, that the
DEMOCRAT gave notice to all Republicans
that their votes were not wanted for the
Democratic ticket, that assertion is false
and without foundation. The consequence
was that the organ of the Republican
party, the Tribune, did all in its power
to influence both Republicans and
Democrats not to vote the Demo
cratic ticket, and the day before the cleo
ton said:
Tomorrow will be election day. We
have only few words to say about it. Under
ordinary circumstances The Tribune would
gladly have supported the most of the men
of the so-called Democratic ticket As it is
we are bound to say that any Republican
who votes that ticket will stultify and sub
iect himself to being called splritless
coward who has not self-respect enough to
resent direct insult"
This was in the editorial columns; and
when the election was over there
was much rejoicing in the same
paper through its local columns
over the result of the election, and that
the Democratic ticket did not receive a
larger support. 1t was said that the
smallness of the vote was owing to the
estrangement of the Republicans, and the
fact that no votes had been drawn from
the Peoples party; but it was also said
that a fusion or Liberal ticket would have
polled quite large vote, and in proof of
this the number cast for Judge VanZile
when he ran as Liberal candidate for
Delegate to Congress was cited. Taking
IL4CbO DlCLILlSCo StklO lllC COIlSlubAOllo IL
from them as correct, it must be that
fusion ticket, such as was suggested, for
the same offices for which the Democretic
party ran q ticket at the last election,
would have drawn out q much larger
vote than the Democrats polled. Such
should have been the result had fusion
ticket been placed in the field; but none
was, so it is necessary to look at the cleo
ton returns for 1883 when fusion or
Liberal ticket was placed in the field for
the same offices. In 1883 the Liberal
ticket had the following names upon it
for members of the House of Representa-
tives P. L. Williams, J. G.. Morrill,, p
NJ. Denny, c. X. Gilchrist, W. G.
Van Horn, and George c. Douglass.
There was no regular ticket for the Coun-
Gil The highest number of votes cast for
the ticket in the Representative district,
comprising the counties of Salt Lake,
Morgan and Davis, was 1856, the lowest
332. The Democratic ticket in the same
district tor the same offices received AT
votes, the lowest number being 443. The
total vote for the Peoples ticket in the
same district in 1883, was 4,0S1, while in
1851 was only 4,45O. According to the
official returns, then, the Democrats made
no mistake declinining to form fusion
ticket. The Republicans did run ticket
at the last election, which was put in the
field late we admit, but the largest number
of votes it received was 121. A compar-
rison of the election of 1883 when there
was a fusion ticket in the field, with the
election of 1885 when there was straight
Democratic ticket in the field shows in
favor of the straight ticket. The Demo-
Gratis may have made mistake in not
agreeing to fusion ticket, but the official
returns say otherwise.