The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-09-15
THE OUTRAGE.

-
heart on Sunday afternoon when they
( learned OF the outrages that had been
committed. on District Attorney
Dickson, his assistant Yarian and CON-
missioner Mckay. An account of the
filthy affair will be found in the local
columns OF this mornings HEEALD. 1t
made people sorry and ashamed to
think that human beings lived in the
community who were so low, so
cowardly and so depraved that
they could be guilty of so base
and unmanly an act; and intelli
gent persons were sick at heart
when they thought of the effect of the
outrage upon the country in its bearing
upon local affairs. These gentlemen
are Federal officials engaged in enforc-
ing the laws, and the filthy assault
upon them will be looked upon as an at
tack upon the authority of the govern
ment. 1t makes no difference that the
officials are cruel and malicious in the
performance of their duties, that they
are severe at times and heartless.
prosecuting when only fair prose
cution is required at their hands
the country Locks at but the
single fact that the gentleman
named are Federal officials, who have
been attacked in most beastly and
cowardly manner. The first impress
sion, and one that will be held more
generally than any other, Is that Nor
mons were the authors of the outrage,
because they are the victims of the Off
cial prosecutions and hate, the idea
being that resentment and retaliation
were intended in the deed. But we do
not believe this view will be taken by
thoughtful, intelligent persons, who are
disposed to be fair and reasonable.
There must be motive or purpose in
the actions of all men, and that motive
is not apt to be one that will operate
against the actor. A Mormon, if he
had any sense, if he we're not entirely
devoid of reason, would know that
such deed as this would operate only
AA4loCA- 1CAAOMS, C1db ~
would work TO his own distress and to
the great advantage OF those he might
want to injure. There may be men
among the Mormons whose feelings
towards Dickson, Vari2n and Mckay
are so embittered that they could i'm
pose upon the latter this indignIty, but
we refuse to believe that any
Mormon could be so unwise
so downright foolish, as to do this
thing and in the way it was done and
at this particular time. If there is one,
the insane asylum is the place for him.
He is worse enemy to his eo-religion
lists than either of the officials named
could possibly be. We prefer to accept
the popular explanation of the case,
and are glad that 1t is the popular be-
lief, because it shows that the majority
of the people have not gone mad over
the business, but are capable of passing
an intelligent common sense judgment
on the affair The view is that the out
rage was devised and executed by
vicious anti-Mormons. By them and
thier side there was much to be
gained by the deed; by the Mormons,
nothing was to be gained, but there
would necessarily be loss. All sym
pathy naturally goes with the abused
officers, and the condemnation falls
upon those who assailed them. The
perpetrators of the outrage, if they were
intelligent beings, knew what the effect
would be; they knew that the Nor
mons would be blamed for the affair.
and that the effect would be to pat them
under closer ban, the power and force
of the government being made to hear
2 heavier on them; while the maltreated
officials would be sustained and
upheld in their course. The country is
ready and anxious to believe ANYTHING
and everything bad that may be charged
against the Mormons. hence it will
gleefully accept this base allegation,
though reason and common sense
would clear the Saints.
But at present it is all conjecture as
to who were the perpetrators of the
filthy outrage and crime. Nobody can
do more than guess as 20 the scoun-
drels. However, whoever may be guilty,
be they Mormons or Gentiles, there is
but one opinion as to the al
tair, and that is that the
deed was as infamous and
cowardly as it was filthy. Only the low
lived. depraved wretch, whatever his
grievance, and however intense might
be his hatred, could be guilty of the
crime. Men never do things in this
manner. 1t is the work and the way of
the miserable coward whose mind is a.