Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-12-11
GIVE PLAIN STATEMENTS.

Utah is always agitated over some
thing, and at times this agitation as
sumes new shape and comes forth in
wild excitement For the past two weeks
the McMurrin-C Collin affair has been the
cause of the extraordinary agitation. This
agitation was followed by the advent OF
number of soldiers and the holding in
readiness of quite a large number of
troops along the lines of transit leading to
Utah. This was followed by investiga-
tions of the situation by the Federal au-
thorities and the City Council. What the
Governor reported as the result of his in
vestigatiou we do not know; but the City
Council, as the result of their investiga-
ton, reported that eyerythingin Utah was
peace on earth and good will towards
man. Possibly this is SO; we hope it is.
Now, why did not the local press give
plain statement of the McMurrin-Collin
affair? They did not, but on the con-
trary the press of the Mormons, the Ne,cs
anti Mormons, the Tribune, gave highly
spiced accounts Oft, and each endeavored
to make political capital for its party and
to throw the blame of that affair upon its
opponents. The consequence of this was
that this affair led to , a great deal of
excitement, and the excitement finally
led to alarm and the anticipa-
ton of serious trouble in Utah.
The Mormon press termed Collin an
assassin and a murderer while the anti
Mormon press called McMurrin priestly
assassin, doing the bidding of the Nor
mon church. All this was but an infer
ence drawn from passion and prejudice,
and did not alter the facts in the case in
the least. Such inferences. when sent
forth as facts, and they were sent forth as
facts in this case, can only tend to in
flame an already too excited people. 1t
should be the aim of the press to do
away with inhamatory feelings, and to
make the people look at things as they
are, without prejudice or passion,
and without reference to, party
The very contrary was done in
the shooting affray alluded to
above. 1t was no exception in this case,
but is rather the rule in all things in
Utah. On the one side we hear no cry
but that all is peace and obedience
to the law, while from the ether
side there comes only the cry that
there is naught in Utah but lawless-
ness and rebellion in incipiency awaiting
an opportunity to burst forth. The one
nor the other case is true, while COM
pound of both, sprinkled with plentiful
supply OF salt, would about be the case.
The Territory is at peace so far as any
open acts OF hostility are concerned, but
the minds OF the people are not at peace,
because the minds OF the people are more
or less ag,Slt I'd over the enforcement
OF the Edmunds law. The people
are not in rebellion, but they
Lave no desire to see rigid enforcement
OF the Edmunds law; in fact, they look
such an enforcement as persecution
rather than as prosecution. The feeling
between Mormons and non -Mormons is
anything but cordial, and each day it
grows less cordial. Such being the case,
would it not be better for the press of all
parties to give plain statements of occur
rences here? If two statements about
any matter, rs the McMurrin- Collin affair,
are given, would it not be better to give
these statements side by side, and let the
public draw their own conclusions? Such
4 method would cause the people to
weigh the pros and cons OF all questions,
and this would soon bring about sober
condition OF mind that would be very
loath to believe sensational stories from |
either side. When the minds of the !
people are in the condition we have indi-
Gated, it will be an impossibility to get up
a great excitement in few minutes. We |
hope our local contemporaries will adopt |
this course, for then they will confer
real boon upon their readers.