The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-03-15
MURRAY's BID.

Some Of our eastern exchanges print
the following as having been telegraphed
to President Cleveland by Governor
Murray: "All law-abiding citizens are
rejoicing at your determination to sup
press poIygamy We thank you" 1t
has been asserted that Governor
Murray was anxious to retain his office,
and that parties were working to that
end. 1t will be remembered that
Speaker Carlisle, Senator Beck, Editor
Watterson and other distinguished
Democrats stood by the Governor when
he was being investigated year ago
for alleged crookedness as u. s. Marshal
Of Kentucky. 1t is said that Ken
tuckians hang together-though a good
many of them hung separately-more
closely than the citizens OF
any other State. Opposing politics can
not induce Kentuckian to ''go back
on" brother Kentuckian. a Dem
ocrat will labor for the advancement of
a Republican citizen of the State as
against a member of his own party
from another State. Counting upon
this fraternal feeling Murray is an ap-
pIicant for continuance in the governor
ship, and expects TO have in his favor
the influence of such men as Carlisle,
B.ackb II, Beck and Watterson. His
telegram to Cleveland is undoubtedly in
the interest Of the ambition on his part
TO hold on in spite of his very pro-
no1nce political sentiments. Nothing
else could have induced him
TO send the dispatch above
quoted. We take it that Murray
meant by "law-abiding citizens" the
auti-MorGRons. These are the only per-
sons that he recognizes as law-abiding,
and the more bitter they are in their
hatred of the Saints the higher is their
regard for the law in the estimation of
his Excellency. Assuming this to be
correct statement of the case, and
neither Murray nor his friends will dare
deny it, the Governors telegram is
bid to curry favor with the President
rather than correct expression of the
feeling of his 'law-abiding citizens.
As matter of fact these latter did not
rejoice over Cleveland's reference to
polygamy in his inaugural address,
nor. were they in any sense satisfied
or pleased by it. On the con-
trary the majority of those law
abiding citizens" were disappointed
by the Presidents brief utterance as to
polygamy. and when they came to an
aIyze his words they concluded that
Cleveland had said very little and that
he evidently meant just as little rs he
said. Only the fear that an attack on
him would embitter the President
towards the self-sacrifcing individuals
who are devoting their labors and lives
to the reformation of the Mormons,
restrained the ''law-abiding citizens
from Yiciously assailing the President
for the failure to treat the Mormon
question with vigor that indicated a
determination to deal savagely with the
business. Governor Murray knows that
he did not read President CleYe-
lands address as meaning any ode
termination TO suppress polygamy;"
he knows also that the Presidents
words were received coldly by the mis-
siOnary element, and that the longer
they think the matter over the greater
Is their dislike of Cleveland.
The HERALD entertains not the slight
est fear that Murray will be retained in
Office any longer than the President gets
his hand into the business of nominal
ing and appointing. Cleveland is not
the man to continue officials whose
record is as much smeared as that of
Murray, nor is the President at all sus-
ceptible to the confectionery known as
''taffy.'' The day of the handsome
Kentuckian as q. Federal office-holder
has drawn nearly to close. He will
soon have to rustic. or go hungry. and
perhaps he will do both. Such things
have happened with better men.