Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-03-03
Democrats, Come Home.

Men have come to Utah from ever,
: part OF the United States, whose politica
affiliations have always been with tn,
Democratic party. They were proud O
Its history, fully believed in its loyalty
and confident that its steady and con
servative policy was needed in our public
affairs. They regarded the Democratic
party as specially charged with the duty
OF protecting the weak as against the
strong, the laborer as against the mon.
opolist; the local as against the general
governing power
But there seemed to be no room for a
Democrat in Utah. Newcomers found
two local political parties. One of these
Is named the Peoples Party, and is the
political organization of the leading
church. 1t was and is simply church
party, organized to support a church; its
caucuses very generally held in church
buildings; the officers of the church and
the leaders and office-holders of the party
were always the same persons. A man
belongs to the Peoples Party because he
belongs to the church, and because he is
a member of the church he is under an
added obligation to belong to the Peo-
ple's Party. All the Mormons who come
from the Southern States of our Union,
especially have found this an onerous
and humiiating burden. Accustomed
to the absolute freedom of Dem
cratic conventions - to their de-
votion to the best interests of the
whole land, and their constant recogni-
ton of the right of individual Judgment,
they have felt outraged by having their
tickets made up for them by the priest
hood and dictated to them from the pull
pit.
Non-Mormon Democrats were no bet
ter off. The liberal party is the opposite
in most respects of the peoples party.
Nominally it is an anti-church party; in
reality it is composed of non-Mormon
Republicans and Democrats, led, officer
ed and controlled by or through the Re
publican administrations at Washington
The policy dictated by the Republican
leaders has been simple one-keep the
Mormon question open; furnish the Re
publican party an issue; give us another
club with which to pound the Democrats. |
1t is fair to say that there has not been a
time within the past twenty years when
the Republican party could not have |
settled the Mormon question had it been
for the interest of that party to dispense
with it as national issue.
We say therefore to the Democrats, |
Come Home! You have no place in
priest-ridden party nor in party which
uses you for dishonest ends. Say |
you are not Liberals-you are
not of the church party
you are, squareIy and honestly, Demo
Gratis. Had there been Democratic
party in Utah years ago, our Territory
might now be peaceful, loyal and pros
porous American State.
Form Democratic Clubs in every village
and town. Take the platform of the Utah
Democratic Club, and give one evening
every week to debating its principles, line
by line, and paragraph by paragraph.
Adopt brief series of bylaws, providing
simply for officers and meetings, and then
have open debates to teach in Utah the
first principles of government. Make
Gentle, Jew and Mormon alike welcome.
Apply no religious test-we have had too
much of that. If you can find three
voters to plant the seed of Democratic
principles, let them organize as a Demo
cratic Club, and put themselves in COM
munication with their friends in this city.
Do your utmost to bring out Utah-born
young men-there is good stuff in the
sons of the pioneers.
The work is noble one; it is worthy of
your time and means; and it will surely
result well for our Territory and our coun-
ry.