Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-02
"The Administration and the Mormons."
From the salt Lake City Daily Herald, Sept,

FREE PRESS AND TIMES. IL Is edited with
rare ability, and it yields not a little IN
fluence throughout New England, be
cause it is much brighter better and more
clever than the average journal produced
way down East. After saying this much,
which we do conscientiously, we VIII re-
produce its leading editorial article III the
last issue that has reached the western
slope of the continent, FIRST cautlonlng
people not to smile or laugh, for the ar
ticle is genuine and was written by one of
the most capable editors i'll Vermont.
Here it is:
GThe Hcrdld here proceeds to copy a brief
leader from this paper, expressing some
apprehension lest President Cleveland's
professions of hostility to polygamy should
end in words like some of his civil service
promises and abiding to the tolerant
not to say friendly attitude of some prom
nent Democrats towards the Normons
1t adds:
Out here in the West we do not know
to what length in deceit and miSstaement
party politics will lead the partiZan news
papers having had little experience with
political questions that extend beyond our
| little local affairs, most o. us do not I'M
derstand how an editor, to make point IN
favor of his party, will deliberately mis-
state fact and claim for his side what
the opposition does. Those who read the
above Will understand how the political
editor manages things The HCrdtd
thinks that neither the Republicans nor
the Democrats are entitled to any credit
for the manner in which they have
dealt with the Mormons. There has
been laundering from the first, and de
plorable lack of stat eSmanship has been
apparent all the time want of knowledge
has shown itself, and inability to devise
and enforce proper, effective methods has
I !, l,al
party has done anything to call forth con
CALCULATIONS for itself or praise from 9th
ers. But upon the assumption that it is
praisewOrthy to punish the MormOns for
polygamY-the presumption entertained
by the FREE PRESS AND TINES in the
praise and which CenSurc? The facts are
that more than Il quarter of Il cen
tury ago, the Republicans put in
their platform a plank declaring that
pOlygamy must go for twenty-four
years that party had absolute and undis-
puted control of the nation, with all its
executive and judicial machinery, and
most of the time of its legislative powers,
there being no Democrat on the Federal
bench nor in any executive Office. During
all that time polygamy was practlced
openly and with the full knowledge of
the general government and its represen-
tarives in Utah. The record of the party
y
pletely made up i'll the conviction
of two persons, in one of which
cases the defendant supplied the
testimony for his own indictment in or
der that Il test might be made. The
Democratic administration was inaugu-
rated six months ago, since which there
has been Il score or more of convictions,
while the indictments are being turned
ont mt a rapid rate All of President
Cleveland's utterances on the subject
have been decidedly emphatic, and his
"policy" has shown itself to be anything
but non-committal. In the shadow of
what Republican administrations did, and
in the light of what Il Democratic admin
StratiOn is doing, how any intelligent
person can applaud the former for fight
ing pOlygamy, and censure the latter
for lethargy in regard to it, is difficult to
understand. 1t is really amusing that the
virtue of declaring that the laws shall be
impartially enforced, as Cleveland did, or
the manly declaration of General McClel-
Ian, that "all people should have the
rights and the equitable protection of the
law, without regard to religion, politics,
color, previous condition or anything
else" should be condemned as wrong.
Our esteemed Vermont contemporary,
in its zeal TO serve its party and injure the
enemy, has certainly gone beyond the
facts and reason though If it were correct
the credit would be due to the Democracy
TuIlltT IMAM 10 IDc DcpllDllCdllS.
We beg our courteOuS-mOSt courteous
save when imputing to us wilful deceit
and Observation-Disclosures, by the side of
the great Salt Lake. to believe us when we
say that we consider it no part of the duty
of political editor to lie for his party.
1t is but human nature to see what makes
against the other side, little more
quickly and clearly than what makes
against ones own side and to this in
trinity most political editors, and perhaps
some others, must plead guilty; but we
would not knowingly mistake Il fact
either to help our own party or weaken
the Herald's party
As to the points made by the Herald we
have space to-day simply to say that if any
thing is being done by the present admin
istration for the suppression of polygamy,
it is done with legal machinery provided
better late than never-by Il Republican
Congress, under the lead of IL Republican
statesman. We are willing to take the
word of our Salt Lake contemporary for
the fact that that machinery is now more
efficiently used than heretofore. There is
certainly no good reason why party lines
should be drawn on the question of wiping
out the national disgrace of polygamy
That they have been so drawn to any eX-
tent is not, we think, the fault of the Re
publican party. The sympathies of the
Mormons have beyond dispute, been
heretofore given to the Democratic
party-and we must suppose for
some sufficient reason. Perhaps it will
not be so much so, in future. If it is Mr..
Clevelands policy to impartially enforce
the Edmunds law, the FREE PRESS will
give him the credit he will deserve. AS to
General McClellan's 'manly declaration, +"
we thought we read something between
the lines, not quite so plausible and com
mendable as the very fine if rather trte
proposition quoted by the Herdld, and it
was to that we took exception If coming
time and events shall show that we were
mistaken, we shall willingly stand cor
rected by our Salt Lake City mentor
JUMBO PURPOSELY KILLED.
The Hartford Sunday Globe Saws This "a n Il