Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-20
WHY THE "DEMooRAT" RETRACTs
An Apology rendered to Those We M
bers of the Legislature Who Arc
Either ssNaturals or Idiots"

1t is with feelings OF regret, and the
writer may say in a spirit OF sincere con-
triteness, that the DEMOCRAT hastens to
apologize for an item which appeared in
its local columns last evening, and which,
the DEMOCRAT is grieved and exceedingly
sorry to note, has been construed (by
some OF the members themselves) to re-
fleet upon the good looks, the intellectual
status and the mental soundness of the
Utah Legislature. The following is the
item referred to:
1t is not an uncommon thing in the States
and Territories for the members of the
Legislatures to visit public buildings and in
stitutions-say, for instance, an insane
asylum. The Utah Legislature will there
bers inspect the Territorial institution at
Provo next week. The one thing to be re-
GREETED is that the department for naturals
| and idiots is not yet ready for patients. III
it were, the Legislature might be proftably
ensmalled by leaving few of its chrome
| and hopeless cases in an institution to which
they rightfully belong.
The attention Of the DEMOCRAT having
been called to the grievous nature OF such
report and the cruel suspicion which it
naturally fastens upon the whole number
in order to include the few, we feel that
nothing but full and humble apology
can satisfy the injured feelings of those
members who have been so insanely out
ragged.
Common Justice demands that the
| DEMOCRAT retracts and we-retract. We
hate to do It; but when the intellectual
calibre OF such body as the Utah Legis-
lature enters the question we are going to
suppress our own feelings in the matter
and see that justice gets all the points
she is entitled to. 1t is not the
policy of the DEMOCRAT to retract,
and we wish each and every men,
Der of the Legislature to distinctly
understand that No Retraction bill has
passed its third reading and become law
in the DEMOCRAT Office. The present
apology is offered under suspension OF
rules and cannot come up again in the
regular order OF business.
But while the DEMOCRAT has humbled
itself to apologize to the wise men OF the
Territory for inferring that the public in
terest would better be served ii n few OF
their number were living at the expense
of the Territory at SO per week in the in
sane asylum rather than by drawing SO
per day for being loose in its Legislative
halls, the writer submits that according to
general belief and information there is
some foundation to the article, in the
light ofwhich the DEMOCRAT had the great
American privilege of publishing it.
For instance, in referring to one of the
members from the COW counties the other
evening, who has no mental means OF
comprehending the difference between
an amendment to an amendment and u
motion to 60 into committee of the whole,
brother member remarked: Why in
hi don't they keep such id fools al
homeW The DEMOCRAT reporter was
panied to hear such a brotherly express
sion, but when to this another men,
Der OF the Legislature added that, Il
he would only keep his id mouth
shut he would be all right" the reporter
felt positively shocked. Other illusions
rs to what night school might be able
to do in resurrecting the mental faculties
of various members are passed by in
silence. Even the assertion that prom
inent member made to DEMOCRAT re-
porter this morning that, 81 know there
are some Id fools among u.s." shall not
be called into question. 1t was
by these and similar remarks that the
DEMOCRAT was led into the error it com
mitted yesterday. But this journal has
now cleared its conscience by full repara'
ton, and in conclusion we have only to
say that the - fools referred to by tho
members themselves were the ones re-
ferred to by the DEMOCRAT last evening