Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-03-11
THE TIME is AT HAND.
Ere the sands of the glass shall h

Ere the sands of the glass shall hav
marked the flight of another twelv
hours, the last Mormon Legislature wit
which it is possible Utah can ever b
afflicted will, by limitation of law, hav
passed away, down into the shades c
well-merited contempt and oblivion
With the adjournment of this organize,
band OF Mormon obstructionists, a grav
duty devolves upon the Gentiles of Utah
and that duty should be met and dis
charged with such readiness and intelli
gence as will become men who love the
institutions of their country, and in de
fense of which, if needs be, their lives
would be laid upon the sacrifcial altar.
For more than a third of century
past the Territory of Utah has been con-
trolled, in all its political affairs, by a
body OF aliens and traitors whose sole
ambition has been to erect a theocratic
kingdom within this republic. and from
behind the lines of that kingdom hurl
defiance to the greatest and best govern.
ment that ever existed upon Gods
footstool. To this end the State has been
prostituted to Church uses; men have
been inveigled into violations of law and
their crimes held over them as whips to
scourge them into line as aiders, abettors
and active agents of the scheme; women
have been subjected to such degrada-
tions as in other civilized lands are
undreamt of, and the Gentiles in the
community, while paying an undue pro-
portion OF the taxes to support the
local government, have been refused all
representation in Territorial and munich
pal councils, and virtually robbed of the
privileges which everywhere else within
the Union are accorded to good citizens.
The just laws of the United States have
been treated with ridicule and contempt,
the old flag itself has been literally trailed
in the dust and otherwise disgraced, and
the representatives Of the Government,
for merely doing their duty under their
oaths, have been subjected to unstinted
abuse in Mormon pulpit and press, their
good names have been traduced, their
residences have been assailed at mid
night, and their persons have not been
exempt even from the most murderous of
assaults.
How vain was the hope that the men
who for sixty days past have masquer-
AIDED as legislators, and whose first al
legiance is given to the institution for
whose perpetuation it has been found
necessary to commit such crimes against
nature and natures God, would for a mo-
ment give serious consideration to any
measure that had for its object the wiping
out of the grievou5 evils which have run
riot here as the natural outgrowth of per-
nlclous teachings sanctioned bv this same
Church. These men, as legislators, have
been but as so many puppets set up in a
box for the public eye to gaze upon, while
an unseen master hand manipulated the
strings that caused them to laugh,
cry and dance in turn. In and of them
selves, they have been and are powerless
to act, and it is well that the curtain of
limitation is at last about to descend for
ever upon such disgraceful shows in |
Utah.
The time for the Gentiles of Utah to
put in an effective plea for the relief they
need, for the means to forever rid this
Territory of the horrible incubus which
for SO long has hung over it, and which
at the same time will restore to all good
citizens the rights and privileges which
elsewhere in this country have always
been freely accorded and nowhere
except in Utah denied to them.
has at last arrived. Let no
American hang back now; the
voices of all the true men in the land.
raised in uEison. should be heard calling
upon Congress, and the latter BODY
should be left in no sort of doubt as to
What as needed to settle the troubles in {
Utah. The Gentiles know what that is !: /,
hey can suggest it to Congress; to do :
hat is their plain duty, it should be done
It once. Let the word.go forth, that the |
'yal men of Utah may gather in mass !
onventions, and last and successful !
truggle be made to grasp the great boon }
lready in sight. q