Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-09-17
THE TEST OATH.LAW.
An Open Letter to the Demo
cratic Party of Idaho.
PARIS, BEAR LAKE Co., IDAHO. !
Cant Ond 1885

of the population of this territory who
are commonly called mormons, adj
dress to you this communication.
political conflict is just about to COM
mence that will determine for some
time to come which party shall have
the oversight of local affairs the demo-
cratic party which is in the majority, or
the republican party which is in the
minority. If justice, honor and equal
rights were allowed to prevail there
would be no doubt as to the result ; the
established principle that the majority
shall rule would at once settle the ques-
ton. and under democratic influences
the territory would rapidly end peace
fully progress towards that statehood
which is its ultimate destiny. But these
have been made subordinate to trickery,
duplicity and fraud. Issues have been
invented that should not be allowed to
enter into political affairs, by which the
public mind has been deceived and
large number of voters have been
hindered in the exercise of their politi-
cal powers. And thus the democratic
party has been weakened and the
minority have gained many advantages.
For fifteen years the people with
whom | have the honor to be connec-
ted have united with and supported the
democratic party. They have done this
because the true principles of democracy
come nearer to their ideal of correct
Government than any others adopted
in this great country. Local SELF gov
eminent Is right dear to them in COM
mon with other citizens. Religious
liberty they consider as essential at
civil liberty. The freedom of the in
dividual and also of each communit!
to serve and worship any God. in any
way desired, so long as human rights
are not infringed upon, they hold to be
an inalienable right. Taxation without
representation they declare to be OPP
preston. Government without the
consent Of the governed they look upon
as tyranny. Laws, they believe, should
be enacted to secure liberty, not to
encroach upon it. And all public
officials should be held responsible to
the public and be the servants. not the
masters of the people. Within the
lines of the democratic party they find
these principles and therefore they
desire to sustain it in every way that Is
lawful and consistent.
So long as that party remains true to
itself it will be true to the "mormons.
When it allows traitors and tricksters
to influence it to the betrayal OF the
"mormons," it will betray itself anc
deservedly lose its power. Recent IN
dications and utterances OF leading
democrats intimate that the party II
able to perceive this and to see who arr
it's friends, who are its enemies an
where its real strength lies. The part,
will prevail by being true to its owl
integrity and standing by its own prih
ciples, uninfuenced by other considera
lions. One of those principles Is th'
exclusion of religion from pohtics
True democracy knows neither catholl
nor protestant. mormon" nor memo
dist, Christian nor pagan us ne
democrat" is the only creed query !
puts concerning any man.
But the mormon question has bee'
dragged into the politics of Idaho to tn
almost fatal injury of the party. 1t wa
a trick of the republicans. "Polygamy
was one of the bugbears which the
held up to frighten democrats fror
"affilating with the "mormons. The
cared no more about that than they di
about the real vices and fragrant immoI
alities which they winked at, and man
of them participated in, when pretend
ing the most violent and virtuou
indignation against polygamy. Bu
that practice now cuts no figure in tn
politics of the territories. 1t has bee
effectually sponged off the slate by tn
Edmunds act of 1882. No polygamis
bigamist or person who cohabits wit
more than one woman can now eitne
vote or hold office in the territories.
is a dead issue, politically. He VIII
raises it holds up political corpse, an
he who is frightened by it would ru
from a scarecrow. The monogram
''mormons" only, can vote and hol
Office.
But the party that pretend to be
anxious to suppress polygamy and "
keep it prominent in politics, have oil
tanned the passage of an infamous an
unconstitutional law of the territory
prevent, by means of a test oath, tn
homogeneous "mormons" from votin,
To encourage monogamy they di
franchise monogamsts. To discoural
plurality of wives, they take II
vofinn and office holding mower fro