National Republican., 1888-01-11
Utah's "Guarantees." !"

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: | thank
you for your courtesy In printing my letter
on Mormon rebellion, on Monday, and for
your editorial comments thereon. Permit
me now to answer your very pertinent 10
terrogation at the close of the following
paragraph Of your editorial:
people without political power enjoy civil
rights only by suiierauce, aud that is against
the principles of our form OF government. The
practical question then is VIII the people OF
Utah stand by their constitution, and what are
the guarantees?
Utah, on this reasoning, is ruled on
principles opposed to "our form OF gov.
ernment." Aud that Is the absolute fact
She has no vote in national affairs, nor
voice, either directly or Indirectly, In the
appointment OF her judicial and executive
officers, and her legislative acts are subject
to the veto OF an imported governor which
cannot be overruled, even by an unanl.
nous vote Of both houses Of the legislature.
She has scarcely the shadow Of IA Republic
can form Of government She Is in
worse than colonial bondage.
The answer to the practical question,
"Will the people Of Utah stand by their
constitution, and what are the guarantees ?"
is, Yes, most assurediy. The guarantees
are the solemn compact offered In their con-
stitution and memorial, their well known
character for honesty, integrity, and ad-
herence to their agreements, the manner in
which they have fortified the provisions
relating to polygamy making them practl-
cally unrepealable, and the manifest folly
Of 100000 people attempting to break
faith with nation OF 60,0000O0.
Ask the leading financial, commercial,
| shipping, railroad, and other companies,
firms, and corporations with which the Nor.
mons have done business for years, and you
| will hear from them an Endorsement of their
| fidelity, which will establish their character
for strict fulfllment Of contracts. The
hostile majority Of the Utah commission
are compelled to acknowledge, In their
| partisan report, "the Mormon people are
not hypocrites."
What guarantees can any people give, on
asking admission into the Union, than arc
embodied In the constitution Utah has sub
| mitted to Congress- Did the states re-
| qulred to put into their constitution a pro
vision against slavery, and making 1t sir.
revocable without the consent Of Congress- "
offer any greater or as strong guarantees
| that they would ''stand by their constitu
tion" as those presented by UtahH ! think
not.
Why should there be any doubt that a
| people, famed for their integrity to their
| agreements, will stand by their own con
| stitution, framed by their elected delegates
and adopted by their own votes at the
polls You say
If"FaIr Play" could convince Congress that
the recently adopted state constitution would
| be executed in good faith, the Republican
party would be as free to vote for the admis-
| sion of Utah as of Dakota.
do not consider myself able to "con
vince Congress" of anything. But am
sure that any reasonable legislator or editor
who will fairly look into this question Of
"sincerity,n must come TO the conclusion
that the objection raised is factous and In.
substantial, and that no people who ever
applied for admission as state In the
Union less deserved the imputatiOn OF in
sincerity than the voting citizens OF IItah,
who now respectfully ask for release from
antl.repubIcan slavery, and make such
strong provisions against an Objectionable
feature Of the domestic relations OF their
disfTanchised friends, that the very strength
Of those penal provisions are objected to
by opponents to their statehood,
The proper question Is, What more can
any member Of Congress, Republican or
Democrat, justly ask the people OF Utah to
do IN the way OF constitutional guarantees
than they have already given, and on which
they ask for justice and the common privl.
leges of citizens? A square answer TO this
will please FAIR PLAY.
WAsHINGToN, D. c., JAN. 10, 1883.