The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-22
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES:

The Peoples party of Salt Lake city, in
convention assembled, present the follow
| ing
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES:
The basis Of free government is the right
of the people to govern themselves.
The object of the Federal constitution is
to secure free government to the people
of the United States, wherein all persons
shall be protected in life, liberty and prop
erty and in the enjoyment of every right
essential to their happiness and not incon-
sistent with the rights of others.
We regard the Constitution as sacred
charter of human liberty; we revere its
principles and declare our unwavering al
legiance to the government and laws made
in pursuance of its provisions.
The Peoples party has always upheld
these principles. 1t has maintained the
right of local self government. 1t has con-
tended for the freedom and purity of cleo
tons. 1t has opposed class legislation. 1t
has promoted honesty in all branches of the
public service. 1t has maintained equality
before the law. 1t has been characterized
by justice, prudence and fidelity. Taxa
ton has been uniform and lower in Utah
than in any other territory. There have
been no extravagant salaries, no iobbery
no schemes for great bonded debts. Life
and property have been secure, morality
has been fostered and vice repressed. II
is the party of conservative progress, COM
mensurate with public necessities and re-
sources.
Opposed to the Peoples party is the self
styled Liberal party, which processes to
venerate the constitution while violating its
fundamental truths. 1t arrogates to its
members the honored name of Americans
while seeking to deprive a large class OF
American citizens Of the substantial rights
of freemen. Through its persistent mis-
representation the right of trial by jury has
been abridged and almost destroyed in this
territory. BY procuring unrepublican test
oaths and other proscriptive legislation il
has disfranchised many citizens, because
they would not support its men and meas
ures. For this cause only, it has succeeded
in robbing the women of Utah of the cleo
tive franchise after they had exercised it for
fifteen years. 1t has endeavored to sup
plant legislature elected by the people
with a commission appointed by the
Federal government. 1t has sought to
erect an insuperable barrier of prejudice
against the admission of Utah as state.
It seeks to extend to this territory the in
famous enactments by which, in Idaho,
thousands of law-abiding citizens are
stripped of every political right, solely be-
cause of their membership in an unpopular
religious organization. 1t avows, through
its organs, its intention to procure such
Congressional legislation as will debar all
persons who belong to that religious body
from acquiring title to any part of the
public domain. 1t is therefore destructive
of popular liberty and unworthy of the sup
port of any just, liberal and patriotic
citizen.
We believe that the supremacy of the
''Liberal' party means class disfranchise-
ment, excessive taxation, official extra
vagance, and laxity in public social regula-
tons, and that the supremacy of the
Peoples party means equality before the
law, reasonable taxes, official honesty and
prudence, and the maintenance of the
proud reputation of the city for law and
order.
That the progress and improvements de-
manded by the growth of the city may be
secured, we declare that: