The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-27
A DEFEATED SCHEME.

II was an interesting interview which
our Washington correspondent had with
Delegate DUBOIS, an account Of which is
given in a special telegram in this issue Of
THE HERALD. The interview is interest
ing in this, that it foretelis the collapse and
utter failure of the movement to get Idaho
into the union Mr.. DUBOIS says frankly
that the coming convention will put into
the proposed constitution a clause the eff
feet of which will be the disfranchisement
Of all Mormons. We have all along sus-
pected some such intention, and have en-
deavored to draw out certain influential
Idaho parties on the subject, but have
found none so impolitic and fOolhardy as to
admit the purpose. DUBOIS must have
been alone when the correspondent en-
eountered him, and there being nobody
present to tell him what to say he hadn't
sense enough to keep his foot out of his
mouth when the latter was open.
At this time we will say nothing about
the willful ISLANDERS of the MOrmons in
Idaho uttered by DUBOIS. We will say
nothing about the Mormon citizens
of our neighbor territory as compared with
certain of their assailants and detractors.
Let the Mormons be what they may, let
them be all they are charged with being,
and there would be no more chance of
Idaho being admitted to the union, with a
clause in the constitution DISTINGUISHING
the Mormons, than there would be of the
dependency taking wings and flying over to
Europe. The constitution of the United
States itself expressly prohibits such a
clause. If the delegates from the territory
were to go to Congress with constitution
such as is proposed, they would be promptly
sent back with the information that the
national legislature itself was powerless to
admit a state with such fundamental law,
even if Congress were disposed to be ugly
towards the Mormons. We imagine that
the delegates would be further told
that an American community which
would put such an un Ameri-
can provision in constitution
was unworthy the rights Of stat 2hoOd, that
it did not understand the fundamental
principles of our government, and that it
was incapable OF maint aiming govern
ment republican in form and which recog-
nized the primal doctrine that all men are
born free and equal. In short, the dele
gatesvwould be told to 60 home and advise
their people to study the con
stitution of the republic, and having
learned the meaning Of that sacred docu-
ment, TO frame one which would not be di-
rectly opposed to it in provision and
spirit.
If Mr.. DUBOIS speaks by the card, and
he undoubtedly does, the matter having
been discussed by the prime movers in the
statehood scheme, The HERALD advises the
Idaho people to drop the whole business,
and save their time, money and efforts. 1t
is simply idiocy for them to proceed far
Their. as all that can come from what they
do viii be a severe rebuke for presuming
that the American Congress is made up OF
idiots and narrow minded bigots who Will
permit their preiudices to lead them into
acts in violation of the very principles
upon which the government rests. Our
friends should consider that in going to
Congress they are not presenting their pc
tition to an Idaho legislature.