The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-16
MONTANA DEMOCRATIC.

The Democrats admitted Colorado to the
Union. It was proper that the territory
should be admitted, for in every way it was
qualified for statehood. 1t was rich both in
natural and developed resources, and had
not only population sufficient to entitle it
TO emancipation from serfdOm, but the peO-
pie were enterprising and progressive,
one of them being worth two or three of
the slow-going folk that had been left in
the old states. To let Colorado into the
sisterhood of states was a highly proper
thing to do: but, as in the case of other
territories, the rightfulness of the thing
had little influence with the Congressman.
Partisan politics guided and controlled, as
it always does, in the creation of new
states The Democrats firmly believed that
Colorado would be Democratic. They
thought that gratitude, if nothing else,
would incline the people to the party which
enfranchised them and gave them their
rights as American citizens. The DemOc
racy was bidding for two Senatorial votes,
for one vote in the House and three in the
electoral college, and political history has
taught that if the Democracy had not be
lieved it would get those votes COlOrado's
statehood would have been delayed in
definitely. Never was a party worse
fooled or more disguised by the
outcome. Colorado las been uniformly
Republican in politics, and seems likely to
continue so. 1t turned one presidential
election against the Democrats and has
kept the Democracy in the minority in the
Senate. To-day it ranks as one of the ad-
vanced Republican states, like Kansas and
Iowa, and only fails to give majorities fer
the party as large as those states because
it contains fewer people.
We refer to this matter now for the pur-
pose of pointing out that the Republican
party is likely to have just such another
experience i'll the case of Montana. While
the Democrats formally assented to the ad-
mission Of Montana, it was because they
were blackguarded and shamed into it,
and not because they wanted to. The terri
tory, as a rebuke to the party,
had gone over to the Republicans by
nearly five thousand majority. The Demo
Gratis in Congress were sick when they saw
the mischief that had been wrought by
their meanness and stupidity, and they
ground by voting for the omnibus admis-
sion bill. The Republicans claimed all the
credit for getting the territory in,
and they are entitled to much of it.
But the Republican eagerness and
effort in the matter can be explained by the
fact that the party firmly believed that the
admission of Montana would insure it two
Senators and a Representative. Republi-
cans are no more fair and just in the admis-
sion of territories than Democrats. If it
could avoid it, neither party would let in a
territory which was reasonably certain to
increase the political strength of the oppo-
sition The rights of the people concerned
are never taken into account by either
party Republicans counted on Montana
at once falling into line, or our sister terri
tory would have been turned aside with
New Mexico, Arizona and Idaho. The
probabilities are, however, the Colorado
experience of the Democrats viii be re
peated with the Republicans in Montana
At the recent municipal elections there were
remarkable Democratic gains and Republi-
can losses. The former are hopeful
O. electing the first state ticket.a and choosing
the Representative and two Senators VINO
will make up the first delegation to Con
gress. Some of the big pan ty workers from
the east are to take part in the campaign,
among them being Representative Cox and
other Congressman. The Democrats are
not deserving of such good fortune, for
their treatment of the territories has been
ungenerous in the extreme; yet, it would
be gratifying if one of the four new states
were to 90 in as a believer in the doctrines
of the great party of the people.