The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-30
OUR BOISE LETTER.
A Dangerous Provision in the
Proposed State Constitution.
WILL SURELY WORK BOTH WAYS.

No One Can Tell What Complications May
Arise-An Open Secret-Are they Afraid
to Show 1t?
CBoIsE, Idaho, Aug. IS, 1SS9-ISpecial
correspondence of The HERALD I'm
mediately following the Mormon dis
reimbursement clause in the proposed con-
stitution for the proposed new state of
Idaho, and in the same section there is a
provision comforting upon the legislature
the right to disfranchise in all cases what
soever. Il was urged at the time that this
was not only an unusual but
A DANGEROUS POWER
to confer upon partisan majority; that
Democrats might disfranchise Republicans
and Republicans Democrats; that the ban
might be extended to Catholics. The fact
was alluded to that in California as well as
some Of the eastern states the organization
of the American party was preserved and
there was no telling how soon the spark
might kindle into a flame and extend
TO Idaho where even the naturaliZed citizen
might be deprived of suffrage. During the
debate the career of the old anti-Masonic
party was alluded to. The primitive causes
leading to its birth were more far reaching
than the supposed murder of Morgan. 1t
was that Masens filled more of the high pos
Sitions Of state, helped each other into of
flee and CLAIMED to bring about such re-
suits. The fact that so many of the gov
ornors, territorial officers and members of
the conventions had been and were so gen
orally Of that order, was alluded to in sup
aOrT Of no
causes that led to the Acknowledgement of
the Mormons-to wit: that they were
charged with interfering as an Organiza-
ton in political affairs, might lead 10 the
same results
WITH REGARD TO THE MAsONs
was urged. These arguments were treated
with disdain, and during the whole after
noon when the discussion occurred no bet
ter answer was offered in rebuttal than
., that "There was no danger" The real
causes seldom appear on the surface when
political changes take place. The stamp
act and tax on tea were the preteXts, not
the cause of the American revolution;
slavery was the preteXt, not the cause of
the great rebellion, and pOlygamy the pre-
text, not the cause of the Acknowledgement
of the. Mormons of Idaho. In the latter
case, it was because a majority did not vote
the Republican ticket. Iowa, Nebraska,
Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona,
New Mexico aud Nevada have Mormons,
bat it remained for Idaho to lead off in the
disfranchisement of religious denomina-
ton. No one can tell
WHAT COMPLICATIONS MAY ARISE
in the granting of this unheard of power to
a legislature. II is one the people have
heretofore limited with the utmost care, so
as not TO invest stupid legislature with
the only safeguard to their liberties. I'm
agine body like the Fifteenth session in
vested with such power Almost month
has worn away, and the ides of September
are at hand, still the longing eyes of an eX-
pectant people are not allowed to distend
over printed copy of the constitution Is
there any parallel to such course to be
found in the political annals of any state or
territory on this continent! We will ven
] ture to say no, with emphasis. 1t is purely
Republican partisanship in its conception,
and based upon the usual suppOsitiOn of
theirs that the people are not possessed of
THE ATTRIBUTE OF COMMON SENSE
When it is considered with what avidity
newspapers will seize upon an instrument
of the kind to print and be the first to pre-
sent il to their readers it must be conceded
that there is an object in its being hidden
away No one has the copy except Secre-
tary Curtis, the Statesman and the Salt
Lake Tribune. Why don't the men print!
The Statesman office was ordered by the
convention to print 5000 copies, and provi-
vision for the payment thereof made. Have
they done so! Not at all. The Salt Lake
TRIBUNE declared its intention of printing
and took orders from the editors of Idaho
for extras. Why were such orders taken
if not 70 be filed in reasonable time!
Was IL
TO SPIKE THE GUNS
of their opponents and keep such papers
from seeking to print it themselves so that
the people could not get sight at it or to
gorble the production of the convention so
as to still more please partisans and monopo-
lies? 1t looks 50. Everything points to
the conclusion that the railroad attorneys
and monopolists of all kinds VINO stood by
and assisted when the wicked abortion
was sent into this breathing world desired
THAT il be reared in darkness. II this be
mot the case why don't the men print it
While in its dark,,prison housN, hidden from
| the inquiring eyes of the people. the Re
publican leaders speak of it as "a thing of
beauty and Joy forever" The mOnopO
lists are CRYING statehood at the tenorpitch,
but they are careful not to give the people
the least inkling of the amount of liberty
they are asked to sacrifice to obtain it.
They cry statehood by night and by day
to divert the minds of the people from in
suiry-to cause a senseless enthusiasm
without the redeeming quality of
A CLEAN OF COMMON SENSE
and statehood" to drown the clangor of
the chains the monopolists are forging to
encompass the peoples limbs. "State- |
hood, statehood" is the Alpha and Omega, |
the beginning and the end of their argu- !
ment, while their bantling, with all its |
hideous deformities is hidden away in the |
darkness, where it is supposed it will gain |
age and strength if not responsibility. |
When the light of heaven shall come to fall |
upon it, there will be no words more apt in
its description than those of the yelled |
prophet, Mokanna:
Look here IL he'll with all its powers to damn,
Can add one curse TO the foul thing am"
When will they print and circulate. 1t
will be when it is too late for the people to
read and comprehend it. 1t takes time for
the great mass to understand such an
instrument Short as is the constitution
of the United States, the greatest minds
the country has produced have disagreed
AS TO ITS MEANING.
Volumes have been written by distin-
guished lawyers in its Interpretation and /
the giant intellects of such as Webster,
Calhoun, Clay, Conklin and scores of others
that might be mentioned, have been taxed
10 their utmost in its Interpretation. But