The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-17
RISE AND FALL OF THE "TOOELE
REPUBLIC

At the present time much interest is be
never before was so determined an effort
made for the political overthrow of the PEG
pie of Utah, by their enemies. There is
reason to believe the latter will employ
every means in their power, lawful and
strategic, to effect the downfall of the Peo-
ple's sovereignty. There is no reason to
doubt that INSCRIPTIONS conduct will
characterize the Liberal campaign; that
extreme methods will be resorted to; that
all the powers they can influence, legisla
tive, judicial and executive will be appealed
to, in the attempt to secure political ascend
ancy in Salt Lake city.
In view of this condition, it may prove OF
interest to review notable instance in our
history, when such means were successfully
employed to win a political victory. re-
fer to the capture of Tooele county, in 1874,
by the Liberals.
Twas appointed to preside over the Tooele
Stake of Zion, June "a, 1877, and took up
my residence and commenced my labors
there soon after.
At that time the political control was in
the hands of the Liberals the county,
offices being held by the following persons
Probate judge, w. B. Schuyler; clerk ard
recorder, E. F. Martin; treasurer, Edward
Bird; sheriff, D. w. Mitchell; selectmen,
E. C. Chase, NJ. G. Chamberlain and w. G..
Rydalch, the latter being the only member
of the Peoples party holding county
office.
From the first settlement of Tooele
county, in 1S49, the political control had al
ways been in the hands of the settlers, who
composed almost the entire population. In
1862, however, struggling members of Cen
eral Connor's California volunteers became
interested in prospecting for gold and silver
ores in the mountains to the east of Rush
valley, and in the summer of 1864 the town
of Stockton, on the shore of Rush lake,
was laid off, it being the first settlement
formed in the county by others than mem
bers of the Peoples party. After that
time, valuable discoveries of mines were
made in East canon and Dry canon, leading
to the building of the mining towns of
Ophir and Jacob city, and the gathering of
a considerable outside population within
the county
The character of this population was that
of mining camps in general, fuctuating,
uncertain, and often inscriptions; capable
of being employed, in the hands of political
tricksters, for the overthrow of popular
rights, and the establishment of misrule
and tyranny.
The conditions appearing favorable, as to
numbers and recklessness, together with
the assurance of support from the terri
torial federal officials, notably from the
governor and the chief justice, the local
Liberal leaders organized and in the sum-
mer of 1874 nominated full ticket for
Offices to be voted for at the county election
in August. A vigorous campaign was in
stituted; Governor Woods stumped the
county in the interest of the Liberals, and,
by the Importation of miners, lewd women
and renegades from surrounding mining
camps, from Salt Lake city and elsewhere,
they were enabled to poll vote consider
ably in excess of that cast for the candi-
dates of the Peoples party, The people
were equally vigilant in the election At
no previous or subsequent election were
they more united or enthusiastic. They
were conscious of the INSCRIPTIONS war
fare of the enemy, and they rolled up the
largest vote ever polled by the Peoples
party in the county. But Notwithstanding
the notorious fact that large percentage
of the Liberal votes cast We're illegal, the
voters being neither residents nor taxpay-
ers, and subsequent investigation proving
that an average aggregate of nine hundred
and eighty such votes had been counted,
yet the decision of the district court, to
which the Liberal candidates appealed,
sustained their claims, and ousted the
officers chosen by the people, though it was
proved that they had been elected by an
average majority of over six hundred legal
votes.
The seating Of the Liberals, thus elected,
was attended with much difficulty Con
tests were instituted, and the Liberal can
didate for probate judge, L. A..Brown, dis
gusted with the financial outlook declined
to maintain the contest, and retired. The
governor, usurping the right of the county
court to fill the vacancy, arbitrarily ap-
pointed E. S. Foote to be his successor
On appeal of the contested cases to the dis
trict court, the Liberal candidates were
uniformly sustained, the selectmen of the
Peoples party were oustad on TECHNICAL
ties and the county was, by these means,
wrested entirely from the hands of the peo-
pie, and turned over to be preyed upon by
irresponsible office-holders, who, at once,
inaugurated a rule of reckless extrava-
gance. respectable surplus of county
funds was swept away, and the treasury
plunged into condition of bankruptcy.
County scrip fell within four years, by rea-
son of this incompetent management, from
par to less than 10 per cent. in value. The
treasury had balance on hand of about
two thousand dollars when the Liberals
entered into Office. This was spent, to-
gether with the increased revenue derived
from licenses and the natural rise in values,
and the county was run in debt to the
amount of $4,000. Yet, during this period,
the criminal jurisdiction of the probate
courts was taken from them, and the re-
duced expenses should have been easily met
by the ordinary revenue, which amounted
to over seven thousand dollars year. Out
of $4,000 spent during their incum-
bency, the only visible benefit left by them
was in repairs to the county court house,
amounting to $500.
Up to the time they obtained control the
county affairs had been managed economi-