The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-04
THE BIG STEAL.

Eighteen months ago, at the Congress
sional election, the Liberal candidate for
Delegate received 8, Asa votes. The canvass
was not thorough, it is true, but what occa-
sion was there for thorough campaigns
The non Mormon strongholds were visited
and harangued by anti-Mormon spouters,
and Park City, Ogden, Salt Lake and the
mining towns gave a reasonably full Gen
tile vote, while there were not enough of
such votes at other places to cut
any figure. The vote given above
represented the combined Republi-
can and Democratic strength at the
polls, if Mormons were counted as belong
ing to neither party and all classed
as in the Peoples ranks. During
the year and half the non-Mor
mon population has increased materially,
but not so much as some claim. There are
few if any more men in the mines than
were there in November, 1888. The rail
way employees are not much more numer
Gus, and few industries employing only
Gentiles have been established. The in
crease is confined almost exclusively to
Ogden and Salt Lake. Just what that in
we say that next year it will be more or
less than it is to-day. There are few intel
ligent and truthful men, however, will say
that the non Mormon residents have in
creased one hundred per cent. within the
eighteen months. But suppose they have
doubled, and their voters now NUN Der
1000.
The scheme of the Republican party in
Congress is to disfranchise the Nor
mons and then admit Utah to the
Union as state. This scheme is
born of the knowledge that the Republi-
can non-Mormon citizens are largely in ex-
cess of the Democratic non Mormons; hence
the depriving of the Mormons, who are
mostly Democrats in national politics, of the
right to vote, would make this Repub-
lican state. We ask the candid man to look
squarely at the proposition, and see if he
can discover anything else than most
Infamous outrage infamous to the whole
community and almost as much so to the
nation. Four thousand voters, which is
about the number the Republicans can mus
ter, would be placed in absolute control of
the property and persons of the largest
the richest and the most prosperous COM
munity In the interior west. Four thou
sand Republican men would have the
naming of all the officials, the making and
the application OF all the laws, the assess
ment, collection and expenditure of the
taxes of a commonwealth numbering 8
quarter Of a million people and owning
hundreds of millions of dollars worth OF
property Four thousand men, the ma
jority of them non-taxpayers, would have
the selection of two of their mum
Der to sit in the United States
Senate, and one or two to serve
as Representatives in the House OF
the American Congress. Four thousand
voters would select three or posi-
bly, four electors to choose Presi
dent and vice-president of the republic
and SO evenly are the great political parties
matched that this handful of men out her,
in Utah might decide the presidential con
test for the nation.
We ask fair men to consider this matter
dispassionately and in its true bearings
We ask them to take account of the Repub
lican scheme as set out in the Mormon dis
franchisement bills now in Congress. w,
ask them to say if that scheme should b,
allowed to succeed, and if they think i
should not, we ask them to say so wher
and where their views will be heard ant
needed.