The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-27
THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE.


An organ published in this city maintains
the intolerant doctrine that certain men
should be punished because of the alleged
constitution of their minds. 1t attempts to 4
show that the Mormons should be dis
franchised because the southern people
were not permitted to vote for a few years
alter the war. 1t would seem unnecessary
TO argue with a man who can see no differ
ence between actual armed rebellion and
war, and belief in certain Objectionable
doctrine. Tits not logical to say that be-
cause the secessioDisls were not permitted
for short time to vote in the re-
constructed states, because they had borne
arms against the government, therefore the
Mormons should be disfranchised because
OF an alleged obnoxious opinion they enter
tain. That is the proposition; One man
should be punished for doing one thing,
therefore another should receive the same
punishment for doing something entirely
different. Not only that, but one man
should be punished for an overt act, there
fore another should be punished for a
thought. And, still further, the real sig
MITIGATION of this reasoning is, that since
one man should be punished for an actually
acknowledged criminal act, therefore an
other should be punished for an al
legged thought of questionable right
eousness. The man accused Of
The overt act, however, has to be proved
guilty of il before he can be punished.
Not so with the proposed punishment for
belief. The guilt of the accused is as
sumed in this case. He is not given a
hearing. He is not even permitted to dis
prove the charge against him. On this
broad question Of the difference between
punishment for an act and punishment
for thought we say that any reasonable
man that is not a fanatic, can only take one
position. The only conclusion any I'M
biased and rejecting person could arrive
at on such question is that it is competent
for the government to punish acts that
have been declared criminal, but not to
punish for orthodox opinions
The Tribune justifies its fanatical propo-
sition by saying that each member of the
Mormon faith ''has taken an oath that he
believes polygamy is sacrament of Cod"
This is an astonishing bit of information.
1t will amuse, if not exasperate, the mem
bers of the Mormon church to learn this in
teresting fact. And any other such infor-
nation from the same source will also
greatly edify those whom it reviles by its
venomous falsity. We here state that to
| the best of our knowledge and belief, that
statement is falsehood if applied to any
Mormon whatsoever; and we know it to DO
OH oil
| the Mormons whom we personally know.
1t is an untruth Estated deliberately and
with full knowledge of its falsity by the
man who wrote it. Its cowardice is mani
fest; it is both safe and easy to malign an
unpopular and forbearing people. 1t is a
fitting conclusion for the paper represent
ing the criminal and lawless element here,
to state that in England no Mormon would
be permitted to vote, nor in Germany or
France to remain on the soil. The fact is
that Mormons vote in England and
remain on both French and Ger
man SOIL But the fanatic who thus
misrepresents and then POUNDS an
argument on his falseh0ods, knows better
than to argue to any real fact or issue.
When attempting to show that Mormons
should be disfranchised for one thing be-
cause southerners were kept for time out
of the Union for another. he betrays his
weakness and excites contempt. When the
organ of the class of people who fill the
jails, and, with the recent exception of the
polygamists, the peuitentiary also, devotes
a half column to show the alleged Grimm
atty of the patient, industrious and law
abiding Mormons, the circumstance arouses
peculiar train of thought in the mind OF
the unprecedented on-looker. 1t shows the
straits to which the rule-or ruin clique are
driven to invent charges against the Nor
mons. If the people of Utah are so utterly
abandoned and given over to vice as the
sheet maintains, why does it not simply
quote the court records as proof. The
hired scribe who vilifies his superiors from
day to day, well knows the reason
He dares not quote the court
records. They would give the
lie to his daily charges aud show vino as
class are the law abiding people here
Very many honorable non -Mormons in this
city and territory know the facts and are
so perfectly aware of the utter unrelia
| DlllUy OIL Un6 Su0ob Oh any SuO]SCU UQdU re-
lates to the Mormons, that they place IL
confidence whatever in its utterances
Yet, continued Misrepresentation and dis
tortion of facts may at last poison theil
minds and make them more or less careles:
of the rights of their Mormon neighbors
A few years ago the man in the United
States that would have dared to propose tt
punish any man for the opinions he held
would have been laughed to scorn as al
idiot To-day this proposition is not only
listened to, but actually put into practice
We believe, however, that the better judg.
ment of the enlightened American people
will soon correct the evil.
s@.r--.sr.-.rrn~.
IF CONGRESS will pass the bill which pro
poses to impose a fine OF S., 600 or inf1ict i'm
prisonment for one year on the person VIII
employs the mails for the circulation of lot
terry advertising matter, the company tina
buys the lottery privileges from Louisian;
for million and quarter a year, will b
glad to surrender its charter The adver
tisements make the dupes, and if the news
papers cannot insert these swindling an