The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-18
WAX WORKS SPEECH
Address to Congress on the CullOm
DISTINGUISHING Bill.
CONGRESS In THE MIRAGE
The Demand for the Cullom Bill Based on
the Refusal Of Young Mormons to
Vote the Liberal Ticket.
To the Congress of the United States:

To the Congress of the United States:
Not being member of your honorable
body, and not having the time, money or
inclination to await on you personally,
take the high privilege of an American
citizen of Utah territory to address you
through the columns CT the public press.
ana you will oblige me by having it pub
lished in the Congressional Record, as my
speech before the House of Representa-
tives on the Cullom bill.
1 take it for granted that you are honest
and want correct statements of facts,
which is a commodity unknown to this
market on either side of the fence exec pit
my own being on the fence l can see
both sides while my friends are trying to
take in the situation through a knot hole.) |
The reason that l take the pains to ad
dress you at all is because have not read
a statement of the case clear enough to
warrant jury of American Congressman
TO bring in an intelligent verdict.
CONGRESS SHOULD RESPECT THE EXISTING
STATE OF AFFAIRS IN UTAH TO-DAY, AND NOT
LFGIsLATE FOR CONDITION THAT EXISTED
TEN YEARS AGO.
There are men in Washington lobbying
for the Cullom bill who demand its pas
sage on the ground that the conditions re
main unchanged, and it is to these persons
and their statements that desire TO direct
the attention of the members of Congress-
| read this interesting incident in Ban
croft's history of Utah:
"As we approached Salt Lake wrote
Bidwell before the Mormons entered Utah,
sswe were misled quite often by the mirage
The sage brush on the small hliiocks OF the
almost level plain became so magnlted as
TO look like trees. Surprising these lmagln-
airy trees to be growing on some stream
our animals almost persisted Tor water
while we were travelling over the salt
plains"
AS YOU approach the Mormon question
Won viii strike the mirage, and the scouts
who have volunteered to pilot you to fresh
water and green pastures, VIII mlslead YOU
This city is enveloped in magnlfylng at
mosphere, and to a man with clarified
vision sage brush looks as big as the hr
trees Of California. Distant things are
brought near A birds-eyeview of Salt
Lake is now being sketched that makes the
briny breakers of the Great Salt Lake
splash up your trousers leg as you walk
along Main street-and it is considered the
correct thing by all honest men OF the com
munity, including the real estate frater-
nifty This looks well on paper and con-
forms to the general opinion of the outside
world that Salt Lake city is located on the
great salt sea, while the facts that it takes
nearly an hour to get there by the cars.
If there can be such general misunder-
standing of fact that can be measured by
feet and inches, is it not likely that on as
complex question as the Mormon issue
the general impression may be incorrect!
/ came here to report the February cleo
ton for eastern aDti-Mormon journals, ant
nv reports were complimented for theil
fairness by no less distinguished Venera
III +bar, nor, n
My reports, however, were colored to sui
the complexion of the journals for which
they were written, and were not lntendel
as a fair statement of the real condition.
In preparing this speech will try to d
so without dipping my pen IN a pot OF re
paint and fluffing the prongs to spread 1t o
thick.
| will try to be honest and fair. wis
to warm Congress against wasting its tim
in listening TO the statements OF men Wn
have lived in Utah over two years-Ger
tile. or Mormon. These men Will tell 70
that YOU cannot understand the Mormo
question without having lived here at leas
ten years, and therefore, ask you to tax
their word for it. / wish to say that 20
can learn more of the Mormon question
two weeks by coming here and lnvestga
ing il than you can in ten years by hstel
ing to the tales of the men who came hel
to fight the Mormons, and were fougi
back. -,
If YOU want to find out what was til
condition OF Utan ten years ago, listen
Judge Baskin, Patrick Lannan and Maj
Erb aud their clan.
Ash UNDERSTAND 1T WHAT YOU DESIRE
xxoy Is THE CONDITION OF UTAH TO DAY.
With all respect TO the men who ha'
prudgas TO pay, would prefer the oplnl'
IF a disinterested eyewitness who wou
give six weeks serious investigation TO {
Mormon question to the combined opinion
of Judge Baskin and his set, coupled Wi
the rebuttal statements CT the preside
of the Mormon church and all his elders.
Why!
ready committed.
find the same state of things in Ut
to-day that found in the south alter
war and that exists there to this day.
The Mormons believe in polygamy as t
south believe in slavery.
a man who has made up his MIND
these questions cannot be changed at
point of the bayonet nor by dlsfranchl
ment.
Convince a man against his will,
And he is of the same opinion still.
Rut laws were passed abolishing slave
in the south, and laws were passed abon
ing polygamy in Utah.
The south believed that they had
constitutional right to own slaves bef'
slavery was abolished, and the major
still believe that they had the moral ri
to hold them.
The Mormons OF Utah believed that
fore polygamy was abolished by stat
thew had the constitutional right to