The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-30
THE GAME PROCEEDS.

There is nobody here who expected a diff
ferent report on the Mormon disfranchise-
ment bill than the majority of the House
committee on territories has presented. A
few months ago there were not many men
in the United States who believed that such
bill would ever be seriously considered in
Congress. There were not many who con-
sidered that intelligent men, such as Con-
gressmeu are supposed to be, regarded such
a measure as within the bounds of constitu-
tional legislation. The United States su
preme court, however, caused some to
change their opinions. When that great
tribunal said that territory had the right
TO disfranchise a citizen on account of his
religious belief, it said that Congress could
do the same thing. Indeed, the decision in
the Idaho case was an invitation # not an
instruction to the national legislature to
make a law that wonld deprive the Nor
mons of their civil rights and punish them
by disfranchisement, because of their belief
IN their peculiar religion. There were
many men in Congress eager for the
justification which the opinion afforded,
and the BAsKIN bill just reported to the
House with favorable recommendation is
the result.
1t is our opinion that the bill will be
passed and become law. The party which
champions it cares nothing for the Nor
mons, and polygamy does not worry a
single member of the political organization
If it were polygamy that the Republicans
were anxious to SUPPRESS somebody among
them would have undertaken to show that
plural marriages were still celebrated and
there was an unlawful living together of
Mormon men and women. These things
are not even charged as justification for
the outrage which it is proposed to perpe-
trate, and the records of the courts were
presented as evidence that polygamy was
virtually a practice of the past. The bill
was political, pure and simple, and
being party necessity it will be put
through in spite of the protest of right and
decency. The Republicans need more
strength. They require votes in Congress
and in the electoral college. New York
has been lost to them, and other states
heretofore counted upon are wavering.
The deficiency must be made up in some
way and the party is not particular as to
G0S Way. Juan oilers cQdnce Tor little as
Sistance, provided the Democratic Nor
mons can be bound and gagged, hence they
will be so disposed of. The Mormons be-
ing denied the privileges of the ballot, and
the Republicans will have fully two votes
to one Democratic. Then the terri
tory can be safely admitted to the
union with a constitution which will
forever 1seep the Mormons out of
political contests and forever leave the
g. o. p. in absolute control. Two Republi-
can Senators will increase the majority and
prolong the party rule in the upper house.
and three votes in the electoral college will
offset Delaware
The passage of the bill in question will
be followed, if not at the present session
certainly at the next, by an act providing
for the admission of Utah as state, and
before the Presidential election of 1892, the
territory will be in the union her handful
of Republican votes manipulating her as
their party directs, the Mormons enduring
the oppression patiently and the Democrats
standing aghast but powerless to help
themselves. 1t is a bold and desperate
game, but the Republicans are equal to it, |
and we will confess our mistake if they do
not play it through to the end and carry
off the stakes.