The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-07
THOSE PETITIONS.


ution to Congress praying for the passage
OF the l5AsKIN disfranchlscmcnt bill. OF
course these will be signed moro or less
numerously. Some will sign through ig-
norance, others because they don't care a
few out of pure viciousness of heart, and
some because they are lacking in themoral
courage to refuse to do a wrong. If the
general belief in political circles is well
founded, if 1t is based on the correct the
DRY, the petition will have no effect upon
the majority in Congress. The popular
understanding is that the bill is simply part
OF Republican scheme to get control of
the west and increase the party strength
IN both branches of Congress and
in the electoral college The admission
TO the union of Idaho and Wyoming
is another part of the same scheme.
Neither of these territories is anywhere
near prepared for taking on the duties and
responsibilities of statehood. Neither can
carry on state government without in
1iicting great financial burdens on the peo-
pie. Both of them arc lacking in the requi-
site population emitting them to repre-
sentation in the House according TO the
present Congressional apportionment, or
she apportionment that viii be made by the
present Congress after the taking Of the
census this year. Neither has sufficient
developed wealth to pay the increased ex-
penses of administration that will follow
admission TO the sisternood OF states. when
the federal treasury will cease its contri-
buttons to the support of the local govern
ment. But both are to be taken into the
union, not as a matter of right, not in the
interest of justice to the respective
communities, but because their admission
can be turned to the advantage OF the DO
ltical party which proposes to create them
into states. The trne inwardness of the
disreputable scheme has been fully ex-
posed by the methods that have been pur-
sued. Idaho is naturally Democratic, and
to have admitted it honestly and fairly
without the imposition of restrictions
would have been disastrous to the Repub
hcan party. The state would have been
Democratic, hence trick must be resorted
tc to overcome the majority and place the
minority In control. 1t became necessary,
therefore, to disfranchise the %, 900 Demo
cratic Mormons in the territory, thus Ieav-
ing the state overwhelmingly Republican.
The plan was proposed and is being
worked out with a degree of impudence
and political braZenness seldom before
manifested No party has ever before
been guilty of such bare-faced piece of
partisan outrage and impudent trickerv. |
The shamelessness of the scheme is
further exposed when it comes to |
Wyoming. The claim or allegation was
made as TO Idaho that the Mormons could
not be good citizens, hence they must be |
denied the privileges Of citizenship. Gross
an imaginary line into Wyoming, and we
find the majority Of the Mormons, for rea-
sons best known TO themselves, are Re |
publicans in politics. So many of them be-
lieve in the principles of that party and |
vote that ticket that they hold the balance
of power between the two political organ
izations. To apply the Idaho rule to them |
would be to make Wyoming Democratic:
to disfranchise the Wyoming Mcrmous
would deprive the Republicans of one
Representative, two Senators and three
electoral votes. Hence nothing is said
about the Acknowledgement of Mormons in
Wyoming, who are good enough citizens as
long as they vote with the Republicans.
Another part of the scheme is to make
Utah a Republican state This cannot he
done If the Mormons are permitted to vote,
for they are largely Democratic The plan
as to this territory is unlike that which has
been pursued as to either of the other two
named. Here the Mormons are to be dis
fralchised before the framing or adontion
of state constitution. The BAsKIN hin
being passed, the Mormous being deprived I
of the privileges of the ballot box. the
Republican citizens, then largely in a
majority, will call convention
frame a constitution forever denying citi
zenship TO members OF the Mormon church
will ratify the constitution at the polls. and
Congress will admit the state as Repub-
hcan commonwealth, thus securing
strength IN the national legislature and the
electoral college for the party which has
perpetrated the infamy.
This, in brief, is the scheme. and the in
dications are that it viii be carried out as
to Utah as il is beng carried out as to the
two territories mentioned 1t will, there
fore, cut no figure that few hundred men
here who expect to profit by the infamous
proceeding sign petition praying for the
contamination of the political deviltrv.
AT the same time, let US caution men 10
think twice before attaching their names
to the paper. We mean by this.
men who have any standing in the
community and who expect to live here.
1t is ridiculous to suppose that the disfran-
chisement can be lasting 1t is idle to I
assume that IL this great republic any
class of citizens who have violated no law
and have given no offense, will long be
deprived Of the rights and privileges of the
ballot box. The expedient is a temporary
one, and it viii be only little while before
the Infamous work viii be undone and the
wrong righted. Then it win be awkward
to have the record brought face to face
with man that he sought to disfranchise
his neighbor without cause and for no bet
ter reason than that OF gainiug a tempo
rary political advantage for his party The
record will assuredly be kept, and it win
be used with terrible effect when it will be
most available. If men think they can
take the chances, let them do SC, but the
risk is great.
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