The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-14
GENTILES SHOULD ACT.

It is gratifying to know that very few
responsible citizens of U tab are signing the
appeal to Congress to pass the CULLoM
disfranchisement bill. The appeal is not
getting many signatures of any kind, and
the great majority Of those who sign are
men without permanent interest in the
country. Some property Owners are at
taching their names to the paper, but these,
as a rule, arc men who hope to get finger
in the administration pie. They expect to
be part of the governing ring, and to
share in the spolls which will fall 20 the
little coterie when a quarter Of million
people shall have been 6isfranchised and
turned over to the tender mercies OF a
handful of political adventurers whose am
hilton is to line their own pockets and
whose ideas of right are confined to
schemes that will benefit them at the ex-
pense Of others.
While il is gratifying to note that the
foremost and trustworthy Mormons
who have made this their home are wisely
refraining from putting their names to u
request that their friends and business
associates shall be deprived of citizenship
and turned over to be despoiled by their
avowed and mercenarY enemies, it would
be more agreeable if these substantial
citizens were to practice the golden
be done by. We know how
many of them feel in regard to
this bill. They think and say, privately,
that the measure is Infamous; that to pass
the bill would be outrageous and not at all
in sympathy with the theory of the Amer
lean government They also know that
the passage of the bill would be a serious
blow to the material interests of the terri
tory, deadening if not eliminating entirely
as it would, the natural ambition of three
fourths of the people to labor for the
growth and welfare Of the commonwealth
People who are made to feel that they arc
not wanted in the country, that their gov
eminent has turned against them and is
trying to drive them out, that they are MOI
esteemed as worthy the rights and priv
ileges enjoyed by others less moral les!
honest, less trustworthy, less Industrious
less progressive then they, naturally vii
not be as ambitious and energetic and pro
gresslve as they would be were the con
ditions and circumstances with and sur
rounding them normal and proper. Peopl
who are made to feel that they are imposet
upon and oppressed without cause and il
defiance of all principles of right ant
justice are not apt to join hands with thei
oppressors and forgetting their wrong
turn to and assist those who impose upol
them. The conservative, fair minded non
Mormons will be wise and Will best serv
the territory if they will manfully asser
their opposition to the disfranchisemen
scheme and use their influence to prevent tn
infliction of this great disaster upon tn
Utah community. To pass that bill wi
not only put stop to the grand march Q
progress here witnessed, but will actual
turn the wheels backward. Many, man
years will be lost, and many, many year
viii be required to regain the present pos
ton. Wisdom should suggest to the busi
ness Gentiles and property owners tn
necessity of taking measures to defeat tn
plan of the schemers against the public we
fare, and these same non-Mormons shoul
have the courage to do what they know I
be right and what will be for the bes
Gentlemen, be not afraid to show you
colors in behalf of threatened Utahl