The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-24
THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE.

A state is transitionally great in which each
citizen has liberty according to his powers.
| We believe, therefore, the ideal state to
include the civil equality OF all adult persons
and the participation of all IN the government
OF the state. This development in
cludes the full citizenship of all resident nor.
nal adults. and the extension of suffrage to all
on the simple ground that all are rational he.
| ings, rightfully interested in their own sncia,
| condition and government. Differences in the
| intelligence OF classes sexes, races will he
come increasingly secondary and will give wav
before the far more fundamental fact Of COM
mon powers and common interests e
a withdrawal OF suffrage will always have the
| erect OF the denial and abandonment of q prin-
ciple. AS recognized failure, it will long stand
| IN tne way OF any resumption of progress.
Suffrage may, indeed, be with held till it is won
and ready to be taken; but that failure must be
| complete and hopeless which will Justify an eff
fort to withdraw it. That sucb n
measure must be revolutionary is plain, if we
reflect that it will hardly be necessary till the
unreliable vote approaches majority and will
cease to be peaceably possible when the persons
TO be disfranchised must be called on to narrow
| by their own vote their own rights.
Such are the words of JOHN BAscoN in
! with an important question in brief clear
| and unanswerable manner. Compared with
this mastery and dignified presentation.
how utterly trivial seem the alleged arou.
ments for the wholesale Acknowledgement
OF the members of the Mormon church
The argument that all Mormons should he
dlsfranchised because some of them have
practiced polygamy, is the argument of a
| weak fanatic. As if the disfranchisement
OF Mornons who are not polygamists TACT
ual polygamists are already disfranchised)
would have any eject in lessening that
practice. Such legislation might possibly
revive sentiment inisympathy with polyga-
nous marriages by placing alike upon the
innocent and the guilty the same punis h
ment Il could not have any other possible
effect upon polygamy; it might cause many
man in Utah to still further expstriate
himself by his own act, but it would not
touch the practice of polygany. To pun.l
ism man fer what somebody else has done
is barbarity that it is folly to argue
about
Another so-called argument for disfran-
chisement is that the MormoDs believe in
polygamy. This is weaker, if POSSIBLE
than the former plea Suppose it were
possible to find out what man believes in:
suppose that by dissecting tile brain of
each of number of typical MoriGons and
By studying the fiber with microscopes. the
lnquisitors should finally ascertain inst
what the average Mormon believes What
thens Would you punish them for the
constitution OF their minds9 For their he
lief. over which they have practically M
control. No man is responsible to his fel.
low man for his belief The people here
admit that tao Almighty may punish men
Tor belief or disbelief; but they are unwil-
ling that SO delicate a matter Shall he
placed in the haads OF men.
But if each person were separately ar
cused of belief ii tie rightfulness OF
polygany, it would be found that some
Mormoas believe in that doctrine, others
have no definite opinion concer,l.sr i.
while others, if put TO the test of prart;cinp- |
it, would reject tbe doctrine altogether
Fer this reason, ovsa il it were right to
punish fer belief, ma..y would be punished |
who ala not entertain t,;a objectionable be- |
lief. Class punishment is always wrong. |
1t III says Furnishes the inncccnt along with |
the guilty. However, no,s that polygamv /
is ds.si isslie. the scheaiors must have
so,E.e other reason 10 offer in furthcranoe |
OF tasir designs 20 rGie in Utah Tney now
urg-, THAT tie Mornons belong to the
satns church with the offending poIyga !
Tists of the past, or, 2-That the Morulous
believe in rolygafny. Both these pronosi-
tons beinsitrue, there is still no reason
way any one but savage or fanatic
worla urge punishment of class of people
as a consequence. II is to be Regretted
tnat tie essential principles OF human lib-
erSy ami equality before the law are not
more generally understood and appreciated.
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