Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-12
THE GENTLE VICTORY.

II - SIdtliy Ing W KNOW lHdL III tne not
battle at the polls in Salt Lake City on
Monday there were no violent outbreaks,
and that despite the bitter contention
there was no violence, nor any breaches of
the peace. The Anti-Mormons won a pro-
nounced victory, and will control the mu-
nieipality of Salt Lake City. 1t is tri-
umph that means a great deal for Utah
and the whole country. 1t is a victory for
free institutions, and is suggestion to the
churches, no matter what their creed or
position, that the American will not
tolerate any interference by ecclesiastical
authorities with the government of his
State. The election inaugurated a new
era for Utah. 1t presages there the de-
cline of the power of the Church in civic
administration; it speaks the sentiment of
the American people that no liberation OF
polygamy shall be known in our civil sys-
TEN. and that the infamy shall not prevail
behind the cloak of religion. We can I'M
derstand why the Gentle population of
Salt Lake celebrated with noisy demon
stration as they did on Monday night. 1t
has been for them long, and at times an
almost hopeless struggle. They have had
to contend with more than outsiders are
likely to realize The adherence to their
antagonism to the domination of the Nor
mon priesthood has been accompanied by
punishment in business by misrepresenta-
ton, calumny, and even threats against
life and property. In short, the monoga-
mists have in no small way been heroes.
As was to have been expected, the Nor
mon papers charge that the election was
carried on in fraud, and that the Gentiles
voted more men than their real numbers
will show on a proper census of the popu-
lation. The intimation that the defeated
will contest the election of their opponents
is thrown out, but there is little reason to
expect from them any such folly. We are
assured by Gentle leaders that no fraud
was practiced, that the victory of decency
and free government was honestly
achieved, and that whatever illegal voting
was attempted is chargeable to the polyg-
amists, who saw defeat staring them in the
face, and resorted in more than one in
stance to deceit, in securing votes for their
ticket.
There is one feature about the late
contest that is worthy of especial
notice-the anti-Mormons did not prose-
cute their campaign against relig
ion. Their leaders were especially care
full that at no time should it assume that
phase. The Mormons were opposed purely
upon political grounds. They were antag-
onized, not as members of any church, but
as a class practicing vices; as group seek
ing to substitute for the will of the people
the DEGREES of priests and religious coun-
ellis. What the contest really meant on
the Gentle side was religious liberty, not
persecution. In the end the Mormons will
be the greater bene6ciaries by the social
revolution now going on in the territory,
for at this time they are, as they have
been for nearly half century, slaves Of
the Twelve, of the Bishops, teachers and
other "rulers7 over "Zion" The triumph
of the Gentiles, when it shall be fully ac-
.complished in Utah, will therefore mean
the emancipation of the Mormons from
tvrranous rule, and their advancement
into the free and tolerant atmosphere of
the American policy, under which every
man may worship and believe as he pleaSeS,
within the bounds of those moralities that
civilization recognizes as incumbent upon
the State to enforce. The American
izing of Utah then means the removal of
the shaekles from Mormons who are not
permitted 10 assume the attitude of free
moral agents. The time will come when
those still adhering TO the faith of the
Mormon Church, without the revealed"
infamy that false teacher attached to it,
will look back upon the days of the en-
s.avement of the mass Of the church men,
bership with shame and with sorrow, be-
cause of the misguidance that for nearly
half century has made the Mormon peo-
pie outlaws, aud more, outeasts from civil
ization.