The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-29

ciany that he said nothing of the kind. We
will say this, however, that whether or not
the gentleman said the things attributed to
him, he said them as ROBERT SPENCE, and
he was not speaking for the Mormon peo-
pie. We do not even know that Mr.. SPENCE
is Mormon, but we do know that the SEN
tlment he is said to have expressed is not
the sentiment of the Idaho Mormons. We
do know that the Mormons up there, or
such OF them as we have conyersed with,
accepted the United States supreme court
decision sustaining the validity of the test
oath law, as settling the voting bust
ness 80 far as members of the church were
concerned. We do know that while they
felt that the court had gone wrong. through
prejudice or misrepresentation of the facts,
the decision would be abided by as law.
The SPENCE speech and the real or manu-
featured. kilograms from the state having
occasioned some talk, THE HERALD tele-
graphed to President WILLIAM bulge, of
the Idaho stake, informing him of what was
alleged and asking him to say whether or
not the Mormons would attempt to take the
oath and vote. Here is the gentleman's
answer received by wire yesterday:
PARIS Ida, July 2S.-The Mormon people in
Idaho will not take the test OATH and, so far as
know or can advise, they will not attempt to
vote at the coming state election. The vote of
friends and sympathisers who live among the
Mormon people will be uncertain as party as
a feeling of contempt prevails against the Demo-
Gratis VINO made it possible that the test oath
could be Incorporated in the state constitution
WILLIAM BIDGE
We would have been greatly surprised
and disappointed had any other reply been
received. Bishop bulge is one of the
''squarest' men in the world. When he
says the Mormons will not take the oath or
or attempt to vote, every Gentle in Idaho
believes him, no matter what newspapers
may allege to the contrary or what indi-
viduals may assert in party club halls or
elsewhere. He says the Mormons will not
swllow the Infamous oath and offer to vote.
and that means that the Mormons will not
take the oath and will not try to vote.
THE HERALD stands in this matter pre-
cisely where it stood two years ago. We
sympathise with the Mormons of Idaho
They have been outraged; have been wick
eddy and maliciously deprived Of the right
of suffrage and left almost without means
with which to help or defend themselves
they have been robbed and placed at the
mercy OF confessed and unprincipled enc
mics; in free, republican America no deeper
wrong was ever put upon community
But dear as is the right of suffrage and
highly as it is priced by every citizen, il
should neither be bought nor retained al
the price OF false swearing. The Idaho
Mormons, grieyous as it is to bear, car
afford to stay away from the ballot box
the responsibility and crime of their re
straint resting upon other heads, but they
cannot afford to go to the polls through {
denial of their religion.
A great majority of the Idaho Mormon!
are at heart Democrats, and if they pos
sessed the right of suffrage would vot,
with that party. but as they cannot law
fully vote the Gentle Democrats will hay,
to carry the state election by their owl
votes or go to the wall.