The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-08
,hurch, and often officials in it, this has

church, and often officials in it, this has
been falsely called union Of church
and state. When the religion of the
Mormon people, was assailed and
laws were enact ed against some features Of
it, and those people Insisted upon testing
the consti.utionality OF the laws, and under
the law have contendeI for every inch of
ground belonging, as they believe, to the
domain of conscence-thiS has been repre-
scented by these enemies to liberty in Utah
rs treason and rebal!ion. Yet when the
court of last resortlhas pronounced finally
OIL the several questions involved liz the
cases carried beforeiit, 40 people anywhere
in the union have accepted SO completely
the decisions of that court.
1t has been these false charges aud the
vigor with which they have been asserted,
that have made it pc .sibe 10 keep Utah in
tho disgraceful vassalage Of territorial
government, when she posSesse and has
possessed Tor yeats, every qualification
that can be demanded as a prerequisite for
statehood. 1t has been this which has hin
dered her progress, and not The very natu-
raj failure OF her people to tlke sides with
the great national parties.
1t is admitted that our position in this
state OF territorial vassalage, where we are
the prey of self-seeking demagogues, inter
ested in holding on TO the Offices to which
they have been appointed, is unsatisfac-
tory; and We believe that the friends OF
u tab are all anxious to change these condi-
tlons. The only matter in which they will
be divided is the question as to how
the change can best be effected. We are Of
tbs opinion that the best method will be TO
sink party distinctions, and for all men
who deserve the name OF friends to Utah to
unite in a demand that this great wrong of
enforced vassalage in the shape of territor-
! ial government shall cease Many new
citizens have come to our territory in the
past few years. Tneir stay in Utah and
coatact with her older citizens must have
convinced them that the people here have
been greatly misrepresented, and that the
people of the east to this day have mis-
conception OF the true character of our Nor
mon citizens. The peace and gooaorder of
our community has been and is a standing
refutation of the ISLANDERS uttered against
our inhabitants, whose record for nearly
half century gives the lie to the base
knages who have traduced them and
who are exerting themselves to dc
them still further harm. Let these new
citizens if they would see the prosperity oil
Utah much increased, interest themselves
lin seeing that Utah is set right before the
country; that the calumnies of the past be
corrected; that the falsehoods fabricated IL
. | = h., ha tlu ac in IL
case of the infamous articles in the
Illustrated american. a united effort or
the part of all citiz ms, irrespective OF party
politics, to correct the errors of the past
to secure the rights of the present, mus
surely be more effective than to waste oul
energies in efforts TO divide on nationa
party lines when their participation In tht
interests which produce such division else
where are so remote from US, that it viii
be merely playing at politics, a thing which
would be contemplate if it were not 81
childish. Such a course is likely to delay
the Justice which is due to Utah for years
to come; for in the present state Of the
national political parties, with one in con
troll Of the House, the other in the majority
in the Senate, aud the executive branch O
the government doubtful, extreme partisan
ship in any direction would be very liable
to hinder rather than accelerate statehood
for Utah Let US tell the nation the truth
viz: that justice, already too long delayed
I demands that Utah become one of the
= sovereign states of our great Union; tina
the politics of our people in consequence oil
protracted vassalage under a territorial
form of government is practically undevel
oped, and that there is fighting chance
for both parties among the people capable
of the highest order of loyalty to their con