The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-11
CAUSE FOR GENERALIZATION.

The Peoples party is no more. Its abso-
lutte dissolution was officially declared or
Wednesday, when its central committee
made up Of delegates from the several
counties, proclaimed that the end had come
and the time had arrived for disbanding
the organization. The Peoples, as has
been remarked in these columns, was
purely and simply church party, politi-
cal association of Mormons devised and
managed to defend the members of the
church in their political rights against the
combined assaults of the anti Mormons.
When the church, last year, declared the
abandonment of polygamy, it sounded the
knel OF the Peoples party. The action of
the church regarding plural marriage de-
prived the opposition Of g legitimate incent-
we to make war upon the church, for aside
from their polygamous practices, which were
unlawful and opposed TO the sentiment Of
the age, fault could not pc found with the
Mormons. Their virtues, their progressive
ness and their regard for .he law were con-
ceded by those who fought them, and gen
orally commended. When the Mormors,
as community, no longer gave occasion
for assault at the hands of non Mormons,
it was only natural that the combined oppo-
sition should cease. With nothing to COM
bat there could be no attack which had
justification back of it, and there being an
absence of united opposition there was
nothing to keep the Mormons together in
political association. Everybody vino was
familiar with the long and ugly fight which
had been waged here knew that
the end would follow last years
action on the part of the church immedi-
stely that the non-Mormons were con-
WINGED of the sincerity of the Mormons in
the abandonment Of polygamy. That con-
viction came when the weeks and months
went by, and there were 10 more unlawful
marriages, and in the courts there was a
personal, as in the conference there had
been general. acquiescence in the decree,
manifesto or whatever else it may be
termed. Fair minded and reasonable men
said: 1.-THE Mormons are no longer of
tenders against the law; they have ceased
to defy the sentiment of the American peo-
pie and have done all we asked them to do;
having done all that the law and good cit
liens require of them, our quarrel has
ended and hereafter we will work together
for Utah.
This, in brief, tells the story of how and
why the Peoples party went out of ex-
istence, and how and why the great body of
the non Mormons have ceased to be anti
Mormons. 1t tells why we find men who,
less than a year ago, were almost violent in
their enmity, so intensely bitter was the
semi-religious, semi-political fight then
prevailing, to-day marching under the
same flag, standing shoulder to shoulder in
the same cause, ali equally earnest and en-
thusisstic in their efforts to establish po-
litical principles which have hitherto been
in the background, while religious matters
have been crowded to the front
Yesterdays action completely eliminates
the religious feature from our political
contests. There is no longer a Mormon
party, and of course there cannot be an
anti Mormon party. A few Of the dis
gruntled and indictments. the fault-tinders
and those who are chemically unhappy
may try to revive the old quarrel, but only
failure can result from their efforts. There
the air viii soon become mighty uuinterest-
ing and Improbable business. THE HERALD
regards the question of parties and politics |
IS definitely settled. Democratic and Re- |
publican will be the names of the only par |
ties of power and influence in this terri |
tory, and the principles of these organiza-
tons will be espoused by the masses, while |
previous affiliations will not influence men |
in making choice of parties. We congratu- |
late the central committee upon having
taken correct account OF the situation as it
exists, and for having done the right thing
1t the proper time and we heartily con-
graduate this great community upon the
relief which it will now experience from
political quarrels of character to injure
rather than benefit the territory.