The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-18
DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE.

We were asked by an esteemed friend
the other day if the reply of President
MARTIN VAN buren, to a delegation of
Mormons who waited upon him to solicit
his assistance in reinstating them in their
possessions in Missouri, was based on
sound Democratic doctrine. We replied
that 1t was. The circumstances were
these: The Mormon people settled in Mis-
souri,, and in consequence Of their religion
being obnoxious to the old settlers, there
was soon oeep-seated hatred against
them; to which the fact Of their coming
principally from the northern and New
England states and hence supposed to be
Rnti-slavery in their sympathies-contrib-
uted nothing to aIlay. That bitterness
increased until it broke out into unjustifi-
able acts of violence against the Mormons
and they were eventually driven from the
state under every circumstance of cruelty.
One Of the saddest features connected with
the affair was that the authorities OF the
state sided with those who rose in violence
against the Mormons and against the laws
of the state, and aided in their illegal and
cruel expulsion, The exiles taking refuge
in Illinois, sent a delegation 10 Washington
TO appeal to Congress and the Presi-
dent with a view of obtaining through
those powers redress of their
grievances, and being reinstated in their
possessions. President VAN buren, &C.
knowledged the justice Of their cause; that
is, be admitted that they had been
wronged, and outraged, but he could do
fOr pxy hot he
delegation had applied to the wrong source
for aid. There was nothing in the consti-
tuition which gave him the power to enter
the state of Missouri with an army and
correct the evil so justly complained of and
redress the injuries of the Saints. Hence
his too brief reply, "Your cause is just
but ! can do nothing for you'll" Too brief,
because not explanatory; too brief, be-
cause too cutting and altogether lacking in
human sympathy; too brief, because ad-
dressed to men and to people whose
hearts were throbbing with indignation at
the recollection of accumulated wrongs.
and his answer might have lost something
of its severity had it been given less CURLY.
But the question we are dealing with Ia
Was that answer justified by Democratic
doctrine, by Democratic conception OF the
powers delegated to the general govern
ment9 We affirm that it was. The gen.
eral government may interfere to protect
a state against domestic violence on appli-
cation of the legislature Of the state, or of
the governor of the state when the leeis
lature cannot be convened-not else.
Therefore President VAN buren, was
powerless to interfere In the do
mestic troubles in Missouri, which
ended in the expulsion of the Mormons
from that state, unless Governor BoGGs ap-
piled for aid in behalf of the outraged Nor
mon people; aud since there is every reason
to believe that BoGGs' sympsthies were
with the oppressors instead of the Cd.
pressed-nay, it was under his order that
they were driven forth-of course he
would not apply to the President for his
interference. Therefore, we say that the
reply of MARTIN VANBUREN, however harsh
1t may sound to community whose SYM
psthies are so closely allied with the suf-
ferers from Missouri cruelty, was based on
sound Democratic doctrine because it has
behind Il constitutional principle.
Democrats believe that the general gov
eminent of the United States NAV act
directly on individuals within the states
where the laws of the United States sre
violated. The general government may
enforce and vindicate its own laws in any
part of the union, as was announced by
President ANDREW JACKSON when South
Carolina threatened resistance to the
tariff laws. But that does not describe the
conditions that existed in Missouri when
the Mormon people were driven out of the
state. That was case of domestic violence.
not Of resistance Or rebellion against the
laws of Congress. Indeed we NAV saw
that Democrats and Republicans here oc-
cupy common ground. 1t could reasonably
be inferred so since the government, when
In the hands of the Republican party. has
never redressed the wrongs inflicted on
the Mormons, though those wrongs in their
administrations, IS in Democratic admin
istrations, have cried aloud to heaven for
redress and do unto this day. But re-
Gently an event has happened in which the
same conditions, nearly, exist We refer
to the massacre of Italians under arrest in
New Orleans. There the people of Louisi-
ana took the law into their own hands and
shamefully shot down men entitled to the
protection of the law. The authorities of
IL. - Al