The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-15

Germ themselves, the people must govern
themselves, has been found to he nv
all communities, the best. Not that
local self-governmeRt may not be
III all respects what good government
ought to be, not that abuses may not exist
or wrongs go UNPUBLISHED for time. but
that local self government. governments bv
ones self, his neighoors and acouaintances.
tnose that living in the same community.
nave interests identical with or resembling
MS own, government by these will ALWAYS
DC preferable to government by distant
power, although the former NAV often rule
badly
Judge BLACK has not less forcibly than
| truly SAID: "Of course it is possible that
Inc territory might be controlled Justly.
wisely and moderately by the. hirelings of
the federal government. But the chances
are Thousand to one that they would act
as persons in that situation have ALWAYS
acted: Cypress and plumber their subjects,
sUeal their money and tax their industry to
oeath The experience of the
whole world in all time shows that the
want OF home rule is the want of every
thlng else that is honest and fair. Rulers
! forced upon people are never just. It is
as certain as the rising of the sun to NOR
row that if. the people are put under foot
they will be trampled down without
mercy.'
When the Mormons. driven by mobs In
one instance, appealed to the federal gov
eminent for aid, and received the surprls-
ing answer, "Your cause is just, but we
can do nothing for you" it was almost
enough to shake any mans faith in local self
government. That the federal persecution
could not intervene in such case, but that
the state itself must correct the evil, and
was unwilling to correct it, seemed out
rageous. Yet it was better than the in
tensified local bigotry aud federal power
combined. For had the federal govern
ment ever taken part it would certainly
have done so against and not for the Nor
mons.
We have recently had some object les
sons on the opposing theory-that the fed
eral government may Iegislate for a terri
tory and make all needful rules and regula-
lions concerning it. Even the slight appli-
cation that we have yet had of that theory,
mas been to treat the people of Utah
as II they were but a body of mere slaves
and criminals: that they may vote if the
expurgatory oath covering their whole life
Is satisfactory to the within of a registra-
ton officer; that they may not enjoy the
right OF trial by jury unless the courts see
ut, IN spasm of uneXampled generosity,
10 allow them that right; that they may ex-
ercise the privilege of voting to ill the few
ofnces that remain elective, provided Con
gress does not meanwhile abolish that
privilege; that the property of one class
may be contiscated, as it has been; that the
right to acquire title to land or to hold the
property earned by ones industry is a
mere privilege that Congress may at any
time abolish; and so on.
These opposing theories-the Democratic,
that the people are Of right entitled to the
blessings of popular government and Con-
gress can neither give or withhold the in
allenable rights of freeman; the Repubi-
can, that Congress may at its discretion
supersede local laws, deny fundamental
rights or do whatever else that, in It's wis
dom, the general good may seem to require
these theories serve to divide the people
OF this nation into two opposing parties.
Neither theory will secure a perfect gov
eminent among an imperfect people; but,
IN our humble opinion, the Democratic. the
DRY and practice will on an average come
the nearest to it.