The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-07-24

plea OF projecting American industry Woul(
rob the many to benefit the few. Believing
this to be not only the tendency but the re
suit OF their principles, we hold them IL
social life as friends and gentlemen, but il
the political arena - opponents whom W.
mean 10 defeat IL we can BY fair and honor
able means-not by attacking the men, bu
by exposing the unsoundness Of their prin
ciples and the danger there Ii In their ap
plication to government
Turning from the men put in nomination
TO the platform on which they stand, We
must confess that for . party that pro
fesses to absorb all the aggressiveness and
holiness there 10 in the country the declara
ton OF principles seems powerfully
weak" and in places not q little inconsis-
tent. Take for instance the following, sec
ton seven Of the platform:
The national Republican party. In its plat
form adopted in 1883, declared, 1.-The govern
ment by Congress- Of the territories, Is based
upon necessity. only to the end that they may
become states in the union. Therefore, when
ever the conditions of population, material
resources, public intelligence and morality are
such as TO insure a stable local government!
therein. the people Of the territories should be
permitted, as right inherent in them, TO form
for themselves, constitutions and state govern
ments, and be admitted into the union
This is all very good, and We believe that
as strongly as the Republicans do; yea,
stronger than they do. But following this
statement comes matter altogether at
variance with it, 1--WE deny" says the
platform, ''that the Republican party is
organized in Utan to procure or unduiy
hasten statehood, and such charges are not
only untrue but tend to iniure the business
interests Of the territory by creating false
alarms and endeavoring to present false
issues.
1.-The question of statehood for Utah is not
involved in the present political issues, or
in the present movement for q division Of
the people Of this territory on national party
lines, and discussions of that question are
premature.
"At present, political action should be
wholly preparatory. Among the prepare
tory agencies are the discussions and con
troversies appertaining to party politics"
II may, be true that the Republican party
is not organized to procure or uuduly
hasten statehood. 1t may be true, so far
as the Republican par,y is concerned, that
the question of statehood for Utah is not
involved in the present political issues:
but why say that the charge that the OBJ
iect of the political revolution in this terri
tory is statehood for Utah, tends TO injure
the business interests OF the territory by
creating false alarms and endeavorlng TO
present false issuesi Try how men and
parties may, push it away from US ever SO
much, turn our faces away from it as often
as we please, it is an issue that confronts
US and that no exorcism can hide in dark
ness. 1t is the one great thing that i'm
mediately concerns the people Of Utah and
about which they must soon take action.
And what is there in it, we would ask our
Republican opponents, that would tend to
''iniure the business interests Of the terri
tory.n Why should a demand for
what is unquestionably the right of
the people of Utah-the inestimable
right of governing themselves-iniure the
business interests Of the people, To what
pass are we coming In this great republic
if this be truet Is it 90, that a great peo-
pie cannot ask for what is admitted on all
hands to be their right, but what the cry
of sit will tend to injure the business inter
est of the people," must be raised. Our an
swer to that cry would be. so much the
worse for the business interest then for the
moment; there are other things dearer and
more important to free people than com
mercial prosperity. One of these things is
the full enjoyment of their political rights.
Besides, this danger to business inter
ests'' can only be for moment, if it exists
at all; and with statehood, when the des-
tiny of our loved Utah shall be relegated to
the hands Of her own people, our "busi-
ness interests will be settled on more
permanent basis than they can possibly rest
on in our territorial existence.
BY adopting the paragraph from the
National Republican platform of 1855, our
Utah Republicans tell US that whenever
the conditions of population, material re-
sources, public intelligence and morality
are such as to insure a stable local govern
ment therein, the people Of the territories
should be permitted, as right inherent in
them, to form for themselves constitu-
tons and state governments, and be sd-
mitted into the union. Then why follow
this statement with the declaration that
the discussion of the statehood question for
Utah is prematurei The only iustifable
reason would be to say that Utah lacked in
some Of the qualifications enumerated in
the above as being essential TO statehood.
Does Utah lack in populationi Or in ma
terial resources, Or in public intelligence
and morality such a. will insure stable
local government Is the Republican
party prepared to say 20 the people of
Utah that they lack in any one
OF these qualifications, If not, if they ad-
NIT that in all these things there is nothing
wanting, why is it that the discussion of
the statehood question for Utah in their
Judgment is premature, Can it be that
our Republican friends have failed 10 shake
of their fears of the Liberal lash, The
plaintive cry Of the Liberal party is that
this political revolution means statehood
for Utah. Why, Of course it does. That is
as sure to be the result OF this movement
as that the day will follow the night; and
the quicker men and parties recognize that
fact and quit whining about it like dog
crossing q pond on thin ice. which cracks
and bends under him, and 60 bravely to
work to obtain it, the better and the sooner
will come permanent business prosperity
to Utah. We had hoped that party pro
fessedly - brave As the Republican party,
would have given US something Drawer if
not better than its cowardly twaddle about
this statehood business. 1t Is never pre-
A4