The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-28
IDAHO POLITICS
The Change Of Front in the Re.
publican Camp.
BIDDING FOR THE MORMON VOTE
The Past Record OF the G. O. P. in Idaho
What the Republicans Promise to
Gain Support.

BOISE CRY, Idaho. Feb. 25.-TSpecial
correspondence of THE HERALD From
every Indication the general opinion of
leading Democrats in this part of the state
that change has come over the spirit OF
the dreams of the Republican party of
Idaho in reference to the Mormons is about
correct 1t is well known that the Repub-
lican party is responsible in the first in
stance for the disfranchisemeut OF the
Mormon people, For years past the party
has waged an unceasing and relentless
warfare against them. hunting their lead
ing men into the mountains and pursuing
them to the remote corners of the earth.
If they did not Stay their prophets with the
sword, they assailed the affairs of their
faith and made it so tropical that the lips
of the prophets were sealed, and with the
minions of the law forever on their track,
rendered it impossible to propagate the
faith TO any great extent. The sentiment
against the disfranchisement of so large
body of citizens as that composing the
Mormon church has been growing in Idaho
for some years. 1t is estimated that
THERE ARE $4,000 MoRMoNs IN IDAHO,
of whom possibly 200 are voters. So far
as general intelligence and thrift are con-
cerned, together with those sterling VIZ
tues that go TO make up good citizenship,
apart, OF course, from the objectionable
doctrines and practices of this people On
the subject of polygamy, the Mormons are
and have been admitted to be the equals OF
other classes of our citizens. The specta-
Gle, therefore, of 1000 people, who are COM
PEELED to pay taxes to support the state
government and are not allowed to say by
their votes who shall govern them, was
one calculated to inspire the sympathies of
average Americans. a tide of interest and
sympathy had begun to set in toward
this people which the Republican
leaders are not slow TO see and
take advantage Of While at
meeting of the Republican leagues of
the state held in this city few weeks ago,
the Mormon delegates were refused admit
lance because their credentials were signed
by Bishop Aoge, who is said to be a three
ply Mormon the leaders saw at once that
''someone had blundered," and at meeting
of the Republican state committee held
few days later, resolution looking to the
repair of all damages, SO far as the action
of the state league was concerned, was
passed. The aim was TO do il and not to do
it at the same time. How to reach out q
hand OF welcome TO the Mormon people and
at the same time pat the fanatics of the
party on the back who were demanding
that the warfare against this people should
be continued with increasing rigor, was q
question that might well stagger the brains
of the would be Richlieus of the Republ-
can camp. A clean cut, square position,
one way or the other, sensible people could
understand, but this effort to look both
ways, to draw the Mormons in at
the back door and kick them out at
the front, shows poor judgment and
raises the question whether the party has
any leader and if SO whether he is not
'rattled," or whether the rank and file are
in such an undisciplined condition as to
border close upon either open rebellion or
anarchy. In order to get the
DRIFT OF DEMOCRATIC SENTIMENT
on this question, correspondent of THE
HERALD called upon several leading Demo
Gratis TO get their views. Perhaps there is
no man of the Democratic party of Idaho
better acquainted with the Mormon Ques-
ton than Hon. James H. Hawley. Mr..
Hawley is one of the brainy aggressive
men of the party, and rumor has it that he
is the party's candidate for prominent
position this year. Mr.. Hawley was United
States district attorney for several years
while Idaho was a territory and is thor
oughly conversant with ali phases of the
Mormon question. He said: 81 believe
now as / always have believed, that the
action of the Republicans in the past re-
Earding the test-oath law in Joining
with auti-Mormon Democrats to pass
that law and enforce it, was
not passed upon principle, but was an at
tempt to force the Mormon people in due
course of time 70 act with the Republican
party and l believe that the acts of the
majority of the Republican leaders have
been directed to that end. AT the las
state election it was generally understood
In southeastern Idaho those members o.
Mormon church who voted the Republican
ticket would not be interfered with. Ihi.
understanding was, without doubt, base(
upon assertions made TO this people b!
prominent Republicans. Attempts hay,
been made both before and since that timl
to induce the Mormons to favor the Re
publican party for the reason that thei
Former Democratic friends had IL thei
hour OF trial utterly forsaken them, ant
that the Democrats had by their actor
shown that they were ready at any time T.
sacrifice them in Difference to the how
raised against Mormonism by the
Republicans, who were seeking thei
dormons in Idaho last summe
Signifed their intention of doing all the.
could in the future TO secure the success o
the Republican party, and the Bear LAX
Independent, the only purely Mormon
paper in the state at that time, came out a.
pronounced Republican organ, and it
columns
TEEMED WITH ABUSE
Of the Democratic party. All of thes
things were to me conclusive proofs tina
an arrangement had been made between
the leading Republicans and prominen
Mormous looking towards the support O
the Mormon people for the Republica
ticket at the coming election. This Opinion
has been confirmed by the action Of tn
state Republican committee at its recen
meeting, where their party representa-
tives upon the motion Of Joseph Pinkham
late chairman of the committee, made
bold and open bid for Mormon support BY
introducing and passing resolution invit
ing the Mormons into the Repu olicsn ranks
The object of this resolution was mos
plainly shown, as il was clearly iEtepde
TO counteract the action of the State Re
publican league few days before in refe,
ence to admitting delegates from Bear LAX
county, who were refused seats in the COZ
vsntop on the ground that the club at Pari
was ofhcered by members of the Mormo
church While some of the leading Reput
icans gquarely deny that there is any col
fusion between their party and the MOI
mons, ii cannot be doubted by any ma
who has given the sub ect thought that
IS their intention to secure il possible tn
Mormon vote by promising immunity fror
prosecution and repeal of the test oath en-
other obnoxious laws now on the statut
books. Whether they will succeed in oh
tanning any considerable number of thss
votes cannot be determined until after m
November election. / do not believe. how
ever, that the charge made against Unite
States District Attorney Fremont Wood
the effect that he has dismissed uumbe
of cases against members of the Mormo
church in consideration Of their future sur
port of his party, is correct.
These cases were dismissed by him he
cause the evidence would not convict m
parties so charged. In speaking of N
attitude of the Democratic party toward