The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-05
KEEP TO THE RECORD.

KEEP TO THE RECORD.
At the ratification of the Republican city
ticket Wednesday night JOHN HENRY
SMITH is represented as saying that they
the Repub licans-had two foes in this
city. zone of them was here to stay, and
in the past it had aided and comforted
those whose hands were raised against the
flag of the country" We suppose in this
remark Mr.. SMITH referred to the Demo
cratic party and the late war Of the rebel
lion. If so, then we wish 10 say
that Mr.. SMITH is not only very
unfair to the political party he OPP
poses, but directly insults those
just as coed evidence of loyalty to this gov
eminent during the war of the rebellion as
it ever occurred TO Mr.. SMITH or any other
Republican to manifest. When MIR. SMITH
either directly asserts, or indirectly i'm
plies, that the Democratic party made war
upon the flag of the country, or gave aid
and comfort 10 those who in an unhappy
hour raised their bands against it, the gen
teman is, to say the very least, Inaccurate
His inaccuracy would be pardonable aud
unworthy of notice, were it not 10 be con-
sidered that Mr.. SMITH has given very close
attention to all these subjects, and when he
speaks, even from the stump, his word car
| ries very great weight with it; since it is
known that he is q thoughtful, serious gen
tleman, not one Of those liable to be carried
away from a strict adherence TO fact by the
blare of Republican campaign trumpet,
the din Of drum, or the feryor of his o"n
burning eloquence.
Mr.. SMITH, through carelessness, GER
tainly not design, has committed a blunder
commonly made. That is, he implies that
the war Of the rebellion was u war OF
parties, war between the Democrats and
Republicans. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Some time ago the Repub-
iicans of Utah imported one of their party 5
strong men into our city to enlighten our
people upon those principles Of government
and policy on which the Republican party
is founded. The gentleman so imported
was once Representative in Congress and
bore the name of HoRR. He, too, labored,
and for some length of time to show that
the Democratic party made war upon the
flag of the country, and to do so resorted
to one of the strangest methods of argu-
ment to which it has ever been our fortune
to listen. With peculiar contortions OF
body and much affectation in manner OF
speech which was meant to pass for
Cuteness, but which surely was
as ridiculous as it was amusing
he informed his audience that at the very
commencement of the war there came into
existence such term as "War-Demo-
Gratis" that is, Democrat who favored
the Union cause In the rebellion, and who
was ready to so to the front under the flag
and maintain its right to wave over every
part of our country. The honorable gen
tleman's point in referring to the origin o.
the term "War-Democrat" was to prove
that there were so ne who were not War
Democrats" who. in fact, were on the
other side in that unhappy war, quite ob
, livious of the fact that while provins
that, he was proving and that more
strongly than he was demonstrating tn.
fact he was aiming at, that there wer
! Democrats who favored the war on til,
, Union side. Their number, too, was con
siderable, extending practically to all Dem
, ocrats of the northern and western states
and they furnished their proportion o
f those who upheld the Union against til
, unfortunate men who sought 10 destroy it
a The war of the rebellion was war o
sections, not Of parties; war of interests
not of principles. True, there were NOR
:, Democrats in the states which attempts
r to withdraw from the Union than Repu bl
/ cans, but it was their supposed interests
not their Democratic principles, which le
. them to attempt the secession. Their
were Republicans, or what is about th
same thing, Wings, in the rebel army
! What brought them there? their princi
. pies! Nc, but mis- taken notion regardin
o the interests. We recommend to MI
SMITH a more careful reading of the fac,
a of history upon this subject, and then w
+ feel sure that his native fairness will lea
: him to deal more Justly by his political o,
# ponents.
d One Other point we would suggest fc
the gentleman's consideration In til
! speech he delivered at the Republica
:, ratification meeting Wednesday evenin
" Mr.. SMITH is represented as rejoicing to sc
9 the bitterness of the past disappearing, an
r further On expressed the hope that all bi
q terness would be turned under the sod s
= deep that it could never be resurrecte
y again. Of course in this Mr.. SMITH ws
o abiding to the bitterness which has existe
o in the past in this territory; but we SUI
h gest for the consideration of the bette
n wisdom of the gentleman, if it will not
c equally praiseworthy to seek to bury a
bitterness in the nation, as well as in IL
~ territory. And we further suggest that
a charging the political party opposed to Il
one with which he affiliates with makir
, war upon the flag of this country, when
, a party they did not do it, and are not ar
n never were responsible for it, is not Il
:, way TO turn bitterness under the sod.