The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-09-06

TOLERANCE AND TEST OATHS.
The Salt Lake champion Of bigotry and
fanaticsm says "THE HERALD is In very
bad humor these days. adding that we
started out to prove that the test oath
was ssie child OF the Republican party !;
that it started in that state Of martyrs
called Missouri etc. The HERALD did
not say the political test oath originated in
Missouri. bur 1t is fact that prior to 1861
no sucn test oath was ever known in the
world, and it is fact moreover, that in
this country il is the true adopted child OF
the Republican party, whether abiding in
Missouri. Idaho or Utah. AS 20 bad humor,
It is to be hoped TIE HERALD has made
known with emphasis its utter repugnance
to any tyranny, it's loathing for wicked,
wanton oppression. THE HERALD abhors
all tyrants who enact cruel laws, Cypress
the people, goad them to despair and con-
temptuously deride their sufferings. Our
neighbor confounds anger with indigna-
tion
The Tribune seeks to draw distinc-
ton between the Missouri and
the Idaho test oaths on the
ground that the first disfranchised
rebels, and the other saliens," and speaks
of an organization $50 alien, SO absolutely
foreign to the whole spirit and genius of
American institutions that the members of
that organization were not fit to become
citizens of the United States" In the
Missouri case the test oath is justified "be-
cause of the determined and merciless
spirit which peryAded that state at the
time, and which boils out even
now In the editorials of THE HERALD
But BEEcHER, with his doctrine Of
SHAPES rifles; GREELEY, with his invo-
cation to "tear down that Haunting lie"
the American flag; BANKS, with his will
iingness to 'let the Union slide," and
GARRISON, denouncing the United States
constitution as "a league with he'll and a
covenant with death, were not aliens in
the eyes of the nullitiers of the Fugitive
Slave law Republicans would ridicule the
application of political test oath to these,
and yet we tiud in this year of our LORD,
1892, a citiz@ of the new state of Idaho
Tor president without having to swear that
at one time of his life he did not believe in
celestial marriage"
There was period in the his
tory OF Great Britain when certain
acts Of parliament disqualified any Cath
ole from holding any Office, teaching
any school or receiving any legacy, acts
which qualified Protestant child to con-
t1scate Catholic parents estate, or wife
~
kind In suits all persons but known Prot
estants were denied the courts. The au-
thors Of these DEGREES proclaimed that they
were not harsh ''Let them cease to be
Catholics" they cried; what right have
they to question tie Church of Englandl'
Said Lord ELDoN: These religious opn-
ions are dangerous to the state; the state
must protect itself" .
But" observes the reader, shat was a
great while ago. Religious tolerance to
ward the Catholic church, though the
church itself has changed some of it's an
Gent tenets, has greatly advanced, and
thought is free.n Is that sol Apropos to
this reference may be made to the Re-
publican record on the application of New
Mexico for statehood In the Fiftieth
Congress bills were passed to admit Idaho
and Wyoming, with an aggregate popula-
ton of AS, 600, the assessable property OF
both being 1000, 600. At that time
New Mexico had a population of
1853 600 souls and her property was assessed
at SAG, 100000 But Wyoming and Idaho
were admitted and New Mexico denied.
Why's The real reason WAS that New
Mexico is Democratic, but the reasons
given in the committees report were
different-just as Utah is denied. really
because she is Democratic. but ostensibly
because there are more Mormons here than
members of other sects. The report said
the New Mexican people were mol
fit to become citizens Of the United States
1t did not say they were aliens, bui
intimated that they were foreign to the
whole spirit and genius of American insti.
tutions.n The committee went on to say
that large number OF the New Mexican:
were untitled for American citizenshiy
because among other things. they were
extremely superstitious, this character
istic prevailing among the intelligent al
well as the ignorant; that they had faith il
saints and images, and some of the mos
cultivated of the better class looked upor
bits of wood as all powerful in emergencies
In this manner the growing religious toler
alton OF the age manifested itself but few
years ago toward the rosaries of the virgin
sisters Of the Catholic Church and the
affairs of its devout priests The "aliens'
of New Mexico. like the ''aliens" of Idaho
would all be patriotic Americans if they
could lick the hands that smite them, anG
vote the Republican ticket.
THE SAN FRANCISCO g. SALT LAKE.