The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-06
THEY WENT TOO FAR.

w ENI ISO
The resolutions adopted by number
of religious ministers a few days ago.
in reference to alleged frauds in cleo
ton returns have stirred up considera-
BILE controversy. The Herald has pub
lished several communications on the
subject, pro and con, and today prints
a letter from Mr.. Walden in rejoinder
to one from Mr.. Clay. AS the discus
sion has been good-humored in the
main no harm will come from it, but
so far it has emitted very little light.
We can but regard the reply of Mr..
Clay as an evasion of the main issue.
The resolutions We're framed for the
evident purpose of casting heavy blame
upon some person or persons not di-
rectly named, but popularity UNDER
stood to mean the majority of the
Utah Commission. GIr. Clay does not
deny that, but yet seeks to shelter him
self and associate signers Of the resolu-
tons under the statement that.
neither they nor any other parties are
referred to by name"
This strikes us as not being very
frank or straightforward. It is not
particularly Christian. The resolutions
referred to somebody. Under the cir
cumstances existing at the time they
were promulged they were naturally
supposed to mean the Commission.
That is not denied, but instead Of deny
ing or admitting, Mr.. Clay plays with
the accusation in a would-be humorous
style and tries to cast blame on others
for drawing attention to the Commits
sion in connection with the subject.
That this is disingenuous, to say
the least, will be seen by reproducing
the first of the resolutions in question,
which is as follows:
That the undersigned ministers and
also citizens of Utah, in behalf Of good
government and good morals, hereby
condemn the dishonest and villainous
attempt to defraud the people of Utah
Of their just rights, by the plan to
count out, in four or five counties, the
candidates who were elected as dele
gates to the Constitutional Convention
as shown by the returns Of the various
election precincts, and to count in those
who were not elected
Now, honestly, gentlemen was not
that aimed at the Utah Commission?
If not, why not say so plainly? Whom
do you refer to as having framed a
plan" to count out persons elected"
and count in those who were not
elected?" This is charged as having
! been planned in reference to -four or
five counties" Where is the evidence
of such a plan, and how could it be &C
complished without implication of the
Utah Commission.
Mr. Clay endorses all that was said
in the resolutions and further asserts:
What we charged has been ad-
mitted in open court by the attorneys
in the case"
That is simply astounding in its
audacity and untruth. What attorneys
admitted, in court or out of court, that
! there had been a plan in four or five
counties to count out persons who had
been elected and count in those who
had not been elected?
All that was admitted, all that was
proved in court was, that the returns
from Sanpete had been tempered with
There was no evidence whatever as
to anything further. Nothing was
demonstrated as to ''tampering with
the ballot boxes" nothing was adduced
in reference to other counties.
If the ministers who undertook tc
stir this political mess had confined
themselves to condemning the wrong
that was palpable, and had abstainec
from the proofless assertion that g
plan had been concocted to steal -four
or five counties, and from combining
in an evidently partisan way to cast
odium upon their political opponents
the great body of citizens Of all parties
would probably have joined in theil
effort. As it is, there is a general feel
ing of disgust that men of their clotf
should engage in such shabby, tricky
and coWardly attempt to Witty persons
with whom they are not in politica
accord.
Mr.. Clay piously quotes: Judge not
lest ye be judged" Have not we the
right to turn the quotation upon him
self and associates, who framed the
lreSolution which we have quoted above
land which proceeds to pronounce judg
Iment without particle of proof?
The Herald is in full accord with
Those citizens, religious or irreligious
who condemn fraud in election affairs
and in the hope that the guilty person.
will be discovered and punished. Bu
it considers the charges contained il
the resolution quoted in this article {
gross SANDER, intended to reflect upor
a body of gentlemen at least as honor
able and entitled to public respect a.
iany who signed the ill-advised, par
tisan and un-Christian accusation, the
personal application Of which the
trainers have not the manhood to ad
init or delay.
4 We refer to this matter once more
because it is manifestly unfair to per
NIT the ISLANDERS mixed up with a small
} portion of fact to go out unexposed
4 We approve of just denunciation O
, crime and of efforts to detect thu
criminals; we emphatically disapprov,
of false charges against persons o.
iparties and think they are not a viii