The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-11
THROWING OFF THE MASK.

save US from our friends" is a
trite expression and has received a new
Illustration. The Republican paper
over the way has cast aside ali the
pretensions and protests of the Re
publican convention and its Republi-
can president and the prayers of the
reverend gentlemen oficiating as
chapIains, and defends the proposition
that it IS a partisan convention for a
partisan purpose.
All that The Herald and other OPP
ponents Of partisanship IN the con-
VentiOn have said on that question is
denounced as "humbug" On that as
sumption the prayers against par
ti5anship in the convention were hum
bug" The non-partisan utterances OF
President John Henry Smith also, must
have been ''humbug." The statement
that there was any purpose Of secur-
ing non-partisan convention is de-
clared to be IAN insult to the public
intelligence"
II the partisan character Of the con-
Vention under Republican auspices had
been honestly avowed there would not
have been SO much room for the in
dignation that has been expressed at
the manner in which affairs have been
thus far conducted. But after praying
to God Almighty that there might be
no partisanship N the conduct of the
convention, after the official express
sions from the presidential chair that
there was to be no craftsmanship, the
course pursued was so fagrantly in
consistent with those pius and presi-
Dental aVoWals, that such comments
as have been made have been but
mild and gentle protests compared
with What was deserved
The inference to be drawn from our
neiShbors open-mouthed confession is
that the purpose and design were to
have "a strictly partisan convention
and all that praying and preaching tic
the contrary were "a preposterous
humbug." We hope the Republican
President and Republican majority
viii understand that this declaration
is not ours but their organs. and that
they will swallow it with as good grace
as they expect their Democratic as
sociates to swallow the discourtesies
which have been dealt out to them.
Our contemporary, as usual. has a
very bad memory; that is the most
charitable way to treat its assertion
that:
Nothing was heard from Democrats
OF n-partisanship, until 1t had be-
come settled fact that the Republi.
cans would control the convention.
Everybody familiar with the facts
knows that The Herald. Yoicing the
views of the Democratic party, pleaded
for a non-partisan convention and
constitution before the Republican
party had taken any steps toward the
campaign. The first movement of the
latter, through its chairman, Charles
Crane, was to combat the idea and tC
announce that the election and con.
yention must be a Republican affair
The Democratic party in it's conVen.
ton declared for non-parti5an5hiD. Ii
was only after that idea had been re.
jected that efforts were made to elect
Democratic delegates to frame the
constitution.
We have been expecting that our er.
ratio neighbor would put its foot il
it' considering its present condition
1t has done so now with vengeance
In addition to the blunder we have
quoted above, it says we complain be-
cause ''the Republicans have the con-
troll of the committees in point of num-
bers." That is as untrue as its other
remarks. We concede that the ma
jority in the convention will nece5-
sariIy have the majority of the COM
mittees in point of numbers And ii
it was to be understood that the whole
business is a partisan affair, we would
have had no complaints about the
chairmanShips or the grouping of the
members into classes according to
party.
Our whole contention has been
founded on the avowals of Republi-
cans as to n0n-partisanship in the con-
vention. 1t has been conducted on a
partisan basis. in complete contradict
ton of those aYoWals Now if the
mask is to be thrown off. the Demo.
Gratis who have. not yet assumed any
partisan attitude viii know exactly
what to 90.
But we warn the Republican man.
ipulators Of the convention for parti.
san purposes that they will have tC
be careful about intruding partisan
provisions in the instrument which is
TO be passed upon by the people Un.
less they want to wreck the Whole
statehood vessel. let them avoid the
rocks of partisanship in the waters OF
their constitutional legislation, or the
ship Of state will go to pieces before