The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-03
CAPT. JOHN GOLDMAN ANSWERED.
The Church influence Openly Used to
Promote Republican Success.

To the Editor of the New York Times:
Captain John Goldman, we'll known
throughout Utah, has a short article in
recent issue of your paper anent the first
STATE election i'll Utah, held on the 5th of
the present month 1t is regretable that
man Of Mr.. Codman'S intelligence and
familiarity with the people should have
been unable to distinguish between the
Riepubllcan talk OF protection and the at
tltude OF the early Mormon leaders, as to
local industries. The Mormons knew
nothing about the doctrine of protection
as now understood until about the time
OF the division. They Were however,
taught to encourage local industries. The
reason for this teaching was the belief
lnculcated by the leaders that the people
were to be isolated from the rest of the
world, and, unless they encouraged
among themselves the development of
Such manufactures as would supply them
WIN the necessities and some, of the
comforts of life, they would suffer.
Moreover, as will be recalled h, all VINO
are intimate with the middle history of
Utah, the belief was generally entertain
ed that famine would come upon the
people and for this reason relief societies
that is the womanS organiZa lions of
the Mormon church, designed for charit-
able Work-builJ houses and saved grain.
The belief prevailed among all the peo-
pie of the church that the saving of grain
and other articles was absolutely neceS-
sary 10 their physical salvation, and
that they would be unable to obtain from
famine the things indispensable to the
preserVa ton of existence. This was the
fundamental reason for the encourage
ment of local industries on tho part of
Brigham Young. His message 20 one of
the early legislatures of this territory
while he was still governor, shows that he
felt that the distance between the cities
of the east and the west and Utah af-
forded all the protection necessary to en-
courage local industries, and he very ex-
plicitly stated that he did not wish the
taxes of the people to be used to develop
local companies.
Whe!, Democrats are prepared to eX-
plain the cause of the defeat of the
Democratic party in Utah by the claim
that the Mormon people have been taught
TO believe in a system of protection as
now understood, there is little hope for
Democratic success in this part of the
country. The claim of Captain Goldman
that the Democrats counted largely ON
the fact that the 'so-called prosecutions
Of the people have emanated from a gem
orally Republican congress- is also OPP
posed to the facts. Democrats did be-
lieve that the attitude of the national
Democracy in interposing Democratic
principles against the disposition of the
Republican party to ride the Mormon peo-
pie into the dust would be remembered
with some sense of gratitude; but the
results do not justify the belief on the
part of local Democrats.
1t is no longer question as to whether
church influence was used by churchmen
to bring about the Republican victory in
this territory. The contention now is as
to the extent of the influence. Everybody
knows that President Woodruff, while
Democrat, has been overshadowed by the
ambitious desires and the personal an
tagonisms of Mr.. George @. Cannon
against leading democrats. In the face
of the claim of the Mormon people that
they first seek pure and capable men
upon whom to bestow office, the election
of Mr.. Frank j. Cannon is evidence that
the desires of the people in this, as in
other respects were made a secondary
consideration to the wishes of strong
church Republicans. Captain Goldman
has suffered himself to be as badly de-
ceived about the affairs in Utah as he
thinks the people of Utah were deceived
with regard to the Republican promises
as to wool, free coinage, and so on. The
defeat of Democracy in Utah was COM
passed by the use of church influence.
Any man with intelligence enough to
read Alright the tendency. of current
events, and VINO has any knowledge of
the facts, knows this to be true. There
are however, those whose personal pref
erments demand denial of these
truths, and such denial of the truth
is one of the easiest of tasks to per-
form. Captain Goldman must not be
classed with such. but he has suffered
himself to be deceived nevertheless.
Salt Lake City, Nov. 16. l.. G. |
New York Times