The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-01

JuSllLeu III HOlQlHS MIN TeSpOHSlDie
, chiefly for its PRONUNCIATION.
Division on party lines in this terri
tory was predicated on the absolute
good faith of the Mormon people. It
was accompanied by the most solemn
asseverations of the people and their
leaders that the members of the
church would freely choose their poll
tics and freely act in harmony with
their political brethren. In view Of
this fact Democrats regarded the at
tempt on the part of prominent Nor
mons to equally divide the Mormon
people as an act of perfidy and by
pocrisy. Such an attempt not only
violated the spirit of the division
movement, but it included the propo-
sition that men should stultify them
selves by seeming to be what in fact
they really were not. The Herald de-
nounced the scheme at the time in an
editorial head False Lights" in
which it was said:
1.-THE scheme takes no account of po-
litical conviction; it is a proposition
made TO Democratic territory to be-
publican territory; and this to be ac-
complished not by the process of con-
version but arbitrarily by just simply
dividing up half and half.
ITO do this many people that are
Democrats would be under the neces-
sity of acting contrary to their con-
victions and thus stultify them
selves. This is what it means let it
be disguised under whatsoever specious
IL; IL. \ J.
would not only be damnable in itself
but must end in disaster instead of
blessing. :. . Let men seem
what they are and be what they seem.
Let US have no playing fast and loose
in politics; no running with the Re
publican hare today and hunting with
the Democratic hounds tomorrow"
Mr.. Cannon's several appearances in
the pending campaign justify the con-
clusion that he has made up his mind
to 90 as much as man who keeps IL
the background may be able to do to
secure Republican success.
Fully realizing the gravity of Mr.
Joseph F. Smiths remarks in the
priesthood meeting. as indicated by
his statement that he would not have
said what Mr.. Smith had said, yet he
lent to them the weight of his en-
dorsement. Upon his return to
this city recently in a most astound-
ing Interview in the Tribune
he said that the priesthood meeting in
cident seems to have been seized upon
as preteXt to cover up other designs,
for the men who are engaged in it are
not so destitute of sense as to raise
such row on SO slight cause unless
they had an Interior purpose in view,
and that purpose is not hard to divine
and yet Mr.. Cannon knows full well
that the slight cause" was construed
by every man present as body blow
to Democracy, in short an incident that
would have a controlling effect on the
approaching election. In this interview
he speaks of ''ulterior purposes not
hard to divine"-and yet we challenge
Mr.. Cannon to suggest a single Interior
purpose which the Democrats or any
Democrat had in view or to find more
than a handful of disinterested citizens
who believe that Democratic action was
inspired by any other motive than to
render nugatory the destructive inf1u-
ences set at work by President j. f.
Smith. Mr.. Cannon's suggestions were
unworthy and unfounded, and being
such were rightly construed as parti-
san.
The third day after his return he is
reported to have made personal insin-
uations against the character and
work of Judge Powers, the Democratic
chairman. in a religious meeting So
far as the judges record is concerned,
it has been an open book. In a politi-
cal contest waged in this city in 1SS9-9O
there were charges of fraud made on
both sides, and public opinion has diff
fered and will remain divergent as to
methods pursued, and as to the
responsibility therefor. But so
far as the pending campaign is con-
cerned we denounce any innuendo from
President Cannon or any direct state
ment from Apostle John Henry Smith
that the Democratic party or its chair
man or committees are conducting a
dishonest campaign as gratuitous in
suit and as a malicious and baseless
charge.
We do not question President Can
mons right to advocate the interests
of any party he may choose. This is
country Of free speech and belief But
we shall not be found recreant to our
duty to exercise the freedom of the
press in denouncfng any improper use
Of church influence on his part or that
of any other man, or to meet the enc
mics of Democracy with the weapons
Of fairness and truth.