The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-14
ANSWER TO CANNON.
Judge Powers Strikes Back at the
Republican Chairman.

! Judge Powers was at the Democratic
headquarters last evening, and was
visited by a Herald reporter. Among
other things was asked as to what he
/ had TO say regarding the charges made
/ by George NJ. Cannon in his Tribune in
terview, III which Cannon stated that
all reports at his headquarters and at
! the headquarters of the Democrats
We're to the effect that the Democrats
We're about to be defeated, and there
fore the Democrats seized upon the al
legged interference of Smith and Can
non at the priesthood meeting, to
| cover up the defeat that was bound to
come.
Judge Powers replied that every man
at all conversant with the situation in
this territory, prior to the priesthood
meeting, could not help but know that
it was safely and surely Democratic,
if the party was left to fight the battle
out upon the lines that had been pre-
viously laid down.
80 far as Mr.. Cannon's statement
is concerned said Judge Powers, ito
use a somewhat common phrase, he is
simply talking through his hat [
have returns from fifty-ftve pre-
( cincts. They come from all sections Of
the territory. Our people were in
structed not to make a canvass until
the registration closed. Those pre-
cincts have been carefully comoiled by
Mr.. Joseph NJ. Cohen, our chief clerk,
and using them as a basis he figures
the Democratic majority at 5000. The
number of doubtful voters returned
was surprising. and it indicated that
with d vigorous canvass they would
swell our majority even above the
/ figures estimated by MI. Cohen. The
drift was all our way. Our party was
thoroughly organized, and was en-
/ thusiastic, and we were gaining upon
the Republicans day by day.
10 Fireworks Campaign.
We have not run a fire works cam
paign, but earnest work, and work
that was bound to tell If we are
beaten. it will be simply because Smith
and Cannon interfered without cause
with our rights. l say this without
/ fear of being successfully contradicted.
! Il is a verify that this is Democratic
year. and nothing but an Interior in
/ nuence- can defeat the Democracy 1
have fought campaigns before and no
man can charge me with ever timidly
deserving the fight, even when it was
discoura ging. On the contrary, who
ever reads my record right, knows
that I fight the hardest when dis
I cOurag ements are the greatest. l viii
say now to Mr. Cannon than if the
( Democrats Of this territory desire 10
retain their ticket in the field, not
withstanding the severe blow that has
been given our cause, and will assure
the committee that the people will
stand for their political liberties, and
vote on the dead square, l viii defeat
his party, and will satisfy everybody
/ that even today he does not know how
the people stand in this territory, and
has no conception of the tidal wave
that was bound to sweep Republican,
ism out of sight. and that can only be
retarded by an appeal to religious
prejudces. Now that he has seen fit
10 make a suggestion Of bad faith in
this matter. on my part l Will say to
him that l have a lurking suspicion
that the methods Of Joseph T. Smith
in making an assault on our candi-
dates are the methods of the chairman
of the Republican party"
The Democratic Condition.
What do you say" asked the re-
porter ito the charge that the Demo
cratic partv nominated Mormons. to
cater to church influence"
My answer to that" replied the
chairman. 'is that the Democrats
took no thought of the church when
the Democratic nominations were
made. Not one man was named be-
cause he was a Mormon. Each man
was elected because it was believed
that he could well fill the duties of
the Office, because he was known to
be above all things else good Demo-
c~at, and because we knew that he
would stand by every plank in the
Democratic platform. At this time.
when we are meeting a question that
every man in the territory is inter-
ested III. without regard to his re-
ligious belief or politics, a question of
personal liberty, it makes me tired to
recognize that men are small enough
to seek to belittle the issue by such
childish and puerile arguments"
They Stand with Their Part..
How do the Democratic candidates
stand with reference to this crisis that
the Democratic party has met. and I
particularly refer to Thatcher and
Roberts. the gentlemen most con-
cerned?" asked the reporter.
1.-The two men whom you name" re-
piled Judge Powers. ARE Democrats
and it ought to go without saying
that in political matters a good Demo-
crat stands with his party. He is
governed by the will of the majority.
The men whom you name, and all
the other candidates will 60 that
which the party determines is the
thing TO do, no matter what the con-
sequences may be. No person need
to be in doubt with reference to the
position they take. Like myself they
have no quarrel with the Mormon
church and they will not permit the
issue to be diverted into a question as
to whether a political party can in
terfere with the church, while disci-
pining its members. That is not the
issue. The issue is, whether two men,