The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-04-03
Foa GOOD Or FOX EVIL.

1t was Inc expected WHICH Q6pp6n6u
yesterday in the convention. The de-
bate closed early in the afternoon with
another great speech from Roberts and
the female suffrage provision is a part
of the constitution, either for good or
for evil. We hope and pray that it will
not prove the very excuse that the enc
mics of Utah statehood we're waiting
for in order to attack the constitution
upon its advent in Washington. 1t is
right and proper to say here that SO
far as that provision is concerned, the
constitution will be ratified by the peo
pie of Utah. There is certainly a ma
jority for suffrage in this territory.
Maiorities unfortunately are not al
ways right, albeit they always have
their way in this country-save on the
silver question. The people will 10y
ally vote for the new constitution SIM
ply because they desire statehood and
a vote against the constitution now, on
this or any other proposition, will, in
effect, be vote against the admission
of the territory There are few bona
fide, honest and patriotic people here
who will refuse to vote for the consti-
tntion upon this or any other ground.
We confess that it strains our patri-
otism to painful tension, but this one
question alone will not deter us. If
evil comes out of yesterdays work
it will not be our fault. We
have made the best fight against
the heresy that we could, know
ing all the time just what this action
of the convention would be. We are
compelled to bow TO the will of the ma.
jority, but with the greatest reluctance.
We fear, as we have said all along,
that when the east comes to act that
it will be strong enough, with the pres
ident's aversion to the presence of two
more free silver senators and one free
silver representative in congress, to
throw us out entirely and we will have
our suffrage constitution contempt
uously returned to us. That would Prove
disaster of the first water So many
graver and more important matters
hang upon our admission that we fear
that this excuse will prove to be a well
come bit of news to the enemies of
statehood.
1t was opposed spiritedly by the op-
ponents of suffrage in the convention,
the knightly Roberts, Keisel and
others, but to no purpose. The best of
the argument was with the opposition
but unfortunately the votes were with
the advocates Of the measure, There
was one thing developed in the course
Of this debate, and that is the nom
sense of committing parties by their
platforms to lily considered measures
simply to catch votes. 1t is a danger
GUS scheme and like all measures of un-
frankness it Will ultimately come to
grief. Ii the presence of this provision
procures the rejection of the constitu-
ton it will be then too late to file re.
grets. Nor do we believe that the cou-
stitution will receive the majority of
the votes of the people that it would
have received had this provision been
left out, or suffrage been relegated to |
some future legislature. What we are
most interested in now is to find some |
sure way of escaping the evils which
we are afraid will oyertake us by reason
of this very hasty, if not unwise action
of ours.
How can we present this matter to a
president who, truly or falsely, is
not credited with very great ardor for
any state in the west which advocates
free silver SO that he can be induced
to approve a constitution which con-
tains a very convenient provision to
warrant his rejection of it without un-
covering his real motiYe2 The tempta-
ton is rather a strong one to be pre-
sented 20 our friend Grover. He is a
faultless democrat on everything save
free silver, will not relish the task of
ratlfylng a provision which is distinc-
lively anti-democratic to the extent that
female suffrage is. Say what you
please of MIR. CleYeland's attitude on
silver, yet in all other respects, so far
as he has been as yet tested, and he is
a democrat "Sans puer ct Sans re-
proche,"
But be all this as it may, we want to
say here and now, that the grand Rob-
erts in defeat preserves proud place {
in the affectionate confidence of the
people and he will hold it to the last I
leesing moment of his honorable.
honest and manly life. II