The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-15
NO PARALLEL.

There is no comparison between the
Tribune cry of church interference be-
cause of the late candidacy of George
Q. Cannon fer a United States senator
ship, and the complaint, of the Demo-
cratic party in last falls election over
the same thing. There was no evil
dence of church interference in the
candidacy of the elder Cannon. He is
a Republican. has authorized his
friends and supporters to represent
him as such. and it is agreed that he
possesses the ability and character
that justified his Republican friends
in pushing his claims. Let ingenuity
do what it may, it cannot wiring out
of the circumstance a domination of
the state by the church.
AS for the Democratic complaint of
last fall it must be remembered that
it was not based on the one single cir
cumstance of two Democratic nom
inees being reproved for what is called
breach of church rule in accepting
political nominations for Office without
first consulting the ecclesiastical super
iors. That circumstance standing alone
might not have justified the
Democratic complaint and the
re-assembling of the re-convened
convention But there must be
remembered in connection with the
incident above named the use that i'm
mediately began to be made of it by
Republicans. That use was that
among Mormon Republicans it was
being said that the incident clearly
manifested that the two gentlemen
referred to were out of favor with the
church authorities. and indicated that
the said authorities would be pleased
with their defeat, So that if the re-
proof were merited, and the church
authorities were right in administering
1t. certainly the use made of it by
Republicans ir the manner indicated
was not justifiable. for their action in
relation to this incident converted it
into a church interference with uoli-
tics; it became an instance of mingling
religious influence in political affairs
whatever may have been the original
intent of those who uttered the re-
proof. and remonstrance became
necessity. 1t is useless for anyone to
undertake to say that the incident
was not used as described above. we
know it was. and that quite generally
throughout the territory.
Moreover it should be remembered
that this reproof incident together with
the use subsequently made of it was not
the first time that prominent church
men from the vantage ground of
their ecclesiastical position had done
injustice to the Democratic party. In
very many parts of the state in meet
ings of a religious character inquiry
had been made as to the political
standing of those present, and some
times in a general way in regard to
those of the community not present
at the meeting. And while perhaps
it is technically true that no Demo
crat was asked to turn Republican.
and certainly, and emphatically, no
Republican was ever asked to become
a Democrat, yet it cannot be denied
in truth that it was repeatedly said
in such gatherings that there We're
too many Democrats, and those who as
yet were neither Democrats nor Re
publicans were urged to balance UP
things by at least acting with the Re
publicans. In this way the very large
number of citizens who had not vet
become settled in their party affilia-
tions were carried bodily into the Re
publican party, not by being converted
to Republican doctrine, but purely out
of respect for the ecclesiastical Office
of the men who advised them to so
to the Republican party. 1t was in
this way, gentlemen of the Republican
party. that Utah was made a Re
publican stated This was the triumph
of your Republican principles in the
naturally and Overwhelmingly Demo-
cratic state of Utah! 1t is useless to
deny it: from Richmond to st. George
the people know it to be true.
Well in view of all this experience,
when in the heighth Of a political cam
paign, the reproof incident came upon
the Democratic party, and Re
publicans clapping their hands
for joy rushed from house to
house and from man to man saying
that it was manifestly the desire of
high church officials that the two
Democratic nominees in question he
defeated, is it any wonder that they
complained and vigorously protested?
What else could they do? Was it to
be supposed that they would be so
weak as to meekly lay down in the /
dust and allow Republicans to walk
over them?
The matter of the Democratic pro-
test against ecclesiastical interference
through its re-convened convention in
the summer of 1895. forms an impor-
tant event in the political history OF
the late territory of Utah, and at no
time will it ever bring regret or shame
to the Democrats of the state
LITERARY NOTES.