The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-23
YELLOW DOG POLITICS.


strong" says the Chicago Times Her.
aid, that a yellow dog can be elected,
it is at the beginning of the period
when it cannot elect an archaugel.'
The remark is true, and as the yellow
dog in politics just now is being quite
generally discussed through the press
the sentence should live. Party ale
glance when based on intelligent con-
viction is an admirable thing, as in
deed all allegiance is to ones concep-
ton of truth. But true party allie
glance does not go to the extent Of
requiring one to accept the yellow dog
theory. To contend that it does, is to
contend that the individual owes
everything to the party while the par
ty owes nothing to its individual mem
bers; owes nothing to their moral or
religious sense; owes nothing to their
traditions or standards of excellence.
Such contention is monstrous in it's
absurdity and utterly revolving to
reason.
Political parties, as we have before
explained, can never reflect all the
which it is composed. 1t only approx
mately does that Many doctrines are
omitted that very many individual
members would desire to insert; and at
times some doctrines are affirmed by
parties that individual members can
not and in their convictions and their
feelings do not wholly endorse. Yet
40 q 10 - Il ~
on the whole the individual accepts it
as the nearest formula of his political
beliefs; and he gives to this or that
party his support solely for the reason
that it incorporates in its platforms
and general doctrines more of his per-
sonal views on political questions than
any other party does.
individuals unite together and form
! political party for the purpose of
conducting the government in harmony
with the policy which the party an
nounces in it's platform; 50 that party
organization is but means of enforc-
/ ing what individuals composing that
party regard as the best policy for
the government. Accepting the politi-
cal doctrines announced by the party
as the nearest approach to ones po-
litical faith, and uniting with the other
members of the party for the sue
cess of those doctrines, true allegiance
is to be expected to that party; but to
say that one must follow his party
blindly. sanction all that it does, and
vote for any person it makes the party
candidate however untitled or disre-
! putable he may be, is a, degree CT
partisan bigotry to the level of which
we hope the people of Utah will never
descend. To do so is to accept tie
yellow dog theory in politics. That is.
over Jealous partisans have declared
that they would vote for yellow dog
if made a candidate by their party,
rather than to vote for respectable,
competent man of the opposite party.
When men talk so, they at once pro-
claim their own bigotry and shame.
Nor are they the best partisans. The
best partisan is he who, while be
recognizes his own reasonable allie
glance to his party, also recognizes the
obligations of the party to the individ-
uaI and to the community. No party
has the right to place in nomination
incompetent men for public office; or
men whose lives are so bad that their
nomination is a shock to the moral
sense of the community; and when a
party does that kind of thing it is pro-
per that it should be rebuked by over
whelming defeat. BY thus rebuking
or helping to rebuke his party by de-
feating it, the Individual often renders
the very best of service to it, for he
brings it back to where it will learn
decent respect for public sentiment,
he makes the party respect the COM
munity, and when it has such respect
for the moral and intellectual sense of
the community, then is the party
strongest.
Let us have no yellow dog politics
in Utah, good people, fer that means
debased politics, unclean politics. Let
us have party politics, and intense
party politics, if you WILL for we adj
mire individuals and communities pos
sessed of strong convictions; but in the
midst of it, let US remember that par
ties are made for the people, not the
people for the parties; and let parties
know from the outset that they must
not only put forth good political doc
trines, but clean and competent men
for Office So shall we secure good
government for the state.
"WHO SAID RATss"
rrnr q long. long time past. old Eng