The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-18
To the Editor of The Herald:

To the Editor OF The Herald:
In compliance with your request for
a statement on the Roberts contest
matter, ! beg leave to submit the fol-
Lowing:
With all Difference to Mr.. Roberts
ability IS a churchman and statesman,
have always regarded his nomination
and election as an unfortunate and i'll
timed affair I have had no reason
given me as yet that has caused me to
change my mind. The expected agjta-
tion in the eastern states has come, ard
viewed from every standpoint makes
= matters bad for cur fair young state.
Several weeks prior to his election,
found myself deluged With queries
whether or not ! would be willing TO
contest his seat IN the event Of MS eiec-
ton. To this ] replied. both publicly
and privately, that if ii the course Of
human events the duty cf conteSting
fen upon me in consequence OF My be-
lng an opposing candidate, [ should
not shirk the obligation. So far ! have
had no occasion to change my mind
upon that subject ! thought then and
1 think now that the much-moOted
question of polygamy should for once
and forever be settled. l think the
good Of both Murmcns and gentiles de-
m2nds il. If 10 contest his seat is the
proper way to settle the question, then
TIE contest should by al means be
made. II there be methods other than
4 contest by which this end can be
more easily reached, they should be
used
RESOLUTIONS OF NO AWAIT.
However. it takes more than a Mere
resolution 10 contest q seat in congress.
It takes work and lots of money. The
former ! cannot do. and the latter
have not And if | could do the former
and had plenty of the latter of my own
J would be very foolish to Go the one
or to spend the other on my own ac-
count. for I am only private citizen
and Alr. Roberts case is of no more
interest to me than to any other citi-
zen. If others can live under 1t l Ger
tainly can. and If ] can't the road over
which 1 came to Utah Is still open and
doing a passenger business, 50 that /
can get out of the state. BY this I
mean that While / am ready and will
ing TO do my part, / am not willing
to do it ali or any more than would
equitably fall upon me as a private citi-
zen, and as an opposing candidate. An
ticipating these facts, several weeks
prior to the election divers citizens
Guiding several Leading Democrats did
considerable talking, accompanied with
sundry eXtravagant statements and
gorgeous pledges of money and other
utensils of warfare. They made sew
eTal attempts 70 get together and or
EaniZe their forces for the fight but
from some cause or other they were un-
able To get together, and have not as
yet SO far as / have ever heard. So
all this furry and buster like a great
many other formidable undertakings
hath resolved itself into talk and thin
wind. having neither body, parts mol
passions" So that while Individually
stand where have ever stood, moth
ing seems palmer TO me now than that
If I made the contest at all, shall haVs
to do SO on my own hook, so far az
those aforesaid citizens, politicians and
statesmen are concerner Again, the
time is drawing nigh when il viii be too
late 70 f5le q contest, the limit / believe
being thirty days after the official count
has been made. If anything is done al
all it must be done at once and judging
the near future by the recent past
TTeel warranted in saying that nothing
JWiil be done. If there be those who
are expecting me to file q notice OF
contest and then 90 about passing tbs
hat like q mendicant to get "A few
dimes with which to defray my e&-
penses in Washington, they VIII bs
mistaken, for I win not do it. If they
want a contest made let them get to-
gether. organize their forces, put III
the money and they will find me OF
hand ready to do my part. Otherwise
not. Ny attention is frequently called
to the fact that the government pays
the expenses Of a contest to the amount
of $1,000. So it does. but 1 shall Ger
tainiy not make an unsupported, spirit
less. meaningless contest for the pur-
pose Of raking in $1,000. / don't neeC
morey SO badly as that. What 1 NEAR
to say is, / do not believe in doins
things En- q half-hearted, aimless fash
ion. If a contest is to be made, max,
a contest, and make it in earnest: j
not, drop it altogether. Enough upoI
that point.
WON'T MAKE RELIGIOUS FIGHT
There is a movement on foot among
preachers and others Of the Protestan
clutches to send IN a protest agains
the seating Of Mr.. Roberts. III iact
the matter OF protesting and of contest
ing seems to have simmered 1own L
this. The religious organizations anC
periodicals of the east are actually
paying some attention 10 the case, fol
we quite frequently read of divers res
olutions being passed protesting
take his seat. So it seems that th'
fight is TO be a fight between tn,
churches. This may all be well enough
and may be successful, but, unlortu
nately. ii is not fight in which 1 car
s. consistently or conscientiously TAX,
part. The only ground upon which
proposed TO contest or could consist
entity contest Mr. Roberts seat, wa
that of breaking faith with the gov
ernment Statehood was granted Ultal
on the express condition that rolyga
NOUS practices should cease. 1t seem
that ii has not ceased. Those haVini
plural wives have continued 20 liV'
with them. and Mr.. Roberts is one 9
them. consider his election t
congress to be in open violation of tina
sacred compact, and for that reason
and for that alone, should he be calle'
to an accounting. AS I have sta5et
openly and often, the question o