The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-19
RIGHTS OF a MAJORITY.

The Mormon people are in a large
majority in this state. as a Republi-
can contemporary has frequently OBJ
served.
They constitute, probably. eighty per
cent Of the voting strength of the Dem
ocratic party. When delegates are
elected from the different counties to a
state convention. il is only natural that
the Mormon element" so-called,
should predominant 1t has been so in
every campaign. Yet no one can truth
fully say that the element holding this
power in state conventions has abused
ii. The tickets Of the past and present
do not show that the eighty per cent"
of the party has ever appropriated
eighty per cent Of the nominations.
Attention is called to this matter
merely for the purpose of showing that
creedaI distinctions and religious pref
erences have not controlled in party
conventions. much as our Republican
friends insist that they have.
However. ii was whispered about by
members Of both parties this year that
the congressional nominees would nat
urally be Mormons. This was accen-
tuated by the practical unanimity
among Republicans for the nomination
OF Judge zane.
When Judge King announced his
withdrawal from the congressional race
active workers began to push the Rob
erts boom along The young men and
women of the eighty per cent" We're
behind that boom. They knew Mr.. Rob
erts. He was their ideal orator. He
was their natural choice for congress
man. They worked for his nomina-
ton. They went into the convention
as Democrats-duly elected delegates.
They expected TO support The choice Of
that convention. no matter who it was
They had right to feel that they were
sitting with others who would do the
same.
They were numerous enough to Sc
cure the nomination of Mr.. Roberts
He had been their choice in 1895. His
relations are the same today that they
were then. They knew of no reason for
opposing him this year that couldn't
have been used three years ago.
The fact that he acquiesced in the
s'ruie Of discipline" reaffirned in the
manifesto OF 1896. is put forth. But that
is no argument for Republicans to use
to members of the Mormon church. In
the first place. Republicans advised the
acquiescence; in the second place. there
is nothing in that allegation that ap-
peals to people who endorsed the man
ifesto themselves.
To ask them TO oppose Mr.. Roberts
because he bowed to that rule is like
asking them to reverse themselves,
and some people are not so agile as the
local Republican contortionists seem to
he. And TO implore them to repudiate
Ar. Roberts because Of his raising and
training is TO ask the people 10 repudi-
ate their own bringing up.
Every sort of a threat has been used
"a intinidate the members of the domi-
nant church into voting against Mr..
Roberts. An attempt has been made to
scare them with church opposition.
Danger signals have been hung out at
Republican headquarters. Trouble and
bloodshed are neld up before the fami-
lies of missionaries, and every imagin- |
able dodge has been resorted to; and
the secret of it is told by the Republi- |
can organ.
What it says of B. H. Roberts, if APP |
plicable to him, applies to every man, !
woman and child in the dominant |
church in Utah. 1t says:
From childhood he has been trained |
TO Asiatic methods"
The truth is if men are not prepared |
to affiliate with members of the Nor
mon church in either party, they might |
as well make up their minds to get out |
of politics and to stay out Antago-'