The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-15
LOCAL AGITATORS.

Our morning and evening contempor-
aries persist in threshing over the same
old straw they We're engaged upon fiji
teen or twenty years ago. Each dis
claims any intention of renewing the
old fight, yet both are at it tooth and
nail, hammer and tongs, belaboring
each other with the same old weapons.
Each bIames the other, and, in sense,
they are both TO blame.
Every morning we are told that the
Mormons are imposing on the Gentiles,
and almost every evening we hear that
the Gentiles have designs upon the
Mormons. Our forenoon contemporary
says that the Mormon people are law
breakers and pledge breakers, that
''multitudes of polygamous children
have been born since the constitution
was adopted, and that the towns of
Utah are filled with them" Our after
noon contemporary says that it makes
no apology or excuse for any violation
of the law" In the morning we are
told that the church violated and is vio-
lating every pledge it made with the
government, that no modern nation
was ever so defied by insOlent sub
jects.'' and that "Gentiles may look to
see the direct influence of the church
in every election" When evening comes
we are informed that AN anti-Mormon
sentiment has been created, fostered
and developed in school matters for a
number of years past"
This is the sort Of fight that disturbs
business, frightens capital and Injuries
the state. No one objects to the News
and Tribune fighting out the personal
differences Of their editors, unless it be
their readers. They may question each
others morality, Integrity and financial
standing 10 their hearts content for all
we care. A good fight on live topics is
inspiriting. People don't mind it, But
this everlasting rafting of dry bones.
this journalistic ghost dance in which
our local contemporaries are INDUCING
is out Of season, out of place, injurious
TO the state and annoying TO the peo-
pie.
Besides, what does either paper hope
TO accomplish by arousing the preiu-
dices and animosities of its particular
clique? The logical outcome of such
a controversy would be the division of
the community on local and religious
lines. Those who believe with the News
would take one side and those who
believe with the Tribune would take
the other.
The fact of the matter is the great
majority Of the people, nine-tenths of
them. perhaps, do not take any stock in
the charges and counter charges of the
antiquated belligerents. Mormons and
Gentiles are getting along together
very well, socially, politically and COM
mercially. Every appeal to the preju-
dice of one against the other is in
famous, in view of the progress that
has been made and the good fellowship
that has been established And the
newspaper that undertakes to arraign
one class against the other whether
its motives be selfish or mistaken. is
doing the commonwealth an injury and
rnisrepresenting the class for which it
pretends to speak.
The MOrmons are not trying to drive
the Gentiles out. The Gentiles are not
combining against the Mormons. There
are a few fanatics on both sides, no
question about that But the masses,
in the dominant church and out. want
no resumption of the old agitation;
the viii not participate in any ancient
conflict; they are going right ahead.
Let the relies remain behind, if they
Will.