The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-25
RLACKMAlL AS A WEAPON.

There is one disgraceful feature Of
this special campaign that win surely
not escape the attention Of the honest
voters OF Utah. It is a question that
involves the political honor and integ-
rity Of the people, and it commands
the earnest consideration of every cit
izen who would protect the good name
Of the state.
A leading Republican organ. conduct
ed by 8 federal offiee-holder and po-
lygamist, is proclaiming. day by day,
that if Utah remains true to her pollt-
icaI convictions and sends Judge King
TO congress, the Mckinley adminietra-
ton and the Republican majority will
retaliate by inficting further hostile
legislation upon the polygamists, but
that if James T. Hammond is elected
all anti-polygamy agitation will cease;
that if the people desire to escape a
constitutional amendment prohibiting
polygamy they must "get in line with
the administration" It is a case Of
give us you votes or De sandoagged
/ by congress.
And Republican emissaries are go
ing about the state in gum shoes, like
their candidate, whispering to this and
{ that influential voter that everything
| has been fixed; that Republican apos-
tie and a Republican bishop went down
! to Washington, saw the Republican
/ leaders and made satisfactory arrange
ment, and that if the state can only
be delivered to AtcKinleyis1n, the polyg
amists will suffer no further disturb
( ance.
Do these Republican schemers as
sumo that there is no honest manhood
nor womanhood left in Utah? Their
course can imply nothing else. Laying
aside the palpah3e faisity of any state
ment that the national leaders of the
Republican party Or the Mckinley adj
ministration would enter into d deal to
protect Utah polygamists in exchange
for the Utah vote, what an appalling
condition Of political degradation these
/ Republican workers would ascribe to
UTAH What strange notions must
they entertain concerning the political
morals Of the p'5ple!
]
! sources that this infamous plan is the
chief reliance of the Hanna party in
this campaign; that their main hope Of
success lies in the expectation that the
people will regard the welfare of polyg-
amists as Of greater Importance than
the welfare of the nation or the success
Of political principles.
In what position Of shame would Utah
be placed were the people really con-
trolled by such ignoble motives as this
Republican plan would imply. Suppose
they should thus abandon every politi-
cal principle and elect a candidate who,
throughout the campaign. has refused
to say whether he believes the votes he
solieits are honest votes. Then Mr..
Hammond would present himself at the
door of congress, hat in hand, apollo
giving for the intrusion, and if he spoke
the whole truth concerning his pres
ence, he would say this:
1.-The people that sent me here be-
Heve in blmetallism; they believe in
Americanism and repudiate the Tory
ism and imperialism of this admins
tration; they believe the trusts should
be restrained; they believe that the De-
claration Of Independence should con-
tinue to be the inspiration of this re-
public, and that the constitution is the
fundamental law Of the land; they be-
+ lieve in liberty for ell, and are opposed
to wars Of conquest; all these things
do they believe, yet they have sdrren-
dered their convictions; they have
abandoned every political principle and
have selected me to carry their homage
to this imperial administration. solely
because there ere few polyganists
out there who crave the indulgence OF
our gracious rulers
The shame of it. The humiliation