The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-30
FORWARD OR BACKWARD?

In view of its large claims and prom
Uses of revolution, the real platform of
the American" party deserves
thoughtful consideration by every citi-
zen who has the welfare of Salt Lake
81 heart.
To begin with. it promises a free"
Utah, an American" city, The. release
from serVitude of a suffering common
wealth; and in their stead it offers
what?
The control OF the city by a defeated
coterie of Republicans who sought and
used church Influence" so long as it
could be had. and. having lost it, now
regard it with great loathing. This CO.
terie is headed by Ezra Thompson,
who once Welcomed "a nomination at
the hands of Apostle George \. Smith.
and smilingly accepted the mayoralty
at the hands OF the forces represented
by Apostle Smith.
Suppose the Thompson "Americans'
were installed in power with a major
ity in the council-what then?
Every Mormon would be barred
from public employment.
Every non-Mormon who disagreed
with the Americans" would likewise
be barred from public employment or
from am voice I'm city affairs.
The city departments would be man
aged and the public funds disbursed
by George Sheets, for one, by P. J.
DAILY, by Joe" Cohen by all the three
dollar-a-day patriots who have been
drawn TO the American" party by its
talk of fat campaign pickings and fat
ter days 20 come if victory crowns the
partys campaign.
In all the American" party's declar-
atoms YOU may search in vain for a
definite policy, q single specific pledge
regarding the water question, the sew
erage question. regarding street paw
ing or sidewalk improvements. only
one thing is known of the American"
attitude on civic problems. and that
is its persistent malignant hostility TO
the Big Cottonwood water project, and
it's efforts to defeat IT.
In the old days. when compact
church political organization barred
non-Mormons from public Office or par
tlcipation in city, county and state
government, the Liberal party waged
war against what it rightfully held
was an un-AmeriCan form of govern
nent. When the division on party
lines came. the old Liberal party and
the old Peoples party dissolved. Evils
still existed, abuses still reused bitter
ness. but it remained for faction of
disgruntled Republicans posing as sue
cessors to the old Liberals to propose
az a remedy for all ills the prescription
OF every citizen who disagrees with
them, whether he be Mormon, Gentle
or Jew.
To carry out this policy, as the
Americans" propose is 10 invite again
a repetition of conditions which held
Salt Lake back for years and would
again make it the center OF all that
is noxious in politics. 1t would mean
the abandonment OF all party lines, a
realignment of bitterly hostile forces,
fighring. not for Salt Lake, but for fac
tionai revenge.
We do not believe the public welfare
or the happiness of the people lies
that way. We do not believe the citi-
zens OF salt Lake care TO entrust their
city,s management 70 men who plan
10 use city offices and city funds as
clubs for the punishment of their po-
liticaI enemies. But we do believe that
the factions responsible for such pro-
gramme will be driven from political
life here for the good of the community
and the state.
That way lies the settlement of the
most serious political ills; and with
these factions driven into retirement,
with peace assured by their defeat. the
growth OF the city and the state viii
bring the great prosperity toward
which every material development
points.