Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1906-10-13

of a nations glory, so that we ind
today that our opponents are a very
Falstafian crew; unorganized as to
men or principles; they don't know
I today whether they will favor one
doctrine or another In their national
platform: they don't know whether
they are in sympathy with this or that
| doctrine, advancing 1t one day and
taking II to their bosom In the next
In the hopes that there will be some
warmth in the old corpse Of political
hopes.
A few days ago Mr.. Waterson and
the Democratic press from one end
of the country to the other was de-
nouncing the doctrine announced by
/ Mr.. Bryan in New York in favor OF the
government ownership and municipal
ownership of what they are pleased to
| call public utilities, by which they
mean railroads.
l cannot refrain, before taking up
the final question, which / desire to
discuss briefly, cannot refrain from
leaving upon your minds tonight
thought or two in regard to that ques-
ton, the government ownership OF
Do you know that in the state of
Idaho, in many counties, the railroads
pay more than half OF the taxes that
are paid? DO you know that In the
state of Idaho the railroads pay near
~ one-thlrd Of the taxes that are paid
I'm the state2 Now, suppose the rail-
roads did not pay them, who would
make up the deficiency and pay the
fixed charges OF government-because
the taxes represent the fixed charges
OF government. Who would pay It?
Why, the other property owners, be-
cause, you niust remember, you can
not tax the property of the govern
ment under any circumstances what
ever in any state anywhere. can
name you three counties in this state
in which the railroad pays more than
so per cent Of the taxes. School houses
are built In which the children are
being educated out of the taxes paid
by the railroads. Who would pay
J them il the railroads are to be owned
, by the government? What would be-
come of the free and Independent
voter who works for this vast aggre-
! cation of railroads on election
Would you deprive him of his vote?
Mr.. Bryan seems TO think that would
} be one solution of it. Would you de-
} prive 100000 American citizens of
5 their votes as a penalty for entering
1 into the service of the government In
t connection with its railroads? oh, l
Y think not. Would you place the ball
= lot and the result Of an election in
D the hands of 400 odd thou
e sand voters when their bread
+ and butter is at stake2 / think
u not. Now take this into con-
d sideration. The question of the with
n dra wal of this property from taxation,
o the question of the effect upon the
I elections of the voters in the employ
o OF the railroad companies, and then
your own minds will suggest 20 or &c
d other reasons, and see how sound are
n the principles, how safe is the party
t. that would favor such a system OF
= government
# Now you might have imagined few
n evenings since, here, that the only is
h sue to be made in this campaign was
one affecting the safety of your homes
and some very pathetic and sympa.
thetic terms and phrases and sen
e fences were used in describing thu
d danger.
1 You were appealed to as though thil
g terror stood outside of the door anC
TT the lock was trembling in its grasp L
IS break into the home You might hav'
n imagined that this disaster that wa
l pictured was at the door Of every hom
T. in Idaho. Now, as a matter of fac
,e there Is no such threat hanging owe
is the people OF Idaho as they pictured L
Mt you. There is no threat at all. 1t /
very probable that there are crime
l. committed in the name of religion
a. These crimes have existed from tn
lie earliest dawn of history-crimes in tn
as name OF religion. Men have bee
lis burned at the stake; men and wome
ed have been torn in the forum. The
by have been buried. and tortured b
Is. every device In the name Of religion
tie Some of my people were hanged upo
in Boston common because of their re
ID, ligious belief; others were driven int
ur exile because of their religious belle
EN- The same might be said perhaps of
do great majority Of the people in thi
IN audience. The constitution of tn
us ITnitad States gt1ara Mt pprfaCt lii
is erty so far as belief is concerned I
he every person living under 1t and 1t
he a safety protection that we dare M
n tamper with. because in this vast aud
ut ence there are no two Of you who be
lis lieve alike as to your religious dutie
Ike You may think you do. You indors
IN, creeds, but tell you your religion is s
OF purely individual that no two Peep
ever see 1t alike. No one person ca
en- be religious for another Each wit
he himself must hold the Divine spar
en- that guides his life Alright. The IL
Mt, ner light must burn true; then folio
all its guiding principles. cultivate 1t. ar
Of that is religion. The rest of 1t Is cert
ed mony, that is all.
ere Now, we were told the other nigl
% that the Mormons of Idaho constitute
nd a menace to the homes and the Writ
m. and the happiness and the prosperi
EN- and everything that is dear to ar
I
nd piness. That statement was bas'
lid upon another statement that there e.
m. lists In this state crime called polly
no amy You hear It spoken Of und
a other names and different terms. p
as lygamy is not encouraged or indors'
lat by any political party In Idaho or els
are where that l know Of 1t is a heinol
10y offense. II is one that is repellant al
my repugnant to every sense or consciou
ne, ness OF decency, and would not char
my even the Democratic party with ha
led ing fostered 1t or believed in It or u
OF held It, (Applause).
Ia The great mass of the Americ,
es, people, and when say the great ma
les. Of them l mean practically all OF thel
not are instinctively decent in their 4
OF stincts and their lives. They do not +
oo- quire the restraint Of law. They ha
ION no desire to be otherwise.
IN
rty The Mormon Church.
IN The Mormon church, through its tr
If ditions and under circumstances that
our is not necessary to trace. had for lol
rty years professed to believe in and d
IAN practice polygamy in the state OF Ida
and elsewhere