The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-10
ADVERTISING IDAHO.


for The peace and the ethical progress:
OF the commonwealth
Idaho has a constitutional provision
under which a certain class of offenders
against law are prohibited from voting
or holding Office. That proposition has
| been n dead letter The influence Of
the Mormon church, against whose
| polygamous offenders the section would
| operate, has succeeded in nullifying the
| prescription; and in direct defiance of
the explicit letter and spirit of the
| fundamental law. some of the multiple
wived minor hicrarchs have held office.
| some of them still hold Office, and all of
| them who care 10 do so cast their
votes. So careful has been the dominat.
ing politics influence in Idaho, in the
interest of these people, that it has re-
| fused to pass statutes to punish them
| for their crimes; and thus they have
| had not only absolute immunity from
punitive proceedings, but reward by the
| State, whose constitution and whose
! sentiment they have hagrantly out
| ragged.
Not the least solicitous of their
| friends has been the present Gov
ernor. Frank r. Goodlng, BY a happy
| reciprocal arrangement they have been
permitted-if not under the auspices.
at least without effective opposition
from him--to conduct their criminal
operations; and he has gone so far as
TO counsel what is really mobocracy
against anv citizens who should dare
to challenge the prose ribed Mormon
polygamists or their supporters at the
polls, Their part of the arrangement
has been beautifully sustained: for
they elected him over his distinguished
opponent Judge Stockslager. last No
vember-Judge Stockslager having
carried the majority Of the non
Mormon counties and Gooding rolling
up practically solid Mormon vote in
the southeast.
But now comes the peculiar thing and
the malignant Insult against which Ida.
no must offer resistance unless she would
become further involved in the tolls of
this hierarchical despotism and further
plunged into the corruption of the po-
litical bargain which probably exists
Governor Gooding recommends that If
the test oath shall he re-enacted in
fulfllment OF the Constitution (and he
sees no reason now TO resist such en-
actment) it must be made broad enough
TO include every offender against
morality, so that not alone shall the
Mormons be disqualified from holding
Office for their crime of polygamy and
disqualified from voting If they sus.
tain polygamous practice-but every
man who transgresses the code of virtue
shall be likewise punished.
If the Legislature of Idaho, repre-
senting its people, should deem that
these prescriptions were necessary for
the safety of the State aud were de.
sirablc as a means of securing the So
cial uplift, no better enactment could
60 upon the statute books.
But Governor Gooding has insulted
the intelligence and the decency of the
State of Idaho by his proposition He
deliberately ignores the plain letter and
determination of the Constitution of the
State, adopted after long consideration
and sustained by the decision of courts;
and then filings his outrageous lnso-
lences IN the faces of the people of
the commonwealth by asking that they
make the unused prescription broader
IN its application. AS an executive of
existing law, the Governor is
failure; and his remedy, seriously
proposed in a solemn message to the
legislative assembly, is as ridiculous as
the attempt to multiply nothing by
nothing. If he will protect men against
the present Constitutional provision,
and if he will direct that challengers
be thrown into Jail who attempt TO
question tie right of prescribed crim-
nal class 10 vote, what is the use of
enlarging prescriptions and attempting
other punishment-unless the Governor
finds such exquisite pleasure in nullify-
ing the law and violating his solemn
oath that he would gain additional Joy
in having more laws to nuIify and more
opportunities TO violate his obligation
of Office?
Governor Gooding proposes The cheap
trick of loading down the test oath
with provisions which never before
have been attempted in an American
State, in the hope that he will thus
preserve his polygamous friends: and
the Legislature of Idaho is called upon
to join in that. insult to the intelligence
and the morality of the people of the
State. or TO resent il in behalf of the
lawabiding and virtuous people Of the
commonwealth
Governor Gooding mas directly at.
tackled the character Of Idaho's popu~
lation, Polygamy was well defined
crime, those who practiccd it engaged
i'll it flagrantly and deGantly. they
claimed and secured extraordinarily
high honors in their community because
Of their crimes. When Governor Good
ing demands that all offenses against
morality be placed In the same category
if he be sincere at all-he is giving
notice to the world that Idaho is so
rotten in her morals that a special