The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-06
PLEA EoR SALT LAKE.


In desire for partisan advantage.
some OF the politicians and newspapers
Of Salt Lake have been doing the city
a grave injustice, doing it almost con-
stantly for long while and apparent
~ have no intention of desisting now
Isn't 1t time to make a change?
Almost every day during the recent
unpleasantness the Republican news
papers described the Americans" and
Democrats in terms that might fitting
~ have been applied to the residents of
the state prison. Quite as regularly,
and with as little regard for the truth
or the reputation of the community, the
American" press referred to Mormon
church leaders in language calculated
TO impress the stranger with the un-
desirability of Utah as a place of resi-
dence. Taking the Republicans and
Americans" together an outsider
could gather only one impression: and
if he believed half they said he would
be afraid to go out after dark in Salt
Lake without police escort.
Now those of us who have lived here
long enough to get acquainted. know
that the Mormon people as class are
exceptionally quiet in their habits and
tastes. They have some disconeertins
ways in politics. as recent returns
show. but they are above all orderly
in their ways and have an unusually
high standard of commercial integrity.
As a people they are temperate. fru-
sal, good neighbors and deferential to
authority. They do not support the
saloons, nor do they encourage vice.
II is neither honest nor fair to the state
10 declare that they are Iawbreakers.
defying authority. preventing the prop
er administration of the law: and to
reiterate constantly the charges that
are made against them is to do. incalcu-
liable harm TO the whole people. Nor
mons and Gentiles alike.
On the other hand. we ali know thai
the voting strength of the American
party is composed OF the intelligent
Gentiles. men and women of high char
acter, leaders i'm the community. people
whom the Republicans once acknowl-
edged gladly as leaders and associates
IN political activity. II is not true. as
the opposition newspapers repeatedly
assert, that the American" party is
characterless, bent on the destruction
OF property, the ,encoura cement Of
crime. the exile or imprisonment Of
Mormon leaders and the disruption of
the church. few irresponsible leaders
in the party have foolishly talked of
such things, just as few Republican
leaders have terrified their followers by
bogey tales of the Solomon Kimball
kind
AS FOR the Democrats, who have been
described in lurid phrase as traitors to
their party. enemies OF the state. deem
dyed villains and undesirable citizens
their only fault has been a desire for
peace in the state and harmony among
its people. In furtherance of this desire
they have been loyal to their party
when the opposing factions nave sought
70 have them desert TO one or the other
Like a good many men of peace. they
lave suffered for their convictions but
they certainly deserve no such on
probrium as has been given them for
sticking to their convictions and refus-
ing 10 be drawn into a Republican
quarrel
OF course the strife between the
Americans" and the Smoot machine
viii continue so long as strife is profit
able TO both of them. Ii is not neces-
sary, however. 10 conduct the night So
that the state and city shall be adver-
tised to the outside world as the least
desirable of all states and the last city
in the country 10 which an investor or
homeseeker would be drawn.
We ali know that Salt Lake is one NJ
the beautiful cities of the country.
good place for business. possessing
splendid educational facilities. blessed
with all that makes living comfortable
We all know that the state offers such
attractions for investment and homes
as can be found in few regions any,
where. We know. further. that life
ana property are protected absolutely
that the administration of public af-
airs is conducted with better economy.