The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-17
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.

The platform adopted by the Demo
cratic State convention in Provo is
extremely wordy, and is made up for
the most part of plaGtudes and the
stereotyped arraigument of the opposi-
ton. 1t left out the one thing that
would have made the platform vital,
a denunciation of church rule and of a
favored class of criminals who can
break the law with impunity. 1t is
generally to be expected In a Demo
cratic convention that equality before
the law of all citizens and of the equal
enforcement of the law upon all, will
be made prominent IN the declaration.
Not so here. The theocratic form of
government was not denounced. The
overlordship of a theocratic priesthood
was not combatted, although it was
recognized with fear and trembling by
almost every speaker that addressed
the convention. The defiance of the
law by lecherous priesthood, was not
objected to. though notorious AS long,
therefore, as the main issue was lodged,
there can be little service in the writ
ten declaration as made,
The plank in the platform which
caused the most discussion was that
which declared for prohibition; and in
declaring for prohibition the conven-
ton took a heavy load from the shoul-
ders of tho church Republican party in
this State. The church Republicans
raised the prohibition issue here, then
lodged it, and now have unloaded it
upon the Democrats That puts the
church Republicans in trim to play
their same old game of yoking together
the church power and the liquor inter
ests, with especial view to the county
election in Salt Lake. 1t follows from
this that the church Republican con-
ventlon will dodge the prohibition is
sue, and will leave the Federal bunch
free to undertake their iobbery here
again this year.
The platform declares that "party is
not a machine to despoil the many by
the few. Perhaps not, and yet the
despolling of the many by the few is
the dominant feature of public hfe in
Utah. Perhaps the Democrats want to
leave that field wholly to the church,
and II must be confessed that the
church occupies that field with q vicor,
tenaclty. and an unscrupulous vora.
clousness that leaves nothing to be de-
sired
The platform declares for the initia.
tive and referendum, and the recall.
The two former we already have in
several forms, but the recall is new
harassment that will keep good men
out Of office who do not wish to he
nagged by demagogic opportunities of
various kinds. 1t also declared for a
commission form of government for
cities where such cities express them
selves IN favor of it. this being quite
different from the proposition before
the last legislature of Utah which
sought to impose that form of govern
ment upon the people of cities whether
the cities wanted it or not,
The platform very Justly deals out
scathing denunciation of the State |
Land Board for its incompetence, and |
for the frittering away of the mag.
land grants given to the State |
by Congress. Nothing more scandalous
and more treachcrous to the people q |
has ever been seen in any
State than the maladministration of |
the public land grants by the Repub~ |
lican administration Of this State. |