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Show THE ARGUS. 2 Zb c Brgus. Issued Weekly by THIS ARdUS PUBLISHING C0T1PANY. Eoterod at the Salt Lake City rostoilico as sccoud-clas- s matter. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, AUGUST 14, 1897. ...... TERTIS OP SUBSCRIPTION. Any part of the United States. Canada or Mexico, one $2.00 year, jxwtage paid England, France, Germany, and all countries embraced 2..i0 in Universal Postal Union, one year, iiostage paid . 2.50 . Other Countries, one year, iiostage added Postmasters sending subscriptions to The Argus may retain 25 per cent, of subscription price as commission. New Subscriptions may commence at any time during the year. Payment for The Argus, when sent by mail, should be made . in a postoflice money order, bank draft, or an express money order. When keitheb ov these can be procured, send the money in a registered letter. All postmasters are re--. Quired to register letters whenever requested to do so. If the Paper is not desired beyond the date subscribed for the publishers should bo notified by letter, two weeks or more . before the term oxpires. Discontinuances Remember that the publishers must ho noti-fle- d by letter when a subscriber wishes his paper stopped. All arrears must be paid. Requests of Subscribers to have their papers mailed to a new address, to secure attention, must mention former as well as present address. Address all communications to THE ARGUS PUBLISHING COT1PANY, Salt Lake City, Utah. - J. B. WALDEN, Business Manager. . NOTICE. No one is authorized to solicit business, collect money, or .transact any business whatever for The Aegi s unless he bear written credentials signed The Argus Publishing Company, J. B. Walden, Manager." NOBLE WARRUM, JR., - - - Editor. There seems to be oue excuse for ticket in Salt Lake a Non Partisan Movement. City this fajy an excuse not generally given, but, nevertheless, the only meritorious excuse conceivable. It is the doubt existing in the minds of some and dawning on the minds of many that in Utah there is no room for partisan politics. What is the use in maintaining a party organization at great expense and sacrifice of time when a nod or a nudge, a hint or a wink, will defeat its best efforts and opportunities? When extraneous influences dictate its conduct in success, and destroy its independence of action in defeat? When it will form any sort of an alliance for the sake of office and desert its stanchest friends at the scent of danger? Take for example the two leading political parties in Utah; a Republican legislature is led around by a junta, and a Democratic legislature is summoned to the historians office for instructions; Republicans rally round the standard of their party and when victory perches there at last, behold, a man of uncertain politics snatches it from the hand that bore it in battle and claims the reward .of patronage; Democrats meet and denounce .church influence in political campaigns, yet invoke its aid at the first turn in the road ; Republicans fight for the free coinage of silver, but see a goldbug calmly gathering up the reins of party leadership ; Democrats give their time and labor to the upbuilding of the cause and they are tendered a leader and a candidate who will be acceptable to the ruling influence whether he is to the Democrats or not ; for the father so loves the party he deserted that he gives his only political son, that whomsoever believeth in him And shall not perish but have everlasting life. what encouragement has either party for maintaining its organization when success depends upon the concessions made to a power, the existence of which it deplores and shamefacedly denies? No party will win an election again in Utah on its merits, on the strength of the fight it makes or the principles it advocates, at least for a dozen years. Democrats have Eeen non-partisa- n their last chance slip away. Republicans have surrendered long since. So it may well be urged that the maintenance of party organizations in Utah is a delusion and a snare, the conduct of a campaign on national party lines an idle and ex1 pensive folly, and the holding of a partisan election a farce of the most ludicrous order. Again, men may look over the personnel of the leaders and promoters of the citizens movement and conclude that party lines are disintegrating under the magic spell of the master hand, just as the Deseret News some time ago predicted or prophesied. Here we see P. L. Williams, a man whose opposition to tho use of ecclesiastical influence in civil affairs amounted to a mania, who welcomed the division on party lines as a shipwrecked sailor welcomes the sight of a sail ; he is abandoning bis organization not to strike out again for a haven of safety, but to return to the wreck from whence he started. lie is an able man, a man of evident courage and independence, but he lends his aid and counsel to an organization formed and manipulated by the fine Italian hand of the man behind the curtain. Then R. C. Chambers and A. W. McCune, president and vice president of the Herald respectively, owners and publishers of the Democratic organ of the state, pledging their support ticket. There and influence to the are several Republicans of prominence, men who are not devoid of ambitions or other selfish interests, identified with the movement. But Republicans may see their only hope in such a complication and are not sacrificing so much as it would seem. Still they are well aware of the man who inspired it, even if they blunder in determining bis motives. What is there in the conduct of these men to justify the belief that the existence of national parties is longer necessary in the state of Utah? non-partisa- n It has been apparent to Mormon Democrats for some time that certain leaders of the Democratic party in Utah have had no use for them save for the ecclesiastical influence they may possess. Whn that is gone leaders have no further interest in them . When a Mormon takes an active part in a Democratic fight he takes his life in his hands. No Mormon of prominence cares to appear prominently among the Democratic hosts. If he undertakes to prevent the leaders of the opposition from causing a stampede to their party he will incur the displeasure of one who brooks no interference ; he will bring upon himself trouble, disgrace, loss and persecution ; and the Democratic party,, having led him into such a predicament, will desert him there and leave him to the tender mercies of those who will and do control both parties. Some leaders of the state Democracy are just the class of men to get a Mormon adherent into trouble and desert him in his hour of need. B. II. Roberts had them sized up correctly, and he refused to further affiiate with a party which he felt would refuse to recognize him the moment it was doubtful about realizing on an association with him to the extent of offices for at leaders. The least a few of its Argus has condemned Mr. Roberts in no uncertain terms for the course ho pursued, but, after all, the Democratic party of Utah has not been conducted in a manner to inspire the friendship, support or even the confidence of any Latter-daSaint. For had Mr. Roberts remained s would eventually have with tho party its treated him with the same contempt it has already shown him tho instant he appeared to be in the way of some selfish leader. self-constitute- d y say about the cowardice of Mormons in politics. As a matter of fact, no more arrant political cowards ever lived than many of the leading Gentile politicians of Utah. Without the superstitious fears of religionists, without the respect for leaders, worthy and unworthy, that is bom and bred in members of the church, that becomes a part of their being, a frame of their mind, this class of Gentiles to whom reference is made, are continually bowing and crawling before the man who, without being called the head, is yet the head of both parties in this state. They are ever attempting to negotiate for some kind of preferment, for some office or other, they are working in the dark or through agents, directly or indirectly, and employ their leisure moments in resenting imaginary attacks on the of the great machine, or making excuses for his conduct in political affairs. The fundamental reason is that so many of our leading politicians only came to Utah with commissions to hold office and draw a salary, that they acquired an appetite for such things before their terms expired, and their craving is now uncontrollable and prompts them to do many peculiar things in order to gratify it. master-mechani- c The Argus does not believe in the abolition of political parties. They are apparently essential to the perpetuity of a republican form of government. They should retain a foothold in every state of this union; But there is every reason to believe that parties divided by national lines and supported on principle no longer exist in Utah ; that they have not existed for almost two years, except in form ; that the same influence that controls a Republican convention dictates the action of a Democratic convention ; that the same unseen hand guides Republican and Democratic legislatures alike ; and why should there be two or more party organizations kept up when the same head thinks and plans for all? In the interest of economy and honesty one or all should be disbanded. If such is the acknowledged con-moveditionof affairs in Utah the ment is perfectly proper. The Argus is not prepared just yet to endorse it, but appearances seem to warrant the departure. 1 non-partisa- n The ment in municipal politics presents novement. such an appearance of strength at the first glance that opposition to it would seem futile and But, after a careful study of the personnel of its promoters and a peep behind the curtain to see whose plan it is, the feeling of apprehension dies away. The men who are actively engaged in perfecting the non l partisan organization are, almost without excep-- I ticket tion, the men who agitated a four years ago, who succeeded in electing 81 citizens ticket and installing an ministration, from which, by the wray, the bulkl of the debt under which the present administra-tion is staggering, was inherited. It wTas in thoeel and I days that the fight in the fire police departments began, that expenses piled! and! up, that money was paid out for luxuries salaries to sinecures, whereas the present admin istration has had barely enough for the batfH necessities of city government and the interest onll debts which were handed down and not incurredU I by the present Republican administration. so-calle- ill-advise- d non-partisa- d. l non-partisa- n anti-part- y ad-- 1 l non-partisa- n . I poo-bali- The Gentiles of Utah have had a great deal to h move-grtehr- n The list of agitators of 1893 published in the Tribune at that time compared with the men who, according to the Tribune, art still agitating the wiping out of party lines it Salt Lake City, tends to verify the statement tbs non-partisa- n |