Show THE IDAHO TEST OATH DURING the dis dispute p ute in the so called constitutional convention in idaho the following speech was mado made concerning the infamous provision to disfranchise a large proportion of the citizens of the contemplated tem plated state solely ola OB account of their membership in an unorthodox church without reference to any overt act on their part we clip from the idaho democrat the election and suffrage report no 11 being under consideration in committee of the whole in the debate ensuing mr said 1 I have often wished to be a great orator but never so much as at the present resent time from the fact that I 1 believe fieve that all the rights of citizenship worth living for are at the mercy of an unscrupulous ulous party not only those of the cormons mormons but of every voter in this territory but before I 1 proceed further I 1 wish to call your attention to a few of the fundamental maxims of the fathers who were present at the birth of our liberties not however that I 1 think it will make a change in the vote of any member on this floor as that is impossible in any case where fanaticism reigns supreme CA A jealous care of the right of election bythe by the people no republican government can be permanent in which the people are denied a direct voice in the election of their representatives Mil universal versal suf frae and equality of all men before thelah 11 xo no religious test as qualification fi for citizenship or the right to vote or hold office 11 taxation without representation is tyranny 11 such are the sayings of those who framed the declaration of independence and the constitution of bf the united states and in none of the thirty eight states of the union do you find any other qualification for the right of suffrage than that of citizenship and the age of twenty one except those of unsound mind etc even the No negroes groes indians and mixed breeds are accorded their true american prerogatives without inquiry as aa to what they my think or believe on this or that subject now why this discrimination in the constitution of idaho against a class of our own race who have never been convicted of any crime and because they are simply adherents or in the language of section 3 of this article I 1 or who is a member OP of a different religious sect from that of our selves that word remember includes all children born of mormon parents cursing and condemning all from the youth to the crada and even those yet unborn just because and for no other reason than that their parents refused to vote the republican ticket other states and territories have colonies of these people but do not seem to have such trouble and even in utah they vote and hold office mr caine is their delegate in congress he is paid for his services by the united states he calls on the president and all the departments makes speeches in the house of re representatives and no one has ever tempted attempted to have him expelled from that august body which is only odly the inferior of one other body on earth and that is the idaho constitutional tut ional convention but sir air it appears to have been reserved to idaho to put the first religious qualifications of the right to vote and hold bold office into a constitution on the american continent and also to make the first attempt to revise and enforce two of the most hated and damnable heresies her esies against the inalienable right of the citizen taxation without representation and punishment for opinion sake instead of overt acts citizenship is the highest and most sacred relation that can exist between a man and this government with it bestowed he can travel all over the civilized world and all the time be under the protecting hues of the stars and stripes and any infringement of his rights or liberties guaranteed by our laws and constitution would call forth all the powers of his country to avenge the same though it might exhaust the skir surplus plus of the treasury and decimate the army and navy to do it yet after all this expenditure of blood and treasure in n order to restore that citizen to his proper standing before the world and his countrymen if one of thase eagle eyed sagebrush sage brush statesmen should discover that he was a resident of idaho and belonged to the mormon church he would at once raise the howl that said mormon could neither vote nor hold office but section four of this article does not apply to the mormons cormons only but can be made to apply by the legislature to te every voter in the territory it makes that body the sole judge of the most sacred gieges lieges known to man for his own protection from the oppression and abuses of government when administered by bosses instead of the people I 1 object to the legislature having anything to do with the right of suffrage in the proposed state you all know what such an unheard of power means no other state has entrusted it to that source but all without exception have defined and confined it strictly and unequivocally to their constituents now I 1 have this to say to every member on this floor who loves and respects right above wrong vote this infamy down here 0 ana now and if you are overruled here by the fanaticism of the majority then go before the people and point out the danger of voting to adopt such an instrument it gives to any party in power the means to perpetuate itself by a few political shysters shy manipulating the legislature which experience in Territory this has fully shown it was in vain that washington J and his compatriots assumed the me 1 right sword in hand to repel those same innovations on the simplest I 1 and dearest human rights receiving rec receiving eivin a the plaudits pl audits and approbation of all 3 good thinking people for m more than a century if we now are not en titled to the full benefit of those grand achievements equally with ith 5 all other citizens of this great public if we are not then our 1 boasted liberty and even life itself is an idle dream if fanaticism is to become the ruling passion as is now apparent in this proposed state and the bloody scenes of two hundred g years ago are to be re enacted in s sentiment at least then anarchy will take the place of good govern ment it is said that these people are traitors to the country if so 80 show allow me the proof and I 1 will help you hang every mothers son of them found guilty as I 1 despise a traitor to any cause above all other criminals in on the face of the earth but until some evidence is furnished to sustain such a charge they must be presumed to be innocent and especially a as a long as they can act the part of good and loyal citizens by paying i ng taxes suffering all the pains ny and d penalties of just and unjust laws are willing to bear arms arm and nd are subject to the draft in case of war to defend the state slid and even the homes and fi resides of those same fanatics who are seeking to disfranchise them and their posterity forever in this proposed state universal suffrage Buff rage and equality of all men before the law has ever been considered the quintessence of republicanism and on that just and humane proposition it succeeded and became a great national party and carried out the idea by enfranchising several hundred thousand negroes of whom nine out of tea did not know what the word ballot meant but it appears the party JR jn Ida idaho bobaR has a different notion about these rights and that is that only a 81 select few should be permitted to exercise the right of suly suffrage rage as pro PM scribed ascribed by this constitution and that thattie the legislature be empowered to further curtail this right as in Us its wisdom it may see proper there are several men on we taj floor who profess to be followers of a master whose commands are as fol lows not even cormons mormons excepted 3 do good for evil love thine 2 enemies do unto mito othe others rs 9 as a ym oba would have them do unto YOU lt t ils better that ninety nine gay anty CB cape than to punish one w who 0 la aa and who will wil 1 vote for thaw infamous outrageous and P their fell renown W tive measures against men now I 1 ask how call you onelle your aati actions ons with the mw commands of your creten preten pretended ded maa ter no doubt you think me a ag bad man because I 1 differ in 0 vit j from you on some h request that when you reh reaca beautiful shore and have time to I 1 amb emb caa a glance ever into that dark s abyah M that you will bear witness that I 1 did not voto vote to rob any one of y ids hum human n rights nor to punish the A innocent equally with the guilty as you yon did today |