Show UTAH AS A STATE S AH ka ai able abla pep paper written by 07 delate john T eftim ON THE MORMON QUESTION and published in tile the evening news of washington city D 0 it is the babit of the residents of a territory to roil rail at tho territorial sy system steni this habit is confino con confined fico ed to no class leing being 0 indulged 0 in by citi zan 11 general proc rally iri irrespective of party or conditions the exceptions to the rule are arc thoe w who ho hold tile federal Fc deril offices and those who who profit pro in some manner by the aboin anomalous government nor is ia tho the discontent restricted to a single territory it embraces nil all the people oell of all the dependencies it was as n vociferous in colorado ii ft few years ago as it is in arizona today itis iti no more pronounced in utah than in new except that in the former there gremore arc more people hence the proportionately greater 0 discontent the antagonism asserts assers itself with the organization 0 of ta the ie territory and increases in intensity with the years and the V growth of the population the complaints become louder because there are arc more people to complain om plain I 1 t think hink that perhaps we NC of the territories are arc so accas coined to quarrel quarreling 0 with the te territorial ring rit orial system tb that a t we do not stop to consider that the originators of the devised wha t js 7 s TV b alty as s dire arld good a paa blaip fil as could be arranged la our knowledge that the territorial government in un tin american in ill principle and is openly and defiantly in practice it may bo be that we ave forget all else and blind aur ur intelligence to the fact the aim of the founders of the s system stem stein was humanitarian and charitable manifestly the theory is that during the period pe of their infancy while they are arc lacking lackin in population and wanting in the wealth necessary to establish estla blish and carry on a state government the nation as the parent guardian and protector shall assist the weak community not with its ils moral inal influence bence inc merely rely but with mateal aid that it shall take under its parental care the few who are unable to stand alone or to walk provi providing dirom them a government corn ment and paying 0 that proportion of the expenses which the people themselves cannot contribute without suffering deprivation ind and hardship this I 1 say is the theory and would undoubtedly bo be oftener taken into account were it not tit that at the bract practice ce is is accompanied by so much itch oppression and such utter di disregard fregal A of the rights of american citizens As a rule our officials are sent nent to us from distant states and it is r rare ire that they are arc chosen with reference to alic ir fitness for the duties to ho be parl conned billed they are arc not acquainted with nith our people are beldo i it sympathy with them and I 1 rea re t to say eav it they sometimes pose almost a am the representatives of a foreign power acting as if they re regarded themselves as rulers and on sent to 0 govern rovern a subject province if the people of the territories have lost sight of one ogle of tho the theli theory y of our territorial system may it not with equal trual I 1 ba said that the nation itself has forgotten or at least i ignores another and very im important t feature which is that it w was is intended the territorial government should temporary continuing only until the time v when hen the conditions are buchas such as to warrant the erection of the community into a state can call anybody name a territory which was admitted to tile the union U nion at that precise period I 1 will vill somebody mention a state the sole motive for admitting which to the union was the kno knowledge cledge 7 by boug gross gress that her people had become s nui numerous nerous and wealty w enough to maintain a stable government ciment mi ment without the aid of the nation if this had been the rule some settle the territories would have lave been bc eu states st a long years before they tile v were admitted ad bitted mid and may I 1 also sa say v that thai some of the present states mould yet bo be in the condition of f territorial serfdom seif self dom doni but let me speak directly of my iny own territory of utah jail I 1 am not lot going to euirel iu irel with anybody v JL bi cause it was not admitted a n quarter of ofa a century ago when it bosses cl all the qualifications qualification for statehood nor an am I 1 going to to find fault because fan M many of her neighbors nei I 1 and sister dependencies have been taken into the union while she with inith more population greater wealth as 19 high culture and with as much loyalty and patriotism as the best beet of them lias has been denied enfranchisement chi I 1 will simply congratulate the neighbor and sister dependencies I 1 do insist now however that utah should be admitted it has becat urged as an excuse for denying emancipation to U utah tah that ii certain objectionable condition isted in tin the territory which mu must q be ba changed eban 0 ed as a condition precedent tit to admission to the union what those weso were it is unnecessary ary for me to detail heir bele beyond baying they referred ed to tile practice of polygamy poly adiv ly by a i portion of the people and io to the alleged domination of the state by a church the membership of which embraced a large b percentage tac ta C of tile the population whether or not those allegations 0 were well founded is not a matter I 1 for or pre present kent discussion it is sufficient to aspect assert which I 1 do with emphasis that however hoin ever much truth there may have been in the cry in times gone by there is absolutely nothing in ifo it today dav or has thero there been any ing in 15 in it A for fully full three years for some time pre previous violis to 1890 polygamous marria marriages es had bad become less and acid less frequent and in the year named the mormon chure church it in the most r clemn and effective manner possible 10 declared e lart d faither plural marria geeb low and honest they ceroi were in thaude cl is demonstrated by the records of the federal courts in the territory which do not show the t e indictment ofa of a single mormon for or contracting a plural marriage marri a e within the period As to theother the other charge that the church controls in politics and the alie territory is therefore under an all un american rule as to local afi af airs lairs I 1 assume that the public is is reasonably familiar with the emphatic denials of the church authorities that they have the right or the desire to dictate in politics and also with our recent election campaigns cammay and party contests I 1 may however with propriety refer to the election last november for delegate 0 to congress 0 on one ticket the democratic was tile the name of a well known and influential I ientile gentile entile while the republican aspirant to the dele delegates 0 ates seat was not only a mormon lormon but the son of a prominent od of the conventions were composed of boji classes of citizens if we be allowed to divide people into religious classes when talking of politics the carn campaign pai n was most spirited prominent mormons cormons and leading gentiles being arrayed on oil either side edde and when the votes were canvassed it was found t that nat tho the gentile had been elected and y of courte coune largely by mormon Mort non votes I 1 claim aud and am seconded and supported in this by all the intelligent tell telli igent zent unprejudiced jud iced people in the territory that tile demonstration of americanism in utah has been full and complete and should be accepted as satisfactory by congress Con C giess and the file nation and this being true there cin can no longer be presented a reasonable excuse for denying admission to the union or depriving us of olour our rights and privileges n is as american citizens beyond the time it will take to them thein by the speedie speediest ediest t possible process but ono one or tl 0 of al all I 1 tit the territories at the time of their admission lial had population equal to that of utah today her people arc chiefly they are arc almost exclusively permanent residents the floating element such lucli as is attract attracted ted by looms booms and spasmodic excite excitements ments ants of a speculative character comp comprising g but a small percentage of the whole the taxable property is greater in ill the ag aggregate 0 arc gate and per capita than that of ary any territory heretofore admitted the people arc re educated up ill to the american standard the tl C community ro ranking inking action among the foremost in this respect T the lie official og acial records record give her an all envia enviable ble reputation th throughout hout tile the west a as re regard bregarde 0 garde obedience to the laws law and in the observance of the moral colle code in short while not saying 0 it boast angly nor ingli the t thought li ought 0 of r giving offense to to any body I 1 refer to the history of utah a furnishing 0 a exA example of community stability a amid surroundings and under condi conditions tiong tending to the opposite that history providing un art excellent certificate of character for tile the people today tu to day utah asks for adais admission 1011 to the union as a state and I 1 cannot understand how bow an any fair fail minded pen person on can call oppose her appeal the territory lias has fully demonstrated her qualification for statehood and that is all that can call in reason be asked of her that is all the theor theory of the territorial system contemplates we have lone done our part and now let our fellow citizens through M their representatives senta tives in congress do theirs and add another st star a r to t alio lie grand constellation and which I 1 vouch for will shine chine to the credit of the commonwealth which has so so long ben in the shadow of the clouds jolis JOHN if |