OCR Text |
Show THE CAMPAIGNS OVER. For nearly three months Utah has been deiply interested in odb of the most determined and earnest political campaigns we have ever aeon weged auywhere. The voter has had abundant abund-ant opportunity to learn the merits of the issues joined. It is his own iaalt if he does not profit by the opportun ity to study the ckims of both parties upon his fealty for the future. No man can lecall the several posituns taken by both parties on the issues presented without coming to a con clus on both as to the integrity of the party offering them, as well as the worth and fitness of the principles themselves. It is true that manv things are done and said in the heat of such a contest which rankle and sting and which had been better left unsaid, but the general effect is to broa len the views of the people and to incite that comparison of views by which men are led to estimate the general worth of both parties. There is a set of men attached at-tached to both parties who are intent only npon winning personal advantage for themselves, whose every sentiment is uelfish and whose every act is the prompting of a selfish thought or purpose. pur-pose. I3ut on tne other hand the great masses of both parties are honest frank and candid. These work and vote irom conscientious motives and becauee they really believe m the superior su-perior virtues of their own party platforms, plat-forms, and candidates running on them. The thing for an honest man to do who really desires to serve hiB county and the country best, is to take the history of both. Study the theories of" both. Apply these principles to his own local surroundings as well as to the whole country and decide for nimself, make his own political faith and then 11 stand by the result. The man who is found this year upon this side and the next year upon the other sideinpolitics i8 either a fooi or a selfish person, who is onlystudying his own selfish inter ests regardless of those of the people or of the country. It is needless to say that such a man ought to be defeated wherever and whenever found. It is not sufficient for a man to say I am a democrat by birth. We had rather he werb a democrat from conviction, con-viction, one who Las Btudied as aboye, and arrived at a conclusion. That man will always be true. You can depend upon him. He will scorn to do a mean or dishonest act in order to win victory. He will rather go down to defeat upon the right, than shout in victory upon a bad or dishoneBt basis. When men learn that an honest man must be honest In politics as well as all other things the standard will be raised and politics will be purified. A man cannot steal or lie in politics without stealing and lying in all other thingB. There is a place for truth a ad honor in politics as in every other business busi-ness men engage in. When we get to that point where a man of bad morals, a dishonest or a false man will not dare face the voters, the problem of pure politics will have been solved. For this reason we are in fayor of personal campaigns. If we had more of them, politics would be i elevated, because no man who has lived an impure life would dare to ofler. No thief would ask his neighbors to vote, no false or unworthy man would be given a place on any ticket. The effect' would be that whoever weie elected could be relied i-pon as honeBt faithful men. and fitness and principle the claims urged. |