Show DOST DO IT Another exchange attempts to revive the ancient proposition that Utah be annexed to Nevada All the stale and unconvincing arguments are repeated The country is informed again that Nevada is a decaying state that its population is steadily decreasing de-creasing and the people who remain cannot get away there being no sale for their property Heavy as the taxes are barely enough money can be collected to pay the running expenses of the government there being no thought of improvement It is even alleged that the late legislature was compelled to encroach upon the school fund for money to keep the g overnment machinery moving There is no hope for a better condition of things The mines have been worked out and the ranches cannot support the few people who remain because they are unable to go It is argued that it will be necessary to restore the state to a territorial condition when the federal government gov-ernment can take care of it or incorporate in it country and people suflicient to keep it alive Our contemporary suggests that Utah is the territory which should be sacrificed It says the general government is paying about two hundred thousand dollars a year for the privilege of maintaining main-taining a territorial government over the two hundred and lifty thousand people of Utah who are abundantly able to bear their own governmental expenses that this expenditure is an injustice to the taxpayers tax-payers of the nation whose money is thus bestowed upon a community which docs not require it that Utah will certainly not be admitted to the Union while the Republicans Repub-licans arc in control which is likely to con tinue eight years meanwhile the territory being a public charge on the nation It is thought that polygamy has been so nearly destroyed that its enemies in Utah and Nevada combined will be able to hold it in check thereby escaping the danger of a polygamous state The Utah people it is alleged are so eager to get from under the grinding heel of the government tnat they would gladly accept statehoodeven with the weight of Nevada attached The conclusion conclu-sion reached is that the combination would prevent the dissolution of a fast decaying state and relieve the government of an expensive 4 ex-pensive load Doubtless this scheme is thought to be very statesmanlike and wise and its advocate advo-cate will be surprised when Congress and the people of Utah do not readily adopt the plan He will think all who oppose it rank dolts We can assure him that one of the parties to the project and the most interested inter-ested one emphatically rejects the proposition proposi-tion We refer of course to the Utah community one and all without egard to politics or religion or previous condition Utah people have had their full share of affliction and oppression they Have been abused and imposed upon for forty years they scarcely know the meaning of kindness kind-ness and friendly consideration for what few rights they have retained they have been forced into an unceasing struggle But no such affliction as that suggested in the proposed combination has yet been put upon them and it is to be hoped that none will be attempted We are not responsible for the fact that the federal government pays a large sum of money every year for miming this territory Utah is abundantly able to pay all its expenses and is ready to pay them whenever Congress is willing to permit her to do so At no time during the past twenty years has it been necessiry for the nation to pay a dollar forcarryingou the local government gov-ernment The nation has insisted upon doing it and the people being powerless to prevent ought not to be punished on that account But we want nothing to do with Nevada taerottenbDrough the stench from which cannot be smothered All that Nevadans I have been able to do to oppress and injure this territory they have done from their Senators down to the veriest scrub who wields the least possible influence They are all rank enemies to Utah and we dont see why this territory should be laden with the task of the redemption rnd saivr tion of their worthless state In fact we dont understand that it is at all cisential that the state should be redeemed The best tiling to be done under the circumstances is to let the thing die as soon as possible and thus get rid of the nuisance Utah is doing very well She is ready and willing to bear her own expenses at any time when the general government wants to stop paying If Congressmen think it is worth a Barter of a million a and control year to administer the laws affairs here the Utah people can endure it without great effort Bat when Congress does get tired of this cstrava once ard nonsense let us protest against inflicting us with Nevada |