Show Communicated REPUBLICANS AND STATEHOOD The Infant Republican part In Utah strugglingto catch the breath of life has made Its nominations for tho territorial legislature and declared Its principles in a platform No exceptions could be taken to the featleiBaa nominated for councilmen T and representatives only that they are Republicans Re-publicans and therefore stand for princi plea which are dangerous to the spirit 01 our American government and under the plea of protecting American industry would rob the many to benefit the few Believing this to be not only the tendency but the re suit of their principles we holdthem In social life as friends and gentlemen but i n the political arena as opponents whom we mean to defeat if we can by fair and honorable honor-able meansnot by attacking the men bu by exposing the unsoundness of their principle prin-ciple and the danger there is in their application ap-plication to government Turning from the men put in nomination to the platform on which they stand w e must confess that for a party that professes pro-fesses to absorb all the aggressiveness and boldness there is in the country the declare tion of principles seems powerfully weak and in places not a little inconsistent inconsis-tent Take for instance the following section sec-tion seven of the platform The nations Republican party in its platform plat-form adopted In 18S8 declared the government govern-ment by Congress of the territories Is based upon necessity only to the end that they may become states in the union Therefore whenever when-ever the conditions of population material resources public intelligence and morality are such as to insure a stable local government therein tho people of the territories should be permitted as a right inherent in them to form for themselves constitutions and state governments govern-ments and be admitted Into the union This is all very good and we believe that as strongly as the Republicans do yea stronger than they do But following this statement comes matter altogether at variance with it We deny says the platform that the Republican party is organized in Utah to procure or unduly hasten statehood and such charges are not only untrue but tend to injure tho business interests of the territory by creating false alarms and endeavoring to present false issues The question of statehood for Utah is not involved in the nresent political issues or a in the present movement for a division of I the people of this territory on national party I t lines and discussions of that question are premature i At present political action should be wholly preparatory Among the preparatory i prepara-tory agencies are the discussions and controversies con-troversies appertaining to party politics I It maybe true that the Republican party is not organized to procure or unduly I hasten statehood It may bo true so far as the Republican part is concerned that the question of statehood for Utah is not involved in the present political issues I but why say that tho charge that the object ob-ject of the political revolution in this territory terri-tory is statehcod for Utah tends to injure the business interests of the territory by creating false alarms and endeavoring to I present false issues I Try how men and parties may push it away from us ever so much turn our faces away from it as often as wo please it is an issue thAt confronts us and that no exorcism can bide in darkness dark-ness It is the one great thing that immediately im-mediately concerns the paople of Utah and about which they must soon take action I And what is there in it we would ask our i Republican opponents that would tend to > injure the business interests of the territory I terri-tory Why should a demand for what is unquestionably the right of I the people of Utahthe inestimable right of governing themselves injure the business interests of the people To what pass are we coming in this great republic if this be true Is it so that a great peo I ple cannot ask for what is admitted on all hands to be their right but what the cry of it will tend to injure the business interest inter-est of the people must be raised Our answer an-swer to that cry would be so much the worse for the business interest then for the I moment there are other things dearer and I moro important to a free people than commercial I com-mercial prosperity One of these things is i the full enjoyment of their political rights I Besides this danger to business Interests Inter-ests can only be for a moment if it exists I at all and with statehood when the destiny des-tiny of our loved Utah shall be relegated to I the hands of her own people our business I busi-ness interests will be settled on a more permanent basis than they can possibly rest on in our territorial existence By adopting the paragraph from the National Republican platform of 1SSS our Utah Republicans tell us that whenever the conditions of population material resources re-sources public intelligence and morality are such as to Insure a stable local government govern-ment therein the people of the territories should bo permitted as a right Inherent in them to form for themselves constitutions constitu-tions and state governments and be admitted ad-mitted into tho union Then why follow this statement with the declaration that the discussion of the statehood question for Utah is premature The only justifiable reason would be to say that Utah lacked In some of thQ qualifications enumerated in the above as being essential to statehood Does Utah lack in population i Or in material ma-terial resources Or in public intelligence and morality such as will insuro a stable local government Is the Republican party prepared to say to the people of Utah that they lack in anyone of theso qualifications If not if they admit ad-mit that in all these things there is nothing wanting why is it that the discussion of the statehood question for Utah in their judgment is premature Can it be that our Republican friends have failed to shako off their fears of the Liberal lash The plaintive cry of the Liberal party is that this political revolution means statehood for Utah Why of course it does That is as sure to be the result of this movement as that the day will follow the night and the quicker men and parties recognize that fact and quit whining about it like a dog crossing a pond on thin ice which cracks and bends under him and go bravely to work to obtain it the better and the sooner will coma permanent business prosperity to Utah We had hoped that a party professedly pro-fessedly as brave as the Republican party would have given us something braver if not better than its cowardly twaddle about this statehood business It is never premature pre-mature to discuss and demand the rights which belong to tho people But then let us be charitable to the infant Republican part It has not been long enough born to be entirely free from the fears natural to the period of infancy I |