| Show THE MORMON ATTITUDE IN IDAHO THE purpose of the anti mormon 9 furore which idaho republicans are endeavoring to ferment is rather difficult to perceive there is no tangible reason for it and what its agitators expect to accomplish by it is somewhat of a puzzle to those who know the facts that the mor imor mons of whose votes so much fear is ia pretended have no intention of attempting to take part in the coming election has been established beyond all reasonable doubt yet the anti mormon formon iN agitation is kept up false rumors are spread and the telegraph is employed to misrepresent the situation the following which we clip from a special to the salt lake tribune dated montpelier idaho sept 19 is a sample of the stuff which is being sent over the wires the Mori cormons mormons are still refusing to correct the registration lists and all the registrars are holding themselves liable to criminal prosecution and indictment by the states the mormons cormons have nominated a taxpayers ticket in this county and claim that they will beat the republican state ticket the necessary stops steps will be taken by the p roper proper officials to see that every mormon vote is kept out of the ballot box judge claggett Clagg etc in his hia pocatello speech declared that this must be done and the ballot box protected against the mormon steal if it required the entire executive authority of the state to accomplish it the speeches of judge claggett and judge sweet have thoroughly aroused the gentiles of the southeast and the republicans are sure of carrying these counties by the old fash boned anti mormon majority now seeing that no either vote or hold office in baho the stupidity of the foregoing is self evident what have the mor mods to do with the registration lists how can they correct or refuse to correct lists which are not 1 in r their possession the nonsense of all this is only paralleled by the alleged statement of judge claggett abut about the mormon steal no mormon cail caff be an election officer and if the Mormon Mor mons sl do not vote they cannot steal or in any way turn the tide for or against either party but the closing sentence of what we have quoted above throws some light on the reason why so mu much h work has been done to foster an antt and 41 lormon dormo nl feeling in idaho the old fashioned anti mormon majority it seems is the object to td be gained by all this this means meang a departure from strict party lines line and an attempted fusion of pers persons in both parties who have been rendered partially insane on the mormon 11 question we vve do pot not believe it will accomplish much it may catch a very few voters from the democratic ranks but everybody who knows anything about the matter understands perfectly well that the politics of idaho cannot now be affected by the mormon attitude whatever it may have been been in the past september 20 we had the pleasure of meeting president william budge whose name has been made prominent in recent press dispatches and who is known to be as good an authority on mormon affairs in idaho as can be found on questioning him closely we learned these facts there is no mormon in bear lake county acting as a registration officer the registrar at parts paris had informed him that though he had been ready at his office to register applicants according to law not one Mormon had appeared for the purpose that a deputy marshal had requested him to make a clean sweep of the registration list by expunging all the names this he had refused because that would have been contrary to law but he had bad signified his willingness to do what the law requires that is to strike off the name of any person from the list who could be shown to have no right to vote president budge said the mor mons are not registering or attempting to register they do not intend to vote or attempt to vote he had emphatically expressed his views on this matter to all with whom he had conversed or communicated munica ted namely that after making every legitimate effort to preserve their civil and political rights of which they had been deprived through statutes of which the whole country will yet be ashamed hamed an there is no further reason for contention or interference ter ference in political affairs by or cr in behalf of any member of the church in idaho baho As to the taxpayers ticket he explained that the delegates who were rejected at the boise democratic convention were bona fide taxpayers and property owners and on their return they started the taxpayers ticket not one of them is a mealter member of the mormon church nor are there any members of the church in the local party they have organized some of them were once members others never were and there is no good reason for saying the mor mons have anything to do with that or any other ticket as they are taking no practical interest whatever in this election we have received private information on this matter from which yve we learn that some seme at least of the tax taxpayers aaers party arv are so BO opposed to the pretended democrats who have betrayed them that they desire the defeat of the party even if it seats dubois in further conversation with mr budge he expressed the opinion that the rt republicans would carry the state and that the chances for dubois are good but that it depended upon the strength with which the north pushed its claims to one tor ship governor shoup he said is sure of election both as governor of the state and then as united states senator he thinks the gentleman eminently fitted for either position as he is able honorable high minded opposed to trickery and fraud and the tool too of no man or party and this he said was the prevailing sentiment among the mormons cormons Mor mons in bear lake county in answer to the question as to what was waa the motive of this outcry about the mormon vote he said there could be only two causes one that notwithstanding the facts perhaps some republicans were really foolish enough to believe that because made such persistent efforts to maintain their rights at the polls for several years they intended to make another struggle and the other that fore shadowed in the expression in the special dispatch the desire to combine all ail the anti mormon elements in support of the republican ticket but he repeated there ignot is not the slightest foundation for the idea that any member of the I 1 mormon church in idaho in tends intends to vote at the coming election we consider the arrests that have been made and others that are in tended and fhe outcry which is being maleare ma deare both for political effect and for a malicious purpose seeing that there is positively no ground for be lieving that the mormons cormons Mor mons will attempt to take part in the election the trouble expense and disturbance caused by this new assault upon them is without excuse and wi we believe it is prompted by the same devilish and anti christian spirit which has burned in the bosoms oi many sectarians sect arians and some infidels against a people whose faith they cannot comprehend and whose vir tues bues they will not emulate how ever we are comforted by the conviction that such a people as 98 the latter day saints cannot long be kept under the heels of oppressors nor long remain without v as good citizens worthy of every right and privilege that CAU can be e enjoyed in this free land end |
