| Show unreasonable AND BASELESS THE political plotters who inaugurated and are conducting against the interests of the people the disgraceful proceedings that have occupied the third district court for several days never fall fail to take every available opportunity to refer to the half masting episode of the fourth of july 1885 their object is always the same to distort the purpose of that incident into an insult to the emblem of union and liberty which every true latter day saint reveres none know better that such a construction st ruction of the intent of the act is utterly false than the parties themselves who constantly seek to give it a sinister aspect they know as we know that no such purpose as they present was ever intended and their understanding of this fact renders them all the more determined on the subject and evinces their injustice and malice their e r con conduct act in this respect is intended to cover up the real object of the half mast ing which was occasioned by a condition of things they had been largely instrumental in producing they have thought that if they could fasten upon the mormon nl people the odium that attaches to disloyalty which would be indicated by disrespect to the flag of our common cou country prejudice against the community they have been seeking for years to reduce to political serfdom serf dom would be increased under this cloud of popular bias they could conduct their wicked schemes with impunity half masting a flag is an expression of a sentiment that of sorrow this voiceless manifestation of grief is given when some widely respected publicist or benefactor leaves the mortal state or when any other event transpires that is a regarded as a public calamity was it to be presumed that the mormons Mor mons I should be jubilant over the condition of affairs that had existed for some time wholesome laws passed by the local legislature for the public been vetoed by wholesale by the operation of the one man power vested in a prejudiced and oue one sided governor A large proportion of the community had been 1 l v f iff f Saua iSAsi dis franchised without due process of law a condition of things had been inaugurated which made practicable the wicked and illegal multiplication of indictments of mormons cormons Mor mons for one offense W H dickson who figures in the present crusade being the father of that nefarious system which was eventually smashed by the supreme court of the united states the delegate to congress elected by the people by all ah overwhelming majority had bad been denied his certificate by the governor the latter being induced by clamoring active politicians to give it to a man who received a comparative handful of the popular vote the initiatory steps had been instituted which have led to the present situation when mormons cormons Mor mons are practically excluded frum the jury box and are virtually denied the common right of trial by jury the base had already been laid for the present condition when the property of the saints has been seized by a special and unequal process contrary to the genius of american institutions in the midst of these circumstances and confronted with a future that foreboded foreboder fore boded further encroachments encroach ments upon their rights and liberties could it be e expected that a people thus treated and menaced should feel otherwise than grieved at what appeared to them the partial decay of liberty the position in which the glorious old flag fg was placed upon some of the buildings in this city in 1885 was simply and solely an expression of that sentiment that and nothing more nor less no matter what individual opinions may exist to the contrary there was not the remotest intention of any insult to the emblem of liberty and union any more than would be the case if it had been placed in the same position as it often has been on the occasion of any public calamity indeed the majority regarded the wrongs that had been heaped upon them as not only disastrous to tt them iem but that they would ultima ultimately lely have that effect upon the nation on the ground that the rights of one class of citizens cannot be invaded without those of the whole being sooner or later detrimentally affected we reassert re assert that there was no intention to show disrespect to the flag which was planted ensign peak by the pioneers who came to this valley in 1847 and whose subsequent battles with the crude elements made this part of the republic habitable they thus thua symbolized their purpose of upholding the national ensign and maintaining ta to the best beat of their power the glorious institutions of the country the majority have never shifted from that ground the falsehoods of their enemies and detractors to the contrary notwithstanding the most diabolical fabri fabrications callons have been invented for the purpose of showing that this is not the case cam appearances may favor for a time these wicked aimers but the fact is indestructible and will in course of time be made as clear as the sun at noonday noon day until then an honest patriotic and virtuous people must wait and struggle and struggle and wait till the light bursts forth and victory perches upon the banners of those who are engaged in the battle for freedom the charge that the half masting incident was or could be intended intend ed as an act of disrespect to the flag is devoid of reason or logic is without precedent and utterly baseless |
