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Show I THE FORCICAL LOCAL CAMPAIGN. H We can recall no other political campaign, not one in the history of this Republic, like the Present one in Utah. We weald think that ev-j ev-j ery self-respecting man who lus been making beeches would return home and keep still until H the programme is completed on election day. The H cnvention of Republicans in Ogden showed with H asolute plainness that the men voted for there jyere as much "set aside" for that purpose as if V lney had been called to go on a mission. It was still more pronounced at the county convention held in this city, except that here the church and the Kearns 'political machine worked together in absolute harmony, and made such a mingling as was never before seen in Utah. After that what use was there for any campaign? None whatever, what-ever, except to beguile the people into the belief that they are really factors in the campaign; to beguile them, for the moment, into a belief that they are in truth American citizens. This does not fool any Mormon, it ought not to fool any Gentile. There is no Mormon with strength enough to denounce the interference of the dominant domi-nant church jn this State; that being so, what self-respecting Gentile can go out and make speeches as though he did not believe there was either a combine or a church direction to the people how they shall vote this year. The truth is Utah is no more a free State than it was, in the old days, a free Territory. In those days the Mormons voted the People's ticket without a scratch even as they were directed to from Church headquarters. The same authority is over them this year and the result would be just as of old except that a solid vote would be too much of a give away. The order, this year, will be simply to secure a majority for the ticket which the Church wants elected. The situation is perfectly understood. It being be-ing so, we cannot see how any Gentile can stultify stul-tify himself by pretending not to know the fact. The shame of the business is most deep. To call this a free State, when it can be controlled through the superstitious fears of a part of the people and through a lust for spoils on the part of others, is a most humiliating falsehood. The Saints and their First Presidency are not altogether alto-gether culpable, for the people were brought up to obey, and the chiefs to rule; but the Gentiles that toady to that dominant church power, what language can properly describe them? Under it all, how can men go out and discuss the principles princi-ples of the different parties, and make their appeals ap-peals to the people to vote this or that ticket? There can be but one excuse. If they make as gallant a fight as they can and the result Is what everybody expects it will be; that result will supply sup-ply the justification to protest against the result and to appeal to the Congress of the United States not to be imposed upon by men seeking seats in that high Parliament and hailing from Utah, for their commissions will have been given them by an alien power, and when they take their oath of office it will be but a lip fealty that will go with the oath, their first allegiance being to another temporal government which is building build-ing itself up within the Government and upon the soil of the United States. |