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Show I , WHY. The Deseret News puts out the following conun- drum: If it was "attempted intimidation" to ask gen- tlemen to sign the pro-Smoot petition, and they ' refused, why was it not "attempted intimidation" , to request gentlemen to sign the anti-Smoot peti- tion and they refused? i Because of many reasons. There was nothing behind the anti-Smoot protest but the vindication of a principle. The men who prepared it, the men who signed it had no rewards to bestow, no enemies en-emies to punish. They believed they were doing do-ing a patriotic service, something which if successful suc-cessful would be to the best interests of Utah and to the country. Something to give the Mormon ) church another notice to keep out of politics; f 1 something to convince the Mormon chiefs that it is not good to break solemn covenants with the 1 government of the United States; something to serve as a notice upon them not to combine and lash this people into the support of a high church j ! officer to a national political office, for the sole reason that he is a high official, regardless of his qualification for that exalted place; something to be a notice upon the fanatics here and their slaves, that it is going to be some time yet before be-fore this Republic will be converted into a theocracy, theo-cracy, with a boor who knows nothing of the principles on which our government was founded at its head, pretending to rule by Divine right. The fathers thought they had that fixed securely in the frame-work of our government, and we believe be-lieve that their descendants will see to it that lj their intention shall not be thwarted. For Reed , 1 Smoot to aspire to the senaforship, Reed Smoot, bound as he is by oaths too fearful to repeat, with his allegiance all to another government Ml v within our government, was an insult to every man in the nation who believes in free institutions institu-tions and who loves his country. To elect such a man to the Senate, who, though born on this soil, up to ten years ago knew nothing of the history his-tory of our Republic or the principles on which our government was founded, whose only real service ser-vice has been to a despotism, whose only real allegiance al-legiance is to that despotism, was a double insult, for a Senator of the United States represents in part, all the people, and that includes millions who would die for the flag and smile as they died, and it is a shame for one involved as Reed Smoot is to hold above such men the next to the highest office in the gift of a great free people. It was because of these things that the protest was signed, simply an expression of opinion by free-born Americans appealing to the Americana in the Senate not to give this self-expatriated subject of a foreign kingdom a place in that august aug-ust body. On the other hand, when the pro-Smoot petition peti-tion was circulated, it was carried as an implied threat on the part of the powers that rule here, that those who refused would be remembered for future discipline. The man who presented it to Attorney Westervelt denies that he did any such thing, but Mr. Westervelt says that he did, and his testimony is the more reliable to those who are familiar with the way which promises have been kept by some of the chief saints and with what ease they can brush them aside. Further, we ask any persons who have a belief be-lief that there is no disposition here to punish men for opinion's sake, to keep watch and to see ir, In all the years to come, any man who signed the protest or any man who refused to sign the Smoot petition, is ever permitted to attain to any place of honor or profit through the support of Mormons. The boycott of one signer of the protest Is already al-ready In evidence, and this is but characteristic of what has been going on In Utah for more than forty years. This is not yet an American state where men can think and act as they please under the laws, and be respected for an expression of an honest opinion. |