Show 1 I 1 11 PLAIN I 1 r it ALK K ill I 1 I 1 REASONS WHY THE PEOPLE OF UTAH it SHOULD BE republicans i I 1 I 1 ft BY JOSEPH F SMITH in an tin article which appeared eared in the columns coluni ns of the salt lake lakel art herald erald of october 11 2 0 NV penrose writes under tho the head of plain plait 1 talk reasons why the people of utah should be 1 democrats 1 to cc let this article 0 go unnoticed c d might col the idea that tha t some of U us s who ar are e convey ivey 1 republicans have lave no reasons to 0 offer frer why I we should be republicans As I 1 see no reason in discussing these I 1 questions why anything should bo be said that is not friendly in its character I 1 feel the greater reater liberty r in setting forth to the pub public F t to some of in my reasons why wh the people I 1 of utah should ae be republicans I 1 I 1 may 11 I 1 not be able to enu enumerate in erate all the reasons 4 there are why we s should hould be republicans 11 bat but perhaps I 1 may cite a sufficient number a show that we are justified in accepting the doctrines of the republican party as those which are best adapted for the government orri ment of this country I 1 may say to begin with however that it Is a matter of surprise to me that my friend C IV penrose should take so narrow a view as to c express re 9 wonder why lat ter day saints shou should yd be e republicans he ile starts out with the statement that because the people of utah reve revere re the con atit ution of the united states and many nany of them regard it as davini divinely y inspired I 1 they should be democrats I 1 for I 1 or my life I 1 cannot discover why this 81 should be a reason n for being a democrat P for or this belief I 1 is is n not ot t peculiar ec uliar to democrats the most of t the he republicans of my toy acquaintance myself n included believe the constitution to have been d divinely u ely inspired aired if 1 I therefore were to nse use the tile ad argument of 0 W penrose le I 1 would say that because republicans believe the constitution i of united states to be divinely inspire inspired c d the people of utah should be republicans lie ile says again the constitution is a democratic instrument it was wag he lie says prepared by democrats and is an ail expression throughout of pure democratic doc trine ilare were my friend a professional politician I 1 should call such a statement as its the above in this he gives us a t m mere re clap claptrap trap for ol 01 none would be ne new w version of history more surprised at it than the trainers framers of the constitution themselves undoubtedly the framers of the constitution were democrats but they were also republicans to say that they were democrats in the partisan sense in fit which mr penrose uses the title is not true if his view were correct one would almost wonder how the nation ever came to bo be called a republic A democracy of the united states of america would surely have been a more fitting title for a government in ent whose charter having been framed by democrats was itself democratic and was throughout an ex expresion 4 e 8 ion of pure democratic doctrine rr there ere would then have lave been no talk of republican institutions republican simplicity republican principles or form or of government talk which to those who hold the view cx ex presed in plain talk as to the exclusive democratic character of the tile nations institutions and its founders lut must sound singularly inappropriate it is 13 an historical fact that thomas jefferson w who ito is held up today as the great apostle of democracy ran for president of the united states as a republican and did not seem to be ashamed of the title 1 1 ho lie fact thatah that at the time the constitution was framed all true americans were both it republicans and democrats that is opponents of the monarchial s stem is a sufficient clent answer to the tile point my friend tries to make they were republican democrats or dem socratic republicans or plain republicans just as the term suited them but they were not partisans in tit the sense in which he uses the term to apply to the word democrat or democracy any other significance 1 I it at that time would have been deemed deemed a trifling with Itin language guage I 1 would not accuse him of doing this but does it not have this appearance I 1 friend penrose is correct in saying that a democracy is a government by the peo ale front killorn all power c omes but what pray is a republic whence come the government and the power of government I 1 ent in a republic have the people less to do with it because someone in straining to make a point rejects the title of republic t and arid adopts the tile title of democracy 1 surely this is is sophistry of the thinnest kind one would almost imagine in reading ap plain lain talk that the democrats had bad always maintained the constitution of the united states and all its provisions inviolate and that someone else had been trying to destroy that immortal instrument and anti upon uvon tins this ground the tile writer appeals to the he people of utah in an endeavor to convince them that they ought to bo be democrats that my readers may obtain a a fair understand I 1 ferstanding der stand ng of this and see bee what foundation there is is for tile statement that they all ought to be democrats I 1 desire to examine aru ineas as briefly as possible the history of the democratic party and its actions towards utah since this territory was settled I 1 I 1 might to do fall full lestico to the subject go back to the days clays of III missouri sour and illinois but this would introduce an element into the tile discussion perhaps not altogether profitable I 1 therefore shall omit all reference to events which occurred before 9 the pioneers came to utah though in doing so I 1 leave out a great many points that would add force to my argument 1 after the settlement of utah territory flie he first administration that came into po power was the whig administration of taylor fillmore general taylor died lied 11 all and 1 fillmore the tile vice president became president of the united states let it be said to the credit of that whig W administration that the lie people of utah 1 I then had tangible homo home rule granted to them Filli administration icon consulted the wishes of the people of the territory as to who was the man mail of all others among them whom they would prefer to 1 be their governor brigham younus young was their heir choice and without lief hesitation tation president rest 1111 cilmore more appointed that distin gulshen man aa as the governor of the territory to I 1 jr such acts as these speak louder 0 than titan words and empty professions lias has th the democratic party wit w ith I 1 all its pretended love for home rule ever done as much for u us 3 as that I 1 am aware that home rule is a favorite theme with democratic politicians and this recalls that monumental absurdity the so called home rule bill now pending in congress the measure ridiculous and un american the whole realm of legislation offers no parallel albel to it it la is a monster and is an insult n adult and a sham tn in that it proposes 0 ose s not to loosen the chains chain a with which etli the e people eople are now I 1 held it but ut to gild them with r I 1 li coi coin in artin wrung I 1 I 1 from their hard earned substance am f I 1 not justified indulging in judging of democratic pretensions and I 1 ideas aas of home rule by that measure when framed its existence was kept secret A knot OF of democrats conceived I 1 the thing in darkness in salt lake city and its birth took place when introduced in tahe house of representatives its parents had reason to be ashamed of lefor the best olca urged in its favor was I 1 that thit it would furnish the citizens citizen n 0 of utah in a time of probation during which forsooth they could exhibit their fitness for self government I 1 this was the esti k aiato placed upon the people of 1 1 1 ut utah ah by this democratic measure I 1 yet it Is thought to be such a Pu superior specimen of democratic homo home rule that it has las become a democratic idol before which 11 all utah has been expected to fall down and worship mr penrose call senator tellers bill for thie admission of utah a I 1 ham hum but it did propose admission did it not what did tins this democratic homo home rule measure propose itaro it proposed a form of state government without the power I 1 thereof it increased the tile burdens of the 1 I 1 II 11 arple people without giving them any voice in I 1 theat e affairs lairs of the tile nation anil anti furnished alices for a lot of hungry politicians at the 1 C expense e of th the e p people Is III M the it republican aeo uman party came into 1 I 1 existence general fremont was the tile presidential candidate of that party against him the democrats pitted james it buchannan james buchannan was I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 4 t n m I 1 7 elected then the democratic party showed how much lovo love it had for the tile people of utah the first act was to remove governor young that was its way wy of showing its regard for home rale rule next it sent an ail army with the avowed intention of crushing the people of utah perhaps the meanest mo most st oppressive and heartless officials with the tile exception of the governor that utah was ever cursed with came at that time as the reprise representatives nta tives of democracy derr the republican party had assailed polac amy in its platform but the democratic party undertook to show the c country aunt that it could go far beyond the 6 would attack I 1 e p u proposition it t the e whole structure and cestr destroy 0 y the tile whole morn mormon ion institution this was the tile illustration tra lion which the peo people le I 1 of utah then had of democratic love for for the constitution and their rights as a people sir mr penrose makes the statement that t the lie democratic party has been the friend of utah tali in all its efforts to secure its rights will the truth of history bear thia this out it must be always borne in mind gindin mindin in considering si the action of the tile two great political parties towards utah that the impression was general and well grou grounded 11 ded up to a recent date that the mormon people I 1 were hopelessly democratic the republican party therefore viewed them as their politic ical il opponents they had nothing to expect from them IV politically ail and d they treated them accordingly on the contrary the democratic party had every reason to believe that the mormon n people p I 1 e were democratic contra wt it 0 treatment extended by the two tivo par parties ties to utah this fact should not beloit sight of the democrats had every reason for treating us as political friends the republican for treating us as political opponents I 1 feel feet free in saying that remembering tills this fact we have been treated better in utah by the republicans than we have by the democrats I 1 assert this and it cannot bo be truthfully contradicted that the greatest sufferings rings and miseries mis eriss which the people of utah have endured those which have entailed the greatest loss and sacrifice have been experienced under democratic administrations see mill star vol nol 21 page As I 1 have already said it was under tinder a it whig administration that utah a territory this was in 1 1850 during the fort forty v two years which have since elapsed there have been three democratic administrations those of pierce buchannan Buchann anand and cleveland of pierces administration it need only be said that there was no agitation of affairs and she attracted no lie attention but of Buc hannans administration tra tion who can describe the sufferings of the people of utah under it after the tile lapse of thirty four years it chills my blood to think of them another exodus of the people of all our northern settlements ortall in the tile tile inclement em lit r spring pring of IS 58 homes boines abandoned another launching forth to search new homes men wo women ien a and nd children fleeing from an army whose threats of outrage and violence were borne to their ears by every breeze from the tile east cast tho tile recollection of the acts of mobs was then too recent to permit any feeling of indifference to prevail those who took part in tit those scenes and yet live cannot forget them neither can call their children who have heard the tile recital of them this was an alit exhibition pure and simple of democratic rule shall we take that as furnishing reasons why the people of utah should be democrats I 1 doubt if my friend penrose himself would be so ardent in his reasons in favor of democratic rule if instead of being in the kingdom of G reat britain and under the rule of queen victoria he bad had shared the hardships and privations of those days from front buchannan to cleveland a period of twenty four years the R republican party was in power among other acts of legislation it enacted the law of 1802 air penrose calls thia this act that egg of the confiscation fis bird of prey I 1 do not nott defend lefe nd much less approve of that act but this may maybe be said had the republican party known utah as favorably as the democratic party had reason for knowing lier her that leg egg 5 I 1 would not have appeared As it was it t remained 01 only I 1 an egg of twe twenty n t five years an and U then than it was hatched 1 atchu under the administration of grover cleveland I 1 mr cleveland la is again a candidate for the tile office of chief executive and with remarkable I 1 fatuity my friend would have all of us think him the man mail who ought to be elected but what claim has mr cleveland to our gratitude or by what acts of his did he show himself the friend of t the he people of utah we are told that if tile manifesto had been issued during the tile cleveland administration the tile people of butah utah would have received very different treatment to that which his administration dealt on bothem to them but there is considerable sid erable room to doubt t tills its while he was yet president a constitutional tut ional convention was called in salt SaIt lake city and a state c constitution was fra framed tiled for utah which practically illy imade made tho the continuance of polygamy impossible m in the proposed state here was the tile opportunity for the democratic party to show its friendship for utah no man mail in public life knew better than president cleveland the condition of afra affairs I 1 rs in ill tl this 11 territory for no president ever had such copious explanations and arom gin so go man many dil different sources given to jim D did d this faction action of the delegates of the tile people in lit framing this constitution have any effect did it produce a cessation of prosecution or evoke any kindly interest in those dark days lays of severe trial not the least no cp no relaxation of rigorous enforcement of law on oil the part of mr cleveland and his administration what Is such friendship worth it ia is when people are in trouble that true frici friends ds exhibit their sympathy and ilive give their aid during those days of which I 1 speak the admission of other territories as states received democratic endorsement but of utah it was ni said ti tb by y an eminent democratic leader that it t was tit ally in the democratic Deao cratic ointment that is our case we have too often been a fly in tit democratic ointment 1 tho the creation of the utah commission is referred to by my democratic brother as a striking illustration of republican doctrine and policy this body was created iby by the law of true the republicans wore were in the majority in tho tile congress which enacted that measure but let what I 1 have stated not be forgotten that ithe the republican party viewed the people of utah altheir as political opponents this I 1 0 w n 0 asti cation of bad or |