854 



UTAH. 



in January, 1892, reported a scheme of which the 

 following is a brief outline : 



1. That the funds be constituted a permanent 

 school fund for the perpetual endowment of the pub- 

 lic schools of the Territory of Utah. 



2. That a commissioner be appointed by the court, 

 to have custody and control of the fund, to loan the 

 same within the Territory, in bulk or in parcels, on 

 real estate and personal security, or invest the same 

 in school or other municipal bonds within the Terri- 

 tory, either at the discretion of said commissioner or 

 under the direction of the court. 



Political Movements. On Sept. 25, 1890, 

 the President of the Mormon Church, Wilford 

 Woodruff, issued a proclamation denying that 

 his Church still countenanced polygamy, or that 

 plural marriages were still being solemnized 

 under its auspices, and publicly advising his fol- 

 lowers to obey the laws of the land respecting 

 marriage. On Oct. 6, 1890, at a general con- 

 ference of the Church, this action of the presi- 

 dent was approved, and the manifesto accepted 

 by the people in the following language : 



I move that, recognizing Wilford Woodruff as the 

 President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day 

 Saints, and the only man on the earth at the present 

 time who holds the keys of the sealing ordinances, 

 we consider him fully authorized by virtue of 'his 

 position to issue the manifesto which has been read 

 in our hearing, and which is dated Sept. 24, 1890, and 

 that, as a Church in general conference assembled, we 

 accept his declaration concerning plural marriage as 

 authoritative and binding. 



The radical change in Mormon doctrine in- 

 volved in this unexpected action was followed 

 by a corresponding change in the political con- 

 ditions of the Territory. Since their settlement 

 of the Territory in 1847, the Mormons have had 

 their own political organization and have acted 

 as a unit in political matters, while the non- 

 Mormons, though identifying themselves with 

 national parties, have also acted together in all 

 local matters. The Peoples' party has been a 

 synonym for Mormonism, and the Liberal party 

 for anti-Mormonism. An ostensible change 

 from these conditions began early in February 

 of this year, Weber County taking the lead. At 

 Ogden City, in this county, on Feb. 16, a mass 

 meeting of Republicans was held, and on Feb. 

 21 a mass meeting of Democrats, at each of 

 which meetings a considerable number of Mor- 

 mons were in attendance and took part in the 

 formation of permanent party organizations. 

 In May a similar movement took place in Salt 

 Lake City. On the 24th of that month the Salt 

 Lake " Herald," heretofore the organ of the 

 Mormon party, announced that it would here- 

 after represent the Democratic party. Previous 

 to this time the Salt Lake "Evening Times" 

 had given its support to the movement in favor 

 of the Republican party. On June 10 the Ter- 

 ritorial central committee of the Peoples' party 

 met at Salt Lake City and voted that the party 

 organization be dissolved, and that its members 

 be free to unite with any of the great national 

 parties. This action was regarded by the leaders 

 of the Liberal party with considerable suspicion. 

 Having no faith in Mormon sincerity, they be- 

 lieved that the movement was part of a scheme 

 to create an impression that the Mormon Church, 

 as an organization, was no longer united in poli- 



tics, and that the admission of Utah as a State 

 could now safely be accomplished. At a con- 

 vention of the Liberal party of Salt Lake County, 

 in J uly, it was resolved 



That we stamp the attempt to divide Gentiles upon 

 party lines as but another attempt of the Mormon 

 leaders to accomplish by stealth and fraud, and with 

 the help of Gentile allies, what they have so often 

 failed to attain unaided, and we deplore the blindness 

 which has led a few former friends astray. 



Notwithstanding this feeling, a considerable 

 number of former Liberals united with the few 

 Mormons who declared themselves Republicans 

 in forming a separate Republican organization, 

 which put candidates in the field for the General 

 Assembly and for local offices. The great major- 

 ity of Mormons, however, became Democrats, and 

 the Democratic organization practically passed' 

 into their control. A Territorial convention of 

 this new democracy was held at Salt Lake City 

 on July 21, at which a party platform was 

 adopted, containing, among others, the following 

 resolutions : 



We are unalterably opposed to force and fraud in 

 the conduct of elections, or to any interference with 

 them by extraneous power or means. 



We favor the full restoration of silver to the posi- 

 tion it occupied in our national currency before its 

 demonetization by the Eepublican party. 



The Democratic party being naturally the friend of 

 labor, we ask the working-men of Utah to carefully 

 consider which of the two great national parties is 

 best calculated to promote their welfare, and pledge 

 to them on our part all legitimate and proper assist- 

 ance to further their well-being. We are opposed to 

 Chinese or imported contract labor, and opposed to 

 the Eepublican plan in vogue in Pennsylvania of 

 discharging workmen for striking against pauper 

 wages. 



We are in favor of the eight-hour-per-day law on 

 all public Avorks, and not less than the minimum rate 

 of watjes shall bo paid to the various trades. 



Be it resolved, That we accept the declarations and 

 action of the Mormon people abandoning the practice 

 of polygamy, and the People's party in disbanding 

 the same, as done in good faith and all sincerity ; and 

 we favor the restoration of the franchise to all dis- 

 franchised citizens who will obey the laws of the 

 United States. 



At the election, Aug. 3, for members of the 

 General Assembly and local officers, there were 

 three parties in the field the Democratic, the 

 Republican, and the Liberal. The result of the 

 election, so far as relates to the General Assem- 

 bly, was as follows : Council, Democrats 8, Lib- 

 erals 4 ; House, Democrats 16, Liberals 8. The 

 Republicans elected no members, but they did 

 not abandon hope. The party leaders proceeded 

 to call a Territorial convention to meet on Sept. 

 2, and there a formal declaration of principles 

 was adopted, chief among which were the fol- 

 lowing: 



We deny that the Eepublican party in Utah is or- 

 ganized to unduly hasten statehood. The question of 

 statehood for Utah is not involved in the present 

 political issues, or in the division of the people of the 

 Territory on national party lines. 



We urge the enactment of laws which will estab- 

 lish uniformity and equity in the application of the 

 general laws o"f the United States Government in _re- 

 spect to the location and development of mining 

 property, so that prospectors may be more greatly en- 

 couraged to continue their explorations in our great 

 mining districts. 



