Salt Lake Evening Democrat

The Democrat has taken a new lease on life, as well as a lease for its new office, and enlarged business. As a political paper we propose to be Democratic all through, defending the rights of man first, the country next, and the Democratic party all the time. On local matters it proposes to deal fairly with Gentiles and Mormons.

We believe we are doing the greatest good to the people who are called Mormons, when we urge them to separate all political power from the Church. The greatest service we could render the Territory, would be a complete disassociation of the people from the power of the priesthood over their political and temporal affairs. We believe that no such separation will ever take place till the people divide up into political parties and have full and free discussion of political principles. To that end we are in favor of political parties in Utah as an educator for all the people. A dearth of political discussion and knowledge is the death of the body politic. There is always tyranny where the individual man fails to assert his rights.

The Gentiles who have been here for years and have taken no part in politics, need a revival of religion in their politics, in order to be saved. There is good reason for this lethargy; for the miasma of this Asiatic political swamp is very productive of political ague. You have had no politics, you say, and don't want any. This is the cry of the Republican organ of this city, but we notice that when there is a place or a dollar to be obtained, that Republicans are sure to get there if its influence can prevail.

Utah is the dead calm of political inactivity. There is a morbid sentimentality, which has usurped all political thought and action. Gentiles and Mormons are politically dead; they should be resurrected by a healthy party spirit. The Republican organ, which has for a long time claimed a corner on loyalty, and denounced every man who did not sneeze when it took snuff, has ceased to be the only organ through which Americans can speak.

The Democrat proposes to give credit where credit is due, and in its columns allow full discussion of all public questions. We shall strike at all tyranny and urge every man to come out from under the yoke of press or priest. Men stand on the corners of the streets and cry aloud against the domination of the Mormon priesthood, and these same men are as intolerant as death. They alone are immaculate: they alone have a patent for settling the Mormon question, and all who have any different method are subjects of Billingsgate and unspeakable epithets.

These radicals, red-mouthed with blasphemy, never have a word of encouragement for the young men of Utah. This policy drives all Liberals back into the Church fold. Is there not a better way? We believe there is. We believe that business, schools, the influence of American civilization, will be the most potent agents in the solution of the Utah question. Public sentiment embodied in sound laws must be enforced. Let the cry be law for the law-breakers, and schools for those who are to be law-makers.

The Democrat will stand for all that is reasonable for all the people; we will give credit where credit is due; we will give condemnation to all that strikes against personal liberty and individual rights; we will cry aloud against tyranny in all the land and from all sources; we will encourage industry, and endeavor to call money and men to this fair Territory, and see that the voice of Democracy is heard in the land. In the future one partisan organ will not voice the will of the people. The Democrat will speak for Democrats and all liberal minded men.