The broad ax. [volume], February 01, 1896, Image 1

About The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??

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Vol. I
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, FEBRUARY 1, 1896
No. 23. N
THE NEW CITY GOVERN
MENT. The inaugural address of Mayor
Glendinning, is given to the public
this week. It is a document of
considerable length and much
breadth. We regret that our
limited, space prevents its publica
tion in full; but as it was pub
lished in the city dailies, we pre
sume it was generally read; if not
we advise every citizen who is in.
terested in good municipal govern
ment to get it and read it.
We do not agree with all the
statements and conclusions of the
Mayor; but we concede that in the
main.it has a true reformatory
ring-
"We fought Mr. Glendinning's
election to the best of our ability;
but after the battle was over, we
bowed to the will of the majority,
and we now claim him - as our
Mayor, as much as though his
opponent had been elected.
Party prejudice should never rise
above patriotism, especially in mun
icipal affairs, and the Broad Ax
will cheerfully support the new
Mayor in his honest efforts to re
form, and in building up the sub
stantial interests of our promising
city the "Pearl ofj the Rockies."
We commend especially that
portion of the address which re
lates to the cutting down of ex
penses in all such matters as will
not impede the growth and pros
perity of the'city.
As to that portion of the Mayor's
utterances regarding the suppres
sion of all vices, as violation of
Sunday laws, gambling and prosti
tution, wc think he is a little
Utopian in his ideas. When it
comes to the suppression ef these
misdemeanors by the strict enforce
ment of the law, it has always
proven a failure; and no city of the
size and character of Salt Lake has
ever been able to rid itself of these
evils. It has always been a knotty
question as to the best way of deal
ing with these offenders, but that
they can be absolutely exterminated
we think is a mistake. The safest
way is to keep them under control
as .much as possible, by such means
as experience shows will produce
the best results. Salt Lake City is
far better in this -respect than most
western cities of equal population,
and about as moral as any eastern
city we know of. However, the
new mayor shows elements of
strength which instill feelings of
hope that seder the present ad
ministration oar city will grew and
prosper, and that u timet get a
little better we shall see great
improvements and development of
the capital of the new State.
To this cud and purpose let
every man stand by the executive
head 6f the city, and thereby assist
in pushing forward this our home
and pride of the West.
THE MISTAKES OF COLORED
MEN.
Oxe of the most unfortunate er
rors of many colored men, is that
they have no liberty or freedom to
change their political opinions
They consider themselves chaine
and bound to the juggernaut car
of Republicanism, and permit
themselves to be led, or, rather,
dragged by that party, simply for
no other reason than that they are
not white men- And a great many
white men of that party share the
same opinion, and act toward the
negroes as though they belonged to
the j. o. p. by right of purchase.
Aspong as this condition exists
between the two races, so long
will the negro fail to fulfill the
destiny for which he is striving.
Politics is a science and should
be studied and practised upon
rational theories, and not upon
lines of prejudice. If an intelli
gent colored man, after carefully
investigating the science of govern
ment, should come to the conclu
sion that the principles of the Dem
ocratic party conformed nearer to
his idea of civil government, and,
therefore, he would vote to elect
members of that party to office, he
should be commended aad not
abused, and his motives impugned
by a charge of dishonesty. The
colored man has as much right to
change his views on political
questions as on any other. One
great trouble with so many of our
colored, brethren is, they will not
hold themselves open to conviction.
They shut their eyes and go into
the battle like a blind horse. As
the cultured and polished "Dick"
Greener said, "he never as much as
read a Democratic ticket, much less
voted one." Such expressions
plainly show the unreasonable and
blighting effect of partisan preju
dice. The negroes should read and
study both sides of the political
question; and then act freely and
honestly the same as any other rea
sonable being. White men often
change their views and their party
affiliations, why can not the colored
men do the . same if convinced
of their error. Some of the
greatest men of this country have
been members of two or three
parties at different times in their
lives. Read and investigate both
sides; then choose that which seems
to be nearest correct, and you will
be acting as an intelligent citizen.
Do not abuse one who changes his
opinions, but concede Jits right to
change and honor him for his inde
pendence. What we need is manly
men, who fear not to follow the
dictates of their own conscience in
preference to the yell of the party
overseer. The white people them
selves would respect the negroes far
more, if they were to assert their
mauhood in this regard. Do not
fear the result, you may incur the
wrath of a few political bosses, but
in the end you will gain the confi
dence and esteem of all classes, and
preserve your own self-respect.
Do not go on making this same
mistake year, after year, until you
become so weak that you cannot be
free to act on a question of politics
as you would on any other question.
We know a number of good
colored men in this city, who are at
heart disgusted and dissatisfied with
the Republican party, but they are
afraid to vote otherwise for fear of
reproach. We say to these men
you are . aking a mistake in thus
smother; - the instincts of man
hood, .throw off the yoke and be
free an ou will be manly.
POLITICAL PREACHERS.
If there is any one thing that is
an abomination unto the Lord, we
believe it is a political priest or
preacher. These ecclesiastical poli
tical mountebanks are a curse and a
blight upon any community where
they receive aid and comfort. They
are a class of men claiming to be
divinely commissioaed to teach
creeds and doctrines on theological
subjects, and they most generally
assume an air of infallibility on
each and every dogma they under
take to assert. We do not mean
to be understood as including in
the foregoing all the minister? of
the gospel, who devote their lives
to preaching or writing upon reli
gious matters, but we now refer to
a class of these persons who are
constantly seeking to obtrude their
notions of political questions upon
their followers through the insignia
of the cloth of the clergy. These
men usually have a potent influence
over their followers, b reason of
their station and their professions
of morality, being expoused teach
ers, and constantly urging their
opiaioas apon their hearers, so that
they are able to- do more good or
h... ! l .. ."-,
uauu, 3 mc vase may oe, tnaau
muafc buy timer ciass or men. v vw
Politics. lil-P lav mofKmna A&
any other profession, is an exact
science, and to be understood and
taught, must be studied carefully
and honestly. Pursuits of all kinds
are generally classified these mod
rn days, and a preacher is no more
qualified to instruct his hearers on
the. political issues than a book
keeper would be to teach how to
raise potatoes. There are many
reasons why these men devoted to a
special calling should not arrogate
to themselves the knowledge of
statesmen, and enter the arena of
political strife to secure the election
of their favorites. Their judge
ment is generally very poor in such
cases. Such conduct tends to sec
tarianism. It is an effort in the
direction of uniting church and
state affairs; a situation dangerous
and demoralizing in a free govern
ment. It cripples and impairs the
usefulness of the true minister by
bringing reproach and disgrace up
on the profession generally and
lessens their power for good. It
tends to divide and bring dissen
sion among the members of the
various churches. And, finally, if
these political teachers are called
by God Himself to preach the gos
pel, as they claim, then they are
misappropriating their time and
talents in a work for which they
werenot called,for the Great Teacher
once said, "Render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesar's,0 etc.
We have a few of this class in
our city, who avail themselves of
every opportunity to dictate and
criticise upon affairs which do not
concern them except as private citi
zens. They have attempted to in
fluence the decisions of courts of
justice, not in their private but in
their ministerial capacity. Some
have gone even so far as to seek to
coerce the action of the legislature
in the selection of a United States
senator. Fortunately the occupa
tion of these fakirs is in disfavor in
this community, as it should be, and
their success is not great.
We believe it to be the duty of all
good citizens to discourage and con
demn the work of these parvenue
politicians of clerical descent.
If a man wants to change his
profession, all right; but let him
lay off his ministerial robes when
he enters the service of Mammon,
and not try to serve the devil in the
livery of heaven.
Goob times are coming this year.
Get off your coat aad help the
cause.
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