Editing Tooele County, Utah (section)

===Republic of Tooele===
From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from the [[Liberal Party (Utah)|Liberal Party of Utah]] gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called the county the Republic of Tooele.

The 1874 election marked the first success of the [[anti-Mormon]] Liberal Party, which was organized in 1870. The party viewed the large non-Mormon mining population in the county as a natural environment for electoral success and campaigned fiercely in Tooele's mining districts leading up to the June 1874 election. The non-Mormon appointed [[Governor of Utah|governor of Utah Territory]], [[George L. Woods]], campaigned for the Liberals in Tooele County.

[[File:Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The old Tooele County Courthouse was site of a political power struggle in 1874.]]
The incumbent Mormon [[People's Party (Utah)|People's Party]] observed several Tooele polling places on election day and lodged complaints of fraud after the Liberal Party triumphed by about 300 votes out of 2,200. The People's Party alleged Liberal Party supporters had voted more than once, that many had not been residents for the required six months, and they were not taxpayers—according to territorial law, only taxpayers could vote in elections. The People's Party called attention to the 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele County [[property tax]]payers were on record. Incumbents refused to yield control of the Tooele County recorder's office and the Tooele County Courthouse because of the alleged fraud.

Governor Woods dismissed the complaints and certified the Liberal victory. Third District Court Judge James B. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construed [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] as within the meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300 [[carpetbagger]]s or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputy [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]] to install the Liberal candidates.

The recorder's office was seized when it was momentarily abandoned, but a contingent of People's Party supporters and incumbents held the county courthouse night and day. The marshals and Liberal Party candidates, outnumbered, attempted to negotiate with the armed and barricaded Mormons. Aware that a show of aggression could spark a battle, the parties were nonetheless unable to come to an agreement to hand over power.

Judge McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, and [[Brigham Young]] advised his followers that they had an obligation to obey the federal courts. The county courthouse was abandoned, thus beginning about five years of Liberal Party rule. However, the [[Utah Territory|Utah territorial]] legislature, which had the last say on the qualifications of its members, refused to seat the Liberal Party representative from Tooele County.

The Liberals won an unopposed 1876 election.

In 1876, the territorial legislature passed bills requiring [[voter registration]] and requiring [[women's suffrage]] for local elections—women had been voting in territorial elections since 1870. The Liberal Party, typically supported by male miners casually interested in politics, opposed both measures. In 1878 the Liberal majority in Tooele County disappeared, and the People's Party regained control in 1879 after more than six months of Liberal procedural delays.

The Republic of Tooele era was characterized by subsequent politicians as one of excessive spending. The county was left with about $16,000 debt, significantly more than it started with.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}