The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-10-17
AWelcome Enemy.

From St Louis Globe Democrat. -
"We love him for the enemies he has made
said Gen. Bragg of Grover Cleveland, IN If,
Chicago Convention Mr.. Blaine has alst
made enemies, and it is to his credit thai
among them is that organization OF wicked.
ness known as the Mormon Church. Ts
strength lies mostely in Utah, which has nt
electoral vote, SO that its opposition win be Il
little weight in the Presidential contest, and |,
noticeable mainly because it is Del.
sonally against the candidates as wan
as the party which he represents. Mr
Blaine has been in accord with his party Is
insisting that Mormonism, like slavery
must go, a belief emphasized in most repuhf
can platforms. The distinguishing crime a
that church is peculiarly abhorrent to men who
like Mr.. Blaine, live in peculiarly happy al.
mestic relations, and the keen perception a
the republican candidate showed him early il
his career that in opposing organized poIgam
he would not only be performing a duty, butsr
the highest degree would honor the better hall
of the American people.
Holding strong and earnest convictions an
the peculiar social problem presented In Utah
| Mr.. Blaine, when Speaker of the House, found
an opportunity, in 1873, during a western tour.
to stop for several days at Salt Lake City.
| he 6blQucltS Oh Iu6 biluHuOH required An IN.
terchange of conrtesies between him and
President Brigham Young, but so o~utspokeu
had Mr.. Blaine been in denunciation Of Tia
church that It's head left the city to avoid max.
ing q call, while the Speaker would not pay
tribute to the man who was the head and 'front.'
of open iniquity, and the tive were inal5
brought together on neutral ground by thu
strategy of prominent citizens. An hours earn.
estinterview disclosed to each the others unal.
terable position. The high priest found MI
| Blaine holding that the war had settled the
question of the right of Congress to control
the Territories and their domestic institutions.
that whatever claims Utah might have to AL
mission as a State, they would be sabordinsted
by the fact that the church upheld polygamy
and that the other States would never accept
her as a member of the family under such cir.
cumstances. The Mormon leader bad never
before heard such frank statements froin 4
politician and had never been so daringly mel
or his own ground as by the rising Statesman
from Maine. The Church of Day SainN
has had no use for Mr.. Blaine since that day
The politics of the Mormon Church 10 do
tsted wholly by its interests. An isolated
community, jealousy guarding against all IN.
tercourse with the world outside by its owr
members, and discouraging acquaintance hs
the Gentiles, looking to its spiritual head even
in secular affairs. it is not affected by ordi.
nary political questions. Since 1t started foi
California to found an independent nation and
squatted by the wayside because the Americas
eagle had wrested the Pacific coast from
Spain before Brigham Young's wagon
trains could get there, 1t has been ii
quiet but mono the less actual rebelioE
against the Government Utah has carried
out South Cardinals ideas of notification Of
Federal laws, and for years the territory uB
der control of the United States In Utah wu
only that covered by the shadow of the national
flag. With the Mormon voting is merely car.
rying out the command OF his superior; with
the meaning and result of his vote he does not
concern himself. Mostly allied TO the Democ.
racy, because ii is In opposition to the Repub-
hcan party which a~ntagonizes the church,
the Mormons can easily pretend 10 be-
lieve with Elder Hart, who recently said:
1--WE are with the Democratic party
because of the principles Of which it is the ex-
ponent y Y A tendency to restora to 10.
dividaais individual rights in opposition Il
centralization,1 q comfortable idea TO polyg
annie saints prosecuted for Righteousness
sake because of their exercise Of certain IN.
dividual rights" thspractice Of which the resi-
of the world calls crime. The church would
have opposed the Republican candidate because
of his party, but it finds peculiar satisfaction
in so doing because of his personal stand
against their institution and his manly deiiancs
of their prophet