The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-10-31
THOSE CLERGYAIEN.

1t nay be true, as reported in the
kilograms on Thursday morning, that
mob of clergymen, "variously estimated
at from 300 toll ,O00," gathered in New
Yorkand adopted the resolutions thai
were published in yesterdays issue OF
THE HERALD. Such thing is probable
imprObable'as it may seem. We do not
believe it is true, preferring to look upon
the business as a campaign affair
devised and executed by the Republi-
can managers, and cheerfuuy circulated
for electionering purposes by the Asso-
ciated Press. We prefer this view of it,
because we like to entertain good
opinion of the clergy, and want
to regard men Of the cloth as
honest with themselves as well
as with the people, and as above
getting down into the filth and mire of
the politics and practices of the dema-
gogue. To entertain this decent-opinion
of ministers, one must not believe the
story that was telegraphed in the inter
est Of Blaine He must not believe that
men whose business is to teach honesty,
uprightness, integrity and purity
before God and man, and whose pro-
fession IS the service of that God who
aPplauds all the virtues and denounces
all the vices, viii so far forget them
selves as to certify to the moral purity
of man who admits that he seduced
the woman who afterwards became his
wife, and the evidence of whose i'm
moral act could not be hid except
by the murder of his own child:
will do such violence to their sacred
calling as to vouch for the honesty of
man whose letters prove him to be the
chief coTrupdOnist of a corrupt age. who
VIGOROUSLY used his influence and
power as the servant of the people to
defraud the nation that trusted him.
whose Office was ever for sale to the
highest bidder, and whose ability was
employed to enrich himself by dishon-
est methods; who has done more than
any one of his generation to degrade
American politics and corrupt states
manship. We don't want to believe
that men whose highest claim to CON
Slderation is based upon the declaration
and assumption that they are non
partisan, and are devoted to the saving
OF the souls of their less thougbtfm
and more reckless fellows will deliber-
ately forfeit all respect by imprudentIv
taking sides in political contest which
can in no way interest them as religions
teachers. 1t is preferable to believe that
scoundrelly, tricky politicians have thus
grossly and UNANIMOUSLY slandered =
fraternity for which all mankind enter
tain a degree Of respect approaching
reverence, to thinking that the ministers
VIII Intentionally scandaIize themselves
and stain the cloth that they wear.
Its possible that all that was alleged
III the dispatch actually occurred. and
that these ministers did what they are
said to have done; but THE HERALD
has SO high a regard for clergymen and
their sacred profession that it viii refuse
to accept the statements ofthe telegram
until they are endorsed by some better
authority than the Associated Press
and 1t Is proven that the ministers
guilty of this offense are what they pro-
less to be, and not disreputable blath-
erkltes and political demagogues who
are not recognized by the church and
who are despised by honest men of
whatever party. ]