Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-07-06

Protest, and it is well known that these
sentiments are rifest with the leaders OF
the Mormon church and are belched
forth every day by its official organ, the
Deseret EUeniEg NeWs.
Mr.. Jones says he went around to the
Tabernacle and requested those in charge
to lower the flag to half mast, which was
done. Is there man, woman or child
who has been in Utah but short twenty
four hours who believes that the flag on
the Tabernacle would have been placed
as Mr.. Jones requested unless Mr.. Jones
could show authority for his request, and
that authority from the source of all
authority in Utah Territory, the First
Presidency OF the Mormon church? We
do not believe that single person can
be produced who will believe that Mr..
Jones' "request" would have been COM
piled with except with the sanction of
which we speak. 1t is we'll that Mr..
Jones has spoken and given expression
to his feelings; he speaks his own and
those of many others besides. When
told that Mayor Sharp had expressed his
condemnation of the action, he remarked,
and most truly, too:
"That signifies nothing. Mayor Sharp is
| only one man. l think it was perfectly
proper and right, and if left to vote of the
people of this city the proceeding would be
| indorsed and sanctioned by an overwhelm-
| ing majority"
That merely shows his contempt for
Mayor Sharp, for well he knows that the
Mayor is merely fgurehead to the real
| power, and he counted we'll and truly
when he said that an overwhelming
majority would say as he had said if the
thing were put to vote. In speaking of
the action of Sheriff Groesbeck, he said: :
eff placed flag at half-mast, nothing
1 less than the military arm of the Govern
| ment would have compelled me to raise it.
| No, sir, and l am willing the whole world
should know it, They would have to walk
over my dead body before they did ii"
Such utterances would not receive the
same consideration they do were it not a
wellknown factin the community that Mr..
Jones is the church whip, and generally
has charge of the "slates" at the differ
ent conventions. Were it not for
his position, he and his sentiments
would count for nothing; with his
position, they count for everything.
The whole affair was pre-arranged, and
not by Mr.. Jones and ga few of u.s." but
by the authorities of the Mormon church,
and we base this assertion on the uni
versally known fact that those authorities
pre-arrange all things pertaining to poll
tics in Utah, and one other significant
fact. Mr.. Daniel Daniels told a we'll
known gentleman of this city on the
morning of the Fourth, while they were
conversing about the flags being at
half mast, that he knew the day
before that they were going to be
hoisted at half mast. Is Mr. Daniels
one of "a few of us?" This we cannot
answer, but this we do know, that Mr..
Daniel Daniels is clerk in the Office of
the President of the Mormon church.
From this each may draw his own con-
clusions as we have drawn ours; in all
probability the conclusions will all be
alike.
What are the conclusions that must
necessarily be drawn from the whole
proceeding? That the Mormon church
wished to show to the people of the
United States that that church and its
adherents considered that liberty and in
dependence were dead in America, merely
because the Government insists upon
the enforcement of its laws, laws that
have been openly, notoriously and de-
family broken. To show this they chose
the day of all others dearest to the hearts
of Americans, and took the national flag
as means of doing it. People forget
party differences when the flag of their
country is brought into play, and to place
the emblem of our union and our freedom
at half-mast on the Fourth of July,
when, whatever may be the peoples
extravagances and vagaries, they all
feel a genuine pride and love of
country, was q most bold thing
to do and one that would rouse the better
feelings in every man who honors and
loves his country; and in contempt if not
in actual hostility to this feeling the
national flag on the anniversary of the
Nations independence was placed at
half mast on the most prominent
buildings in the city and on all the public
buildings. The Nation can construe the
placing of the flag at half mast
on the Fourth of July no other way
than as an insult. 1t ceases to be
matter of local concern when such
things are done, and if repeated but a
very few times more must lead to con-
fiict, an armed conflict if you please,
between those who pay allegiance to
country and those who pay allegiance to
church. The flag is to the citizen what
wife and child are to the husband and
father, and the man who would not resent
an insult to either must be knave or a
coward. 1t is going too far to trespass
upon the flag and the Nations honor,
and the people of Utah should
know it; it is a sure way to lose
what friends they have and make ene-
mics of those who were friends. If the
display OF sentiment and disloyalty of
Saturday shall succeed in Weakening the
people of Utah to realization of the
seriousness of the situation in Utah and