Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-12-12
THE TEMPoRALITIEs.

II seems that Senator Edmunds' new
bill has for its object the confiscation OF
the property Of the Mormon church. The
New York Sun thinks this will do more
to suppress Mormonism than any meas
ure that can be adopted. Ii the desire OF
Senator Edmunds and others is to break
up Mormonism, it is a most unworthy
desire, and does no credit TO them. In
so far rs certain practices OF the Mormons
are in violation OF the law, and an
usurpation of authority over most essen
tial factor OF society and the State, they
should be suppressed. The policy OF
prohibiting the accumulation OF vast
wealth in the hands Of an ecclesiastical
corporation may be wise, especially where
the accGmuation of such wealth is for
the purpose Of gaining that power which
ever accompanies vast wealth. This
would be but revival of the policy
which caused the enactment OF the stat
utes of mortmain in England at time
when the power of the Roman church
had become almost rival TO that of the
Parliament an King. The accumulation
of vast wealth in dead hand must ever
be detrimental to the true policy of free
government. The wealth of the Mormon
church has not reached this point, but it
has grown wonderfully, and it has
not been OF that nature which
applies solely or properly to sacerdotal
~, ,f /,
for the purpose OF erecting houses OF wor-
ship, be those houses never SO costly,
their establishment and adornment never
so grand, there can be no objection except
the objection OF bgotry. If Senator Ed.
munds' bill aims at houses OF worship,
no matter what the nature OF that wor-
ship may be, how foolish and superstitious
TO some, how blasphemous to others, he
wrong and perpetuate religious intoler.
ence. 1t is true that the nature Of the
bill is not definitely known and cannot
be until the full text is seen, and until il
is seen Judgment upon it may be erron
eous.
There is one thing OF which, in al
probability, Senator Edmunds is mo-
aware i'll. regard to the property OF the
Mormon church. The value of all it.
property is matter of conjecture, while
many OF the stories told of that wealth
have been both wild and idle, absurt
even to believers in Monte Christie
The Bank of England canard is probably
the most stale and stable OF all these
stories, and has the same foundation thai
the stories about American heirs tc
English -eardons. have. But to return
to the qu Ion 10 which Senator Ed
munds has lddres4ed himself. He will
never be a. To find out where the grea
mass of wealth u tine Mormon church is
because the great mass OF that wealth il
held in trust, while the titles of the trus
tees appear absolute upon the records
To reach this property, how will Senator
Edmunds proce "a? And it is this very
class of property, we take it, that he de
sires to reach. This fact must be taker
into consideration, for the fact would play
most important part in the enforcement
OF any law intended to confscate the
property of the Mormon church. We are
inclined to think that by the time Senator
Edmunds has got his bill enacted into {
law and is all prepared to "smash the
Mahdi," he will find the cupboard OF the
Mormon church bare.