The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-06-06
The Edmunds Bill and tn Social
ise.

To the Editor OF the EVeaisg Pos.
Sir:-The following il q translation
from the New York EOIEszeiluHg. The
Senate OF the United States recently
passed bill which actually con6scates
the property Of the Mormon church
and empowers the Territorial authori-
ties to seize tn church property and to
apply the same to the ends Of public
education. This is right This IS q
step forward toward the goal long
striyen for. Our Federal government
has taken the initiative in a yeritable
advance. This is no feint rnaneuvre,
for it At the same time puts iutc the
hands Of the officials the legal means 10
put themselves iEto the possession OF
the church property II spite Of ali the
distractions of our celebrated common
law IL is now the turn for oar state
I officials to follow in the way marked
out. Trinity Church, with It's hundred
and odd millions Of dollars, must now
be treated IN the same wise The State
sbou'd likewise Immediately take pos
session Of It's property and apply Il 20
bringing up our future citizens.
The same thing IS true Of the hundreds
of millions which have been Wrung by
j the Catholics, Presbyterians, and count
less other sects from superstitious peo-
pie. This capital works much more
diligently and surely than il does in the
/ hands OF private persons without ZOO
being l.: the least affected BY the heavy
burdens which rest upon the property
OF individuals. Chu CD mon0poles are
just as dangerous TO the s. q as secu-
lar monopolies. Religious corporations
are Just as hearJess and sOClless as
worldly corporations. Down with them
ALL Our Federal government has
opened mp the way. Progress il hat
direction cannot be held back"
Here, then. Is a class Of Socialists
standing shoulder 20 shoulder With the
supporters of the Edmunds bin, which
has passed the Senate and is expected
at any day to come up before the
House. But this writer has nothing to
say about polygamy itself, or the legal
ity or effectiveness of the means en-
ployed for its suppression. Is = enough
that the law Is = concession practically
70 a soeialistic idea 10 a certain sense.
Il is enough thai IN the execution OF the
law monopoly is attacked. while il
matters little whether at the SAME time
human nights are assailed and the urin-
CT lies OF civil liberty endangered. tits
a small matter that the United States
government should enter into the ousi-
ness OF running n church, and il IS an
equally small matter that so large
portion Of the Mormon people should
be summarily stripped Of their nights.
IL Is trifie only that the iIi-concealed
purpose OF this law Is % destroy not
monopoly, but the Mormon eburch and
70 place the political power o. the Ter
ritory into the hands-of q very small
minority; and that instead OF weaken
ing ecclesiasticism and monopoly, it
plays into the hands Of both And no
significance is seen in the fact that
among the Mormons there is less Of
monopoly and more of cooperation
than amorg any other people or the
continent OF America; and that OF no
can II be more traiy said
that they are the creators OF the wealth
tbev do possess Neither IL IL consider
ed worth while to inquire whether the
charges OF prieStcrafE, RIGHTEOUSNESS.
and law breaking, which have laced
the Mormons outside the pale OF civil
Zetion and Outlaged them as q cum
munity. are true or false. These things
matter not We must all take OF our
hats and cry, "Hurrah for the Edmunds
bill =" for il takes the church property
and apple the same 20 the ends Of
public education" How simple How
il does il and for what purpose il mat
ters not. This is right" so says our
reesoner II h a '.veritabie advaLcel
and lit is now the turn for our state
officials 70 follow in the way marked
out"
II is true q precedent has bee1 estab-
ished for the confiscafion Of church
by Wholesale. But that = not
III; a precedent has been established
ior the doing OF many other things be
iides, as the sOcialist will be apt 70 learn
DefOre many years have rolled by.
Laws, hereafter. however extreme and
oppressive. viii be in order against any
1ody OF people whose practices OF be
iefs are obnoxious 10 the majority.
II socialism does not mean the right
u the weak against the strong. the
light 70 fair hearing and fai- trial,
he supremacy of truth and justice in
II things ana N all times. then the
waxing OF ifs power viii Be the incom-
ng Of darkness. and not Of Eight. into
ms world And whatever other no
iopolies may come and go, 20 il vii BE-.
iecreed the monopoly Of egotism and
ant. = T. w Curtis. in New York
TreRiHg Pet. April 10.