Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-04-01
Az IMPORTANT NATIONAL GATH
ER5NG.


o. THIS date, April LIST, al Wash
ington, d. C., an important gather
ing was 10 convene and be contin-
Ued three consecutive days. 1t is in
the nature of "a National Confer
ence Of the Principles OF Civil
Government to he held under the
auspices Of the National Reform
Associatoa.
The call was signed by His
Honor, VIM. Strong, late Of the
Supreme Courtof the United States:
Joseph Cock, the Rev. Francis Z.
Clark, d. D., President OF the
United Societies Of Christian En-
deavor; the Hon. William Window.
Secretary Of the Treasury; Gen.
Clinton B. Fisk; the Rev. Wilbur
F. Crafts; Bishop Andrews, Of the
NJ. +. Church, and many others.
II the following, which is en-
braced in the announcement. had
been expressed aud published by
Mormon Elders, it would un-
donbtedly have been denounced as
reasonable, ana as indicating a
disloyal attempt to produce the
domination Of the Church over the
State and an amalgamation of the
two branches:
Among the principles which this
association holds to be fundamental in
civil government are these: Nations
aud governments are accountable 10
Almighty God and are bound by the
moral law; the Lord Jesus Christ is
the actual Governor Of nations, and
His viii, revealed in the HoIp Scrip
lures, Is the supreme rule TO decide
moral questions IN political life. These
principles we hold 10 have been woven.
historically. in the very fibre OF Amer
lean institutions. Our stability and
our progress have been due 10 The
power they have exer.ed in our na-
tional life. All the evils which have
afflicted US have been traceable TO our
departure from them. All our hopes
Tor our future depend upon them. Our
grivesf peril lies in the fact that these
principles are ignored by large num-
bers OF our citizens. and denied by
many others. The duty Of the hour
is 10 emphasize and uphold them and
10 lncuiea'e them upon the fast in
ereasing millions Of our population
Among the subjects it is proposed
to treat are the sabbath Question.
or the Nations Relation to the Day
Of Rest; the Question OF Marriage
and Divorce, or the Duty Of the
Nation to the Family: the Temper-
ance Question, or the Right Atti-
tude OF the Law Toward the Traffic !
IN Intoxicants; the Indian. the
Chinese and the Negro Problems: 1
the school Question, or the Charac- |
ter Of the Education 10 be furnished 1
10y the State TO its Youthful Gill
zens; the relation Of the nation 10 |
foreign and weaker nations rs az
feeted 10y our commerce and by the |
character OF the representatives |
whom We send.
Those who call the conference /
thus tells striking truth constantly |
and conspIcuously exemplified:
underlying all these practical is
sues is a deeper aud more radical con-
troversy provoked by those who denv
that civil government sustains any
relations to God or n Christ or to the
Moral Law; who deny that our laws
and institutions should bear at any
point the impress Of the Christian re-
ligion; and vino are striving constant
Il and Of delibeHe purpose to oblrter-
ate every Christian feature OF Ameri-
can institutions aud 70 divorce our
from ali connection with
Itisintended to embOdy the views
u the conference in resolutions and
in that shape give them wide pub
lefty.