, 1890-08-28
CAN THEY CONTROL 1T?
Twenty-Five Thousand Nor
mons in the New State.
SHORN OF POLITICAL POWER
The Test Oath May Be Taken by
Members of the Abomina-
BILE Faith.

Boise CITY, Idaho. Aug. 22.-
Idaho Is now one of the states of
the Union. BY the signing of the
admission bill by President Harrl.
son on the 3rd of July another
state is added to adorn the brow of
Columbia, and Idaho takes her
place in the slsterhood of states.
The question now confronting us Isl
"What shall we do with the Nor
mons"'
The problem Is by no means a
trihing one. Like the ghost of
Banquo, 1t will not down Mt our
bidding. 1t must he met and set
tied, and settled right.
The situation may be briefly out
lined as follows:
The Mormons I'm Idaho number
about 5000. OF this number more
than 1900 are voters. The govern
ment of the Mormon church Is a
form of theocncy. It's president
claims to he in direct communica-
ton with God, and to receive reve-
lations on various subjects from him.
Strict, answering and implicit
obedience to the commands Of those
In authority is taught and urged
upon all members of this church as
n religious duty. The Mormons are
instructed that the thing above all
others is to obey their superiors In
the church. "Theirs not to make
30, Ia ~
but always and everywhere to obey.
1t will be seen at u glance how, un-
der such teaching, especially where
the adherents are ignorant and ofa
fanatical turn, the entire Mormon
membership can be used as tools by
the priesthood to carry any end, good
or bad, they may elect to compass,
even to the commission of crime, IA
instanced in the horrors of the
Mountain Meadow massacre. The
shifting and uncertain character of
such revelations is also apparent
1t is a prominent doctrine of the
Mormon church that the authority
of the church is supreme in all mat
tiers temporal and spiritual. In any
question IA between the church and
state the state must yield. Not that
they love Caesar less but Rome more.
No Mormon Is bound to obey any
statute If 1T contravenes the COM
mands of the church. On the con-
trary, he Is taught thatit is his duty
to disobey II. 1t Is evident that the
path of those who legisiate for such
II people IL not altogether strewn
with roses. IL not unfrequently
happens that the lawmakers enact
statutes hostile to Mormon habits
and practices, whereupon there is u
startling illustration of that old
problem in philosophy, an irresist-
ible force coming in contact with
an immovable body, resulting In II
general smash-up!
THEY VOTE AS A UNIT.
In any community where the
Mormons are largely in the ma
jority, the enforcement of law in
opposition to their peculiar notions
is difficult, If not impossible. In
some way they will manage to de-
feat 1t.
1t is well known in Idaho that
Mormons vote as unit, and the
priesthood dictates the vote. Any
church that controls the votes of its
members Ii a toe to American ideas
and institutions. The true idea of
the church is not political suprem-
acy, but spiritual culture and the
advancement of its members In
righteousness. When any church
becomes consolidated political
power 1t Is an enemy to freedom.
Our fathers aimed to put an i'm
passable gulf between the church
ana the state. Our constitution
guarantees absolute freedom of re-.
lgious opinion, but insists that the
church IL one thing, the state an.
other, and that the authority of the
state Is supreme. Reduced to last
analysis Mormonism Is an organ
lied treason against the government
of the United States.
A celebrated Mormon polemic
said: ut Is not consistent that the
people of God should organize, or be
made subject to, man-made govern
ments." Well, ours Is "a man-made
government. In the endowment
house the Mormon takes most
solemn oath that "he will bear eter-
nal hostility to the government of
the United States for the murder of
the prophet, renounce all allegiance
to the government and that lie will
do all in his power to overthrow the
government and will thus teach his
children after him." Nor are these
mere idle threats. In 1857 Brigham
Young set the authority OF the
government at defiance, burned
down our forts and captured
our trains, and his treason able con-
duct was cond0ned by weak and
vacillating executive. Sentiments
hostile TO our government are pro-
mulgated from the tabernacle at
Salt Lake and from Mormon pull
pits every Sunday. Now, seven
eighths of the entire Mormon popu-
lation are foreigners. In 1880,
England contributed over 10000,
Denmark nearly 1000, Scotland
5000, and Sweden 3, 500. The Nor
mon ranks are repleted annually
by large importations of the most
ignorant and debased class of for
eigners, and oil these people know
about the government OF the United
States they learn from the Nor
mon priests and elders. 1t is an
easy matter to SOW the seeds of
treason and rebellion In such vir-
gin soil, which sooner or later will
spring forth and ripen intoa har-
vest of turmoil and bloodshed
left unheeded. There Is not anot her
civilized government on the face Of
the earth that would tolerate Nor
monism for Il single wear. What