Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-08
A FICTITIOUS "VIraL FONT"

A FICTITIOUS "vITAL F0INT.'
THERE is no use for the"LiberaP
organ toquibble about the attitude o.
the ex-candidate for Delegate while
on that junketing tour at the expense
of n few now Disguised friends
That he did try to dodge the main
question in his case, namely his
purpose to disfranchise the '.Mor-
mons'' who had broken no law and
who had taken an oath not TO break
the laws In the future, is beyond
successful dispute. That he also
lodged the question of his advocacy
OF the force bill is, too, a settled and
irrefutable fact. This ought to be
now dismissed and will be, If he
and his apologists have sense
enough to let it go.
The only important matter con-
nected with his attempt to jump into
Mr.. Gaines official shoes is the
falsehood, which he continues to
repeat now that his scheme is de-
feated, that citizens here did not
VIE for him, and did vote for his
opponent, because they were so
"ordered by the priests" Here is
his latest utterance on this matter,
given as what he declares ne set be-
fore the people on his peregrina-
TONS
The statement was that up 10 tins iine
the Mormon people have implicitly obeyed
their priests; that their priests had as
sumed the right 10 dictate to them p1liti-
eaIly how they should yots; that the people
had accepted il; and that until the priest
hood had relinq alshed that rule, or the
people would throw it of. they wete OF
right disqualified from casting a ballot in
this republic. Whatever else was SAID IN
the VARIOUS speeches made. that point was
never once lost sight of. because that is the
vital point now in dealing with the Mormon
question"
II Mr.. Goodwin made this state
ment. wherever he could get n
'Mormon" audience. which was
not very often, he did so to people
who knew that every word oft was
was false. Nobody dictated to them
how or for whom they should vote.
No one holding the priesthood
made any claim Of right to rule them
in political affairs. They were a great
deal freer TO exercise the voting
power than the man and his asso-
ciates who were insulting them by
his ridiculous charges. And yet he
wonders why some Of them did not
vote for him. We can understand
this on no other hypothesis than
that the defamer of the s'Mormons''
is afflicted with softening Of the
brain.
Hestill calls his persistent lie the
"vital point" in the "Mormon''
question. And yet he has never
proved his point. He cannot do
SO, because it does not exist except
in his unsupported sentences. We
do not believe il exists even in his
dlsordered Imagination. We think
he knows well enough that it Il
without foundation in truth. But
1t suits his purpose and so he re-
iterates ii, as a settled fact. and
makes no attempt to support It by
anything that has substantial force
His ''vitai point'' is made up of
two fallacies. One that the s.Afor-
mon" "priests'' assume the right 10
dictate how the people shall vote
The other, that the people have ac-
cepted the claim and implicitly
obey. We have challenged him to
prove either parts Of his ''point. -
He has not answered except TO
rave, and bluster, and call names.
and talk round the question, as he.
did around the force bill matter
without touching it or even up-
preaching it.
The mormon" priesthood means
the Mormon" people, that is, the
adult male members of the ssIor-
mon" Church. When they unite
as citizens on any question or candi-
date they do so from choice. There
are men among them whom they
recognize as Church leaders. The
living ''MOrmon'' leaders make no
such claim to rule as this maligner
continually declares they assume
and exercise. IL they do, let him
quote their language. If such a
claim is part of their authority, lie,
him cite some recognized standard
that gives them such authority.
The personal opinion of some man
on some extraordinary occasion will
not count. Let him show some
thing which the ''A1ormons'' &C ,ept
as a rule or command that sets forth
his theory. Then let him produce
somebody who has been ordered.
or commanded, or required 10
vote in certain way or
for a certain candidate. And
II ne cannot do either, then let him
hold his peace, or change his
charges, or stand branded before the
public as a self-eouvictei liar.
The young men and the old men
Of "Mormondomr who have heard
his falsehoods, or have heard OF
them, know that there is no basis
Tor them, and that they are perfect
Iy free TO vote as they choose. This
for two reasons. One because no
''priest" or other Church dignit
attempts to eoerce them. The
other, because they have a
strictly secret ballot which COM
pletely protects them if they
choose to vote contrary to the choice
Of their associates.
The reasoning which concludes
that because c. c. Goodwin SAYS
the "Mormons" vote es their
priests" dictate, therefore they are
"of right disqualified from casting
a ballot 10 this Republic. - may be
reasoning like a philosopher in
some mems minds, but to an ordin-
airy person it Is reasoning like a fool
There is no reason in it. Yet that
is the whole Of his vital point.n
We maintain that the whole the
DRY Of 'sMo-monismv as set forth in
its standards will bear us out that
liberty in all things compatible with
the general welfare is essential to
the system we uphold. Also that no
one in the "Mormon', Church isl