The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-13
DISFRANCHISEMENT.
The Daily Flim-FIammer Again
Pinned to the Wall.
THE DEPRIVATION OF RIGHTS
There is Broader Spirit in Mormonisnl
Than Can Be Found in Professionalism
or Methodlsm'
TO the Editor Of THE HERALD:


A recent issue Of the Salt Lake Tribune
says, in an editorial wherein it argues for
the Acknowledgement of the Mormons: sit
is true that infdels and atheists are al
lowed the privileges of citizens in this
country" 1t is not true These classes
are not allowed any privileges of citi-
zens in this country" They own and pos
sess all the privileges of citizens, save
where states dominated by Christian
priests have deprived them of privileges;
as, for instance, where the atheist is not
permitted to testify in court. atheists
and infdels' made our government; and
even the Christians among the nation build
ers at the time of the revolution were wise
enough to acquiesce in the formation Of
constitution without God, and a govern
ment from which the power of the priest
should be excluded. The atheist and the
infidel owe Christianity no thanks for the
privileges they enjoy under the American
government. But the Utah portion of them
seems strangely blind to the perpetuaton
OF their enjoyment of those privileges.
The Protestant churches, backed quietly
by The Catholics, are running a combina-
ton, the declared object of which is to
overthrow the American constitution and
government and establish theocracy with
Jesus Christ as king ruling through
priest or Pope. The leaders of that COM
bination have declared for years that no
atheist should be tolerated by the govern
ment, and will not be when il gets control.
That is to say, the very same power that is
seeking to disfranchise, drive out and
destroy AIormonism, has said over
and over that it will not tolerate
atheists, end no unbelieyer in the
divinity and kingship of Jesus as the only
.uier Of this nation under God, shall be al
owed TO vote when they get control. Yet
he atheists and infidels OF Utah put their
.ecks into the yoke of this Protestant
yriestcraft with apparently no more
thought than has the patient OK who walks
10 his yoke. 1t is the most ldiotic blunder
ever freeman made
Look at the situation. Professionalism
claims 15,000,000 members Catholicism
claims 100000. Combined to break
down our constitution and overcome its
llberty-protecting power with amend
ments that shall make the nation a
Christian nation by legal enactment and
every non Christian an alien, these two
systems Of priesthood have following of
$4,000, 600. AS priesthoods, neither of them
sees any presence or power of God in
our constitution or government. To them
II is entirely Goddess human concern.
They say, 1--WE want state religion and we
are going TO have iti'' Even this Metho-
dist church, which the Tribune, in the
nearest column to that from which have
quoted, lauds in most inuiscriminate man
ner, is doing all it can to bring about this
destruction Of American liberty. Only
last June it passed resolution in Salt
Lake TO the effect that it would vote for
no one for any public Office who was not
Christian" These two systems of priest
hood hold nearly one million dollars Of
church property in the United States, with
untold riches among the pew-holders
Ihey own hundreds OF papers and control
the utterances Of hundreds more They
are gaining power every day. Every
year they are nearer their God,
atheist and the infidel will be
deprived of every privilege OF citizen
ship" worth having, if indeed, they are not
oanished from the country. Let the
atheist and infidel organize for political
protection, and they would even now be
denounced more than the Mormons ever
have been.
On the other side, against which the hate
of their %, DOC, 900 Christians RACES contiu-
ually, are less than one-quarter of one mil
lion Mormons. Their church property has
been largely, and, as l think, most in
iquitiously confiscated, if indeed harsher
word should not be used all their polyga-
mists are already disfranchised: their
power is fast dropping from their hands,
owing to the increase of the anti Nor
mon population then outside power is
nothing, and their young men and women
are growing as fast as human beings can
grow into complete harmony with Ameri-
can thought ana customs. In the Protest
ant and Catholic churches there is crystal
ization, a state Of stable equilibrium. In
Mormonism, the formation processes are
going on. The Mormonism of today is not
what Mormonism was twenty years ago.
There is no evidence that Mormonism ever
made any threats against the atheist and
intidel. There is broader spirit of liberty
in Mormonism than can be found in
Professionalism or Catholicism. Mormon
ism has the only priesthood in this country
that is not pledged TO Danish atheists and
difranchise infidels.
Hence say IL is 'idiotic'' for the athe
ist and infidel TO join combined Protestant
ism and Catholicism to help them hunt
down, disfranchise, rob and destroy the
Mormons. Mormons, atheists ano inf
dels should stand by each other, for the
time is not far distant when all three will
feel the need of each other to stem the cur
rent of despotism that will rush over the
land when priestcraft opens its gates in
Washington.
Why should not this combination exist
for protection as well as that of Protestant
ism for war upon the rights and liberties
Of these. All three of these priesthoods
stand on the Bible. The atheist and inf
del should choose the least OF the evils. if
it chooses any. The Mormon priesthood is
as weak in comparison with the others as
shrimp is in comparison with a whale
Besides, the Mormons are the only Christi
ans in the world who have any theological
admiration for our government and its con-
stitution. They believe that both were
given by God in the line OF evolution. Can
any Protestant priest show why that is not
truel
Considering all things, think it is time
the atheist and intidel were beginning 10
stir themselves in behalf of their privi-
leges as citizens and refuse to take them
as sbeing allowed" In helping the
anti Mormon priests and Republican poll
ticians to destroy the Mormons, for that is
the purpose, disguise it as they may, under
cry of ''polygamy" and ''disloyal5y' the
American rationalists-under which head
class the IN -churched people who are capa
BILE of rejecting upon what the loss of lib
erty would mean to them-are only nurtur-
Ing Hydra Of despotism that viii DESTROY
them the moment it acquires the strength
it hopes one day, in the not distant future.
10 WELD. To say that 40 900, or say 200. 600
Mormons can take the United States gov
eminent away from 81, 600, 600 people is the
veriest mud and twaddle of nonsense 1t is
specious plea made for the purpose of ex-
citing emotion and suppressing thought.
This whole anti-mormon agitation is an ap-
pesl to hate. 1t is unworthy of Americans
/ want no priesthood to rule over me, and
shall never drop my ballot for any man
who will allow himself to be used either to
further the reasonable design of the
American Reform association or to leg
islate against Mormons, as long as the
United States permits Catholicism and
Professionalism to strive unrebuked for the