Arizona republican., 1890-11-29

of perfection. When good or evil come
 alike from the Lord the logic of events
 has no place or persuasive force, and it
 is useless to suggest to them the doubt
 that Mormonism will ever subdue the
 world. They pretend to think that the
 Lord is lying in wait for a proper time
 to punish the enemies of Mormonism.
 In one respect their optimism fails and
 their illogical conduct is strikingly app
 parent. While they assert that their
 political enemies are merely the Lord s instruments for their discipline or chas-
 tisement, they speak of them and criti-
 else their motives with the scant cour- tesy they would give the emissaries of
 the evil one. Their acts and laws are
 not only charged to be unconstitutional
 and wicked, but their officials and their
 supporters are charged with malice and a desire to rob the Lords people of their
 property and political rights.
 } They are so accustomed to judge of
 the constitutionality of laws and the justice of public measures that they do
 not fail to censure the means the Lord provides for their discipline and which
 are to contribute in the end to their , success, and it must be a source of con , tinual regret to them that He fails to em- ploy constitutional means and methods to accomplishedHis purpose. The discipline ! is deserved, but they object to His dis erection in the manner of administer ' ing it.
 The people are also taught to be char itable in all things, something which } these leaders do not always practice for
 themselves. They claim the right to act upon their convictions and de- , nounce others who exercise the same | right, and profess q superior Christian l character, yet it is a matter of common l occurrence for one of these leaders,
 claiming to hold the keys to heaven and earth, to go around using his religious offices to further the secular concerns of life. The laymen of the church are far
 superior to then leaders in point of sin : cerity and religious devotion. They are , the props which uphold the fabric oi superstition and ignorance. They labor for others. While their leaders are gen. eraly well to do, have comfortable , homes, and see the pleasant side of life, they are doomed to a lifetime of toll and when the close of life comes they s have practically nothing to leave to their families.
 It will now be seen why the Mormon people are the willing servants of their
 religious masters, and why the civiliza.
 ton of the age and contact with modern influences and associations have not worked the change which many have
 hoped for. It is because Mormonism in. wolves slavery of the mind, and the sub , jecting of the energies of the people, in physical, moral and religious sense, to the control of men whose motives are , too often controlled by ambition and { love of power.
 Of course there are some who are groping their way out of the atmosphere of bigotry and darkness. There is nc doubt but that the number oi those who question the doctrine , of blind submission to priestly authority and claim the right to f ciiViv'aa and exercise reason is yearly r increasing. Thls IS especially sU In the districts which have the largest com mercial relations and where there is a more extensive contact with those oi other sects. The urgent demand of their leaders for unity and obedience is
 sufficient proof, If no other proof ex- isted. Recently public speaker de-
 clared it was useless to attempt to con- ceal that dissensions existed, and the people were warned that, unless they
 remained united and obedient, Mormon
 ism was doomed. There is no reason to
 believe that dissensions which arise
 from the exercise of private judgment
 can ever be healed, for the cause which
 creates them can not be reached or re-
 moved without retrogression to the
 stagnant mental condition of blind
 obedience, which is sot likely to occur.
 The bill now pending before Congress,
 called the Cullom or Struble bill, has
 renewed the discussion which attended
 the passage of the bill providing for the
 admission of the State of Idaho, which.
 by it's terms, made what is known as
 the "Idaho Test Oath" part of the election law of the new State. It is con
 tended by the Mormons that the meas
 ure is an encroachment upon the liberty of conscience, the freedom of religious
 belief, and, notwithstanding it's consti- nationality has been affirmed by the highest court in the land, that it is un- just and unconstitutional It is denied that the Mormon Church is political in character or exercises any political in- fluence or that membership involves any hostility to the laws of the land or the political principles of the Government. For those who believe there can be no valid or just law or any correct political principle which is in conflict with their revelations, doctrines, or disciplines, such assertions are not difficult.
 The non-Mormon of Utah can not be convinced that the Mormon Church, both in it's doctrines and prac- tices, is not palpably a political body. To his mind belief in polygamy based on revelation brings the church and all it's members who believe in the