The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-11-05
THE CHURCH IN POLITICS.

President JOSEPH f. SMITH had a COM
munication in Wednesdays issue of The
HERALD called out by the remarks in this
paper on the circumstance that he had been
preaching Republican politics in the taber-
nscle at Logan. We think that if the gen.
tleman had given the matter little more
thought he would not have sent that letter,
for instead of making the case better for
himself he makes it infinitely worse. He
admits that he talked politics in the church
but excuses himself on the grounds, first,
that it was Monday and not Sunday,
and, second, that his sermon on
the subject was not more than five min
utes in length. The HERALD would not
like to place President SMITH in the atti-
tude which he assumes in this letter, that
Mormon meetings-stake conferences, for
instance-held on other days than the Sab
bath are business affairs rather than relig-
lous in their nature. We don't believe the
gentleman would care to have his people
adopt this view, and consider the preach
ing and exhortations at week day meetings
as secular and only the Sunday sermons as
religious in their nature. AS to the other
point, the brevity of his harangue we are
reminded again of the old story of the girl
who was annoyed by the persistence of the
court officials in their efforts to compel her
to reveal the name of the father of her i'll
legitimate babe. Bursting into tears she
sobbed that 1t was a shame to make such a
fuss over the child, it being such "a wee
bit of a thing"
President SMITH and others, if there are
any who think as he does, are in error when
they assume that The HERALD's criticisms
in these cases are called out by their poll
tics. The fact that the gentleman IL
Republican figures not all with
this paper. The Mormon church
has been charged with being a
political institution and tine leaders have
been accused of debating to the people
how they shall vote, delivering the instruc,
ton from. the pulpit. These allegations
have been Indignantly denied by the
leaders themselves, such denials having
been widely published only few weeks
ago. We simply want them TO stand by
their professions, and not talk partisan
politics from the pulpit, whether the poll
will not do this, then they must accept the
responsibility for their actions and ought
not to complain when the consequences fol-
low. We think it would be in bad taste
and impolitic for a high church official to
go upon the stump for any party; but he
has the privilege and right to do this,
and nobody can complain so long as the
stumper employs only legitimate methods
and does not use his power and influence az
church Official to induce men to vote his
way. When, however, the official goes in
to the pulpit and talks party politics in
stead OF religion ne invites criticism and
lay his church liable to the imputation of
mixing church and state in a way that is
wrong in principle and exceedingly otfens.
i've in practice.
The HERALD may be surprised and NAV
regret that an intelligent man like JOSEPH
F. SMITH, who is familiar with the princi-
pies, the professions, the practices and the
history of the parties should be Repubn-
can; at the same time we recognize that as
his right But when it comes to the en-.
ployment OF his influence as high church.
man to lead his religious folio wers into
joining his political party we object and
we believe his people object, as many MUIR
murs OF disapproval are heard with refer
ence 10 the Logan Incident last Monday.