The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-24
NOT IN II.

The E6eisiig Times has an extended inter
view with Presidents WILFoRp WooDRUFF
and GEORGE @. CANNON on the local politi-
cal situation. with special reference to the
attitude OF the leaders Of the Mormon
church towards their people IS to politics.
The interview is il the form of questions
and answers and it is evident the latter
have been carefully worded so as TO ex-
press, without doubt or equivocation,
the views of the gentlemen. 1t ap-
pears elsewhere in this issue of
The HERALD. The substance of all
may be briefly stated: The church
authorities have absolutely nothing to do
with the disbanding OF the Peoples party
and the dividing of the members of that
defunct organization as Democrats and Re-
publicans; the first intimation of such dis
banding and division came 20 the leaders
when the Peoples party OF Ogden
went out of existence and the
Republican and Democratic parties
were formed; the church authorities
as such will take no part in politics, and
will not attempt to hold their people to
gether either as members of one of the
national parties or in a distinctively church
party; in short, the church is out OF poll
tics absolutely, and the people are free TO
act for themselves according to their indi-
vidual opinions and without regard TO the
past or present views Of the authorities.
THE HERALD has known the views of the
gentlemen quoted, hence the expression of
their views in Our evening contemporary is
no surprise to US. We have known that
the church authorities were not .'in it." to
use the expressive slang of the day. This
Interview should convince everybody that |
they are not Sin it." and il VIII convince /
all who do not blind their eyes and close
their ears to apparent facts.
The HERALD has said why there was 1
a dissolution Of the Peoples party |
was out of politics. The party went 10 |
pieces because there was nothing to hold it |
together. 1t was without a mission; there 1
was no incentive 10 life. Political parties |
must have reason for existence, an ex-
cuse for living. Until last year the Feo-
pies party had much reason and excuse.
The Mormons, who made up the member
ship Of the party, were the object of as
sault by all other people, and it was abso-
lutely essential 70 self preservation that
the former should hold together. The oc-
caSion of the combined attack was the
polygamy which the Saints practiced Last
fall the church, as a body, proclaimed
against the further practice of plural mar /
rage, and that proclamation took away the
excuse for non-M ormons to make war upon
the Mormons, and OF course the
Saints had no further occasion for
presenting solid front against the
world. 1t required time to con-
vince the Gentiles that the Mormons were
sincere in what they had done, and when
that conviction came there was nothing TO
do on the part of the nou-Mormons except
10 cease the aggressive warfare which they
had been waging, and nothing TO do on the
part of the SAINTS except TO abandon their
political organization. The conduct on
either side was q natural and necessary
of the removal of the cause of
those long years OF vigorous attack and
stubborn defense. To argue that any other
course could have been pursued would be
10 say that men are unreasonable beings
who delight in qusrreling through an inhe-
rent love OF strife. The church went out
IF politics when It was no longer necessary
~ iEC OAAA IL . al safety d.u
% hold its people together politically; and }
IS the condition which once prevailed
AN never be restored, it is highly l
mpro bable that the church will I
,ver assume to direct its members in other l
han religious department.
We say it is unlikely that the church will I
yer assume TO do this, and we say further p
hat in our opinion such assumption would
,e firmly resented. Whatever others may
blink TIE HERALD knows that the Nor L
nobs rejoice quite as much over the C
hanged condition as the intelligent, peace
owing Gentiles do. The improvement is so P
marked that al recognize it, all want it to D
ontinue. and it would require greater in P
uence than any mau, Mormon or nom v
dormon, can WELD to induce a return to d
be old condition of things. n