Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-12-21
ANOTHER CLAIM ON CHURCH
PROPERLY.

WE publish today the petition Of
the trustees Of the Brigham Young
Academy Of Provo, which has been
filed In the Supreme Court Of the
Territory, asking for portion OF the
property Of tho Church that IL now In
the hands Of the Receiver.
The claims Of the Academy are
clearly fet forth and tho facts present
ed are indlsputablo. II this property
ia to be- distributed In manner not
designed by the original contributors,
II looks as though the u. Y. Academy
Mt Provo, the u. Y. College at Logan
and tho u. Y. University TO 10 e..
tabllshed ia this city, should each
come In for a fair share Of the funds.
They were all intended by the late
President Brigham Young as a means
OF securing advanced education to
children Of members Of the @ hurch Of
Jesus Christ OF Latter. day Saints. And
their ox istence, ia design or In fact, ia
evidence that tho stories Of "MomOn"
opposition to schools are an Invention
oftho enemy.
But the personal property Of the
Church was not donated for these la.
stllutions or either Of them. Tho con.
tributions came to the CbtAch In the
form Of fittings for Church purposes.
Tho objection to the retention Of the
funds by tho Church author
files, or their passing from The
definct corporation 10 the liv-
lug body, was that they might pos
Silly be used for Improper purposes, to
wit,the support or spread Of polygsmy.
That objection having booH fully re-
moved, there Is no reason In morality
or Justice neither in law or logic, why
the property should not be held by
trustees Of the Church for general
Church purposes, with legal rcstric-
tions preventing IT, use for any unlaw-
lul purpose.
II seems as though the method pro-
posed by counsel representing the ORR
ginal donstors to the fund was the
easiest, fairest and most con-
sislent way Of disposlng OF the
property In dispute. Aud It is Ger
tain that n 10 placed 1t would he APP
piled to those lawful uses nearest in
Inns with the objects Tor which 1t was
originally donated.
Hut II the courts finally decide that
II shall not 70 where II really belongs
aud would naturally revert, then we
see no good reason why those eluca-
tiOnal estabiishincu,st 10 which portions
Of Church funds have been devoted,
should not each receive a fair proper.
ton Of tho cscheatei property, that
children OF the people who dona tod the
means might receive It's benefits.
However, the time Ia little late for
the petition from Provo. We
DO not know whether II Is too
late TO receive attention from the
Master In Chsncery, who II IL sup.
posed has nearly II no, quite com.
plelod his report. II Ia worthy Of con
sideration and the claim Ia urged In n
concise, yet comprehensiv manner.
We hope that. whatever time II may
take to reach n conclusion OF this vcxed
question, justice will be- done at last,
and that this government will not
place itselfon record In the history Of
tho nineteenth century, as dcapoller
ola religious organization because II
was unorIhodox. In tins age OF re-
nglous federation, such proceeding
wblld be an anachronlsn, rs well ~ a
direct departure from the spirit Rnd
tendencies Of the period and from the
genius OF the institutions Of the oOun'
toy.