The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-10-09

io 40 Snoc1f VI aug 10 uecSlFo INC puOllc 6nd
has no authority of that kind from US. We
have no disposition to direct in these mat
tiers, bIS proclsim that, as far as we are
concerned, the members of this church are
entirely and perfectly free in all political
Rffairs.''
II these declarations do not make clear
the tact that members of the Mormon
church sre free 10 follow whatever course
IN politics their reason teaches them is
pest, then despair of ever seeing language
that viii ex press it
church leaders may have said. if they be
given credit for Just common, ordinary
sense-to say nothing of that intelligence
winch we may expect them to possess as
tue leaders of great people, and which we
1now they do possess-we know that they
could take no other course than that indi-
Gated IN their public utteranoes from
which l have quoted. When the founders
OF our republic were raising this temple of
our liberties-this government for the
United States-thsy wisely discovered that
sucn was the condition of the people in re-
spect TO religion being divided into va
rely OF sects and parties-uhat they could
create no religious establishment, or favor
one sect above another without being
gullty Of rank injustice TO all to all the
req. In order therefore to do justice TO
men of all religions they declared the pol
ICY of non -interference on the part of the
state with religious concerns, by pro-
riding in the constitution that no
religious test should ever be re-
Quired as qualification to any
office or public trust under the United
Stotes And further provided that Con-
gress should ''mahe no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibit the
free exercise thereof" These provisions
built partition wall between the church
and the state; and the religious peace and
liberation, and the religious liberty en-
loyed by the people for more than CEN
fury vindicates the wisdom which dictated
this policy in the beginning. What changes
may come TO this earth when, as we hope,
the Son of God shall come in person in the
glory of His father to judge nsn and estab-
lish His Kingdom in ans wer to the common
prayer of all Christianity, we may not
know; but this We say, that SO long as con-
ditions exist as they are, men even of ordi-
nary intelligence will see that it would be
the act of rnadmen TO attempt TO mingle
ecclesiastical influence and authority with
political concerns in the United States and
especially IN this territory. We all are
anxious to have our fellow citizens
throughout the country understand US
Alright on this subject, and nothing
could be SO disastrous to the we'll
fare OF our territory or retard
more the progress we have been
making toward our political emancipation
of late than to have it go abroad that the
people OF Utan are not free te follow their
political convictions; that they are subject
IN their political actions 10 the dictations of
ecclesiastical authority. The people OF me
United States are convinced of the Wis
dom of their policy of non-interference on
the part Of the state with religion on the
one nand, ana with the separation of tne
state from the influence of the church Oh
the other, and they will tolerate no altera
ton of this arrangement under existing
conditions.
MIR. Chairman, ! am persuaded in my
own mind that no class of men in our COM
munity are more thoroughly aware OF facts
than are the Mormon leaders; Tor are there
any ether men that can De more anxious TO
have the people walk in harmony with
these public utterances which | have
quoted to you. They must know what
mischief would result from vascillating
course in politics. Now il would Justly
create a suspicion amounting to distrust
both in them and their people, and COM
bine against them all parties. The true
policy in politics for the people
of Utah is indicated in some of
these very passages quoted, viz: "ro
study well the principles of both the great
national parties and then choose which
they will join, freely, voluntarily and hon
estly, from personal conviction, and then
stand by il in all honor and sincerity No
Gentle in the world could give better po-
litical advice to the people of Utah than
that. But now enough, and perhaps more
than enough, of this. Only let me say to
our Democratic friends who are not Nor
mons that you need have no fear. that Nor
mon Democrats Will prove untrue to Their
and party affiliations. When
they faced you in local party politics as op-
ponents you found them steady, consis tent
foemen; let that De an earnest that as allies
you will find them equally firm, reliable
and consistent.
AND now let US turn from these themes
to those more worthy the consideration of
this convention, peuslng only TO glance
back and say that we hope the time is near
at hand when reference TO the things we
have just considered will not be necessary
when the people of Utah shall be as well
and shall SO well understand
that their position will need no
explanation.
The people of the United States are di
vided into two great political parties, each
of which asks TO be put in control of the
general government 1t is conceded that
the one Issue between them which rises
above all others is the great question of
tariff. This Is not new issue. 1t is older
than this generation. Older than our gov
ernment-older Than orr civilization. For
the time OF its birth you must go back to
that time when man first loved power and
exercised it; and to that time equally dis
taut in the past when man loved liberty
and longed for II. Ii Is an issue which
covers the whole battlefield of liberty
crossed and recrossed by the forces of op-
preston on the one hand and the forces of
liberty on the other.
The chief use of arbitrary powar it
seems to me, has ever been 20 enable those
who possessed il to live in ease and luxury
al the expense of other people. Every
conouerer who has suodued a people or
nation has never been satisfied with
his conquest until he placed those whom
he had subjugated under perpetual tribute
TO himself and his favorites. Write the
history Of mans struggle for freedom and
you will at the sane time write the history
of his efforts to free himself from the tax.
alton imposed upon him by those possessed
of arbitrary power. For illustration of this
statement l need go no further back in the
history of man than the time of King John
of England. Early in thu thirteenth CEN
fury the barons of England Assem- bleo in
the pleasant meadows Of Runnymede and
with arms in their hands presented to King
John the Magma Charta and demanded
that he sign it. The usurping king hest
tated moment, but looking into the deter
mined faces of the stern men that sur
rounded him he saw that they looked into
each others eyes, had read each others
purposes, and at once concluded that they
would not be trified with and he signed
The charter. The very first sen
tence in that great palladium OF
English liberties, in substance
raada. You shall not tar ne uithout orr