Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-05-20

governments? They are the image seen
by Nebuchadnezznr. go.
When will the present forms OF politi.
cal and religious government come 10 an
end? In the present ago.
by what meansf by tho Kingdom VI
God and great destruction.
What IL the Kingdom Of Godl me
ocracy, or, In other words, Kingdom
governed by direct revelations from Cod
And still another:
And whom man IL appointed to pre-.
side, the Saints arc called upon 10 sane.
| ton that appointment, and evory saint
has perfect right to woe for or against
| IL; but II they should oil vote against 1t,
! II would not invalidato the legality OF
that appointment; as Elder Spencer Oh.
served in the council lnss nigh, "a man
Is mt liberty to vote himself to hell II he
wants to-"
The frat Of these paragraphs. we are
told, ia from the DEsEHEr NEWS, vol.
Z; the others from the Musnnial star,
volumes 10 and 10 aud We take II for
grantei they are verbatim q W,rdtfni.
"Tho above, "--the Tribune exclsims
! exultiugly-"ls the docttine Of the
Mormon church. That l., II Is u govern.
ment by God through His priests on
earth; the head Of tho Church ie IN
point II fact, the vicegerent on cart h
Of God"
But there Is where the paper
is helplcssly wrong. This con-
clusion is not warranted by the prem.
ises. There Is not one word IN the
quotations by which the allegations as
to Mormon "Church rule" In politics
can be sustained. as the JudIcIouu
reader will see Mt glance.
In the first paragraph quoted,
Joseph Smltn's vlews ars given la n
general way concerning governments.
That remarkable man OF this age,
whose mind seemed TO penetrate every
subject he took up for consideration
expresses the opinion that the world
Is governed too much; that l., that
there Ia too great tendency towards
paternalism not TO say dsspoti.m In the
world. He thinks the cause OF this is
that the nations do not acknowledge
God ms their law-givcr, and that
the remedy would be n Theo.de-
mocracy. Isthero anything In this to
prove that the Mormon Church wants
to rulcin politics? We defy anyone to
produce single word from Joseph
Smiths mouth or pen TO the effect that
he claimed to dictate the political faith
OF anybody. He was mao who lived
and died for tho cause OF true Amerl.
can liberty aud he gave to others what
he 40 much loved himself. And III q
same 10 true OF his noble successors.
The second quotation has rs little
bearing upon the point In con.
troversy. The idea is expressed
that tn present forms Of govern.
ment OH earth win finally be- merged
In new form, Theocracy, or the
"kingdom OF G)d." The Mormons
believe this In common with millions
OF Christians who expeo, the coming
OF millennium, In which Christ
shall reign. Blu. what has this to do
with "Church rule IN this age, pre-
vlous to the millennium" The Bible
seems 10 state that time will come
when by the interference OF Omnipo.
tence radical change In the political
conditions OF tho world shall take place.
But the Mormons look upon this rs still
future, as do other Christians. In the
meantime, we believe that "govcrn.
menis were instituted Of God
for the benent OF man and that
all linen are bound TO sustain
aud uphold the respective governments
In which they reside" That Is the
Mormon creed upon this subject.
The third quotation gives Mormon
Elders personal views as to the val.
idliy Of IN ecclesiastical Appointments
case 1t should not be sanctioned by
voters. L, has no bearing whatever
upon political matters and does moi
prove that the Mormons do not enjoy
liberty TO the fullest extent.
1.-THE Tribune still insists that the
Mormons are "ruled" by few men Of
influence, 1t Ia only fair to again call
for proof,. Show upi what meetings
OF the Church political matters are,
improperly or otherwise, discussed.
These meetings arc all public. II
should be easy to prove the allega.
ton, had 1t any foundation
in fact, and until 1t has been proved,
those who continually reitersto the
charge must be branded as slsnderers
OF the worst type.
We still claim for every citizen,
whether he holds an eccleslastical
Office or not, the privilege OF free
thought ami speech, and the right
freely accorded BY our a tagonist to
DR.. iii and others on tue other side,
belongs IA much to our side. That and
nothing more 10 what we contend for.
The object OF the Tribune Is well
enough understood IN this Territory.
AM IL we are not mistaken the people
at large begin 10 understand IL too.
Its rage 10 less terrible than 1t used 10
be. Its allusion 10 thr expulsion from
Nauvoo only SHOWS that, whatever else
is changed, its own disposition remains
the same. 1t would no DOUBT be grail.
| Tying to some to have n mob on hand