The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-26
RELIGION AND POLITICS.

The Deseret Evening News of Tues
day contains copies of correspondence
between the Salt Lake. Tribune and
President MILFORD Woodruff, also some
editorial comments on the subject of
the letters. President Woodruff's re-
ply will be found in another part of
this paper. That gentleman made some
remarks last Sunday at Provo, a
synopsis of which appeared in The
Herald on Monday morning They re-
lated to improprieties in the conduct
of political campaigns, which the
speaker deprecated and condemned
He also asserted his right to counsel
and direct the people under his charge
in reference to all things, spiritual and
temporal
The Tribune chose to construe that
as the enunciation of an intent to die
tate the political affiliations of the Nor
mon people. The consequence was the
correspondence to which we refer.
President Woodruff disclaims anything
of that kind. and we think he is right
in saying that no such claim is set up
in his remarks, even as they were re-
ported in the Tribune. 1t was the
strained inference of that paper, not
what the speaker said that is at fault.
We wish to call special attention TO
the gentlemans emphatic declaration
as to the freedom of his people in poll
tics. After speaking of his right to
give advice to the Latter-day Saints
in matters pertaining to their temporal
and spiritual welfare, he says:
This is not to claim the right to adj
wise them how or for whom they
should vote or which party they
should join. We emphatically and sim
cerely approve the division of the Nor
mon people on party lines, and We
recognize every mans agency and re-
spect his right to choose in these mat
ters for himself. We nave not advised
and do not advise our people how they
shall vote; the elections that have been
held in this territory since politics on
national party lines was introduced,
are proof of this policy; we have ask
ed no Republican to vote the Demo-
cratic ticket, and no Democrat to vote
the Republican ticket; we have never
advised men to vote other than their
convictions prompted them, and have
no intention OF giving such adyice.
We quote these words that they may
be thoroughly understood by all par
aid frequently receives letters stating
that members of the Mormon church,
who are not fixed in their party choice,
have been told by men holding ecclesi-
astical authority, that it was the wish
of the First Presidency that they
should be Republicans, and that in
some cases Democrats have been per
suaded by the same method to vote the
Republican ticket. If any Democrat
has resorted to the same tactics we
have failed to hear of it.
1t is time all such disreputable and
unjustifable attempts to influence the
unstable and misinterpret prominent
men should be stopped. If people con-
not be convinced by fair argument and
plain facts, they ought not to be i'm
posed upon by statements or intima-
tons contrary to those declared by
President Woodruff, and which are but
in substance the repetition of his form
er, published declarations.
In this connection we wish to say
that rational people will not object to
the introduction of politics into the pull
pit, in the sense mentioned by the
Mormon President. 1t is only when the
power of ecclesiasts is used as parti-
sans, to unduly influence church mem
bers in favor of party or. candi-
date that protest is made. That cor
ruption and evil of every kind, and all
that is improper, disorderly and base
should be condemned by the pulpit as
well as by the press, is conceded by the
vast majority Of the American people.
When politics in the pulpit is decried,
1t is that partisanship and that i'm
proper influence which priestcraft
sometimes yields, and which has
wrought evil and brought trouble upon
the world during the ages that are
past, and which it is to be hoped viii
never find place upon American soil.