The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-11-23
PROVO CITY. NOV, %, is
THE CHURCH AND POLITICS.

There is no patriotic American who
would see the church shorn of any,
even the least OF its parogasiYes, just
as there is not an intelli gent or patrl
otic American in all this great nation
of nearly seventy millions of people
who would see the church, or any
of the branches of it clothed with
temporal power or any preroga
tive which would enable it in any
way to interfere with the rights, opin-
ions, or views OF actions of the people
to the least extent or in any way, how
ever Insignificant. Any other view
than that above expressed WI uld be
unAmerican and foreign to every SEN
timent of American citizenship. The
principle upon which this great goY-
eminent was formed was entire and
unquestioned religious liberty, the in
estimable privilege of worshiping God
in our own way, at just such times and
In such fashion as best pleased the
people. The strength of this senti'
ment has grown with the years of the
national lie. Deeply planted under
all other feelings is found this one
leading and domInent sentiment
There are sta es in this union where
English Episcopalianism is the domin-
ant religious sentiment, other states
where Scotch Presbyterianism prevails,
others where English Methodisn is in
the ascendant, others where OathoE-
cism leades, any and all other
religious preference. To give
any one OF these churches
exclusive privileges or powers would
not only violate one of the most sacred
and dearly prized rights of the people,
but it would be unjust and dangerous
beyond comprehension. You worship
God as you please or refrain
altogether and no man and no
combination of men must even
call in question your perfect right to
do in matters of conscience just as you
please. How much Of the greatness of
this great republic rests upon this per-
feet religious liberty will perhaps never
be known, but one thing is known and
observed by patriotic people every day,
and that is that we have culled the
excellent, the manly and the tolerant
of every nation of the earth, who have
come here simply because of this broad
liberty, and they will never surrender
one, even the least of tie privileges
thus acquired, to any priest or poten-
tate on earth. No man is to be dis.
tinguished against or in favor of, be-
cause he holds this are that to be the
true church. Ali that can be demanded
of him, is, does he obey the laws, pay
his taxes and render military duty
when demanded. These are the con-
ditions, the only conditions of his citI-
zenship. If he can answer yea to such
questions as will make these senti-
ments appear to be his own clearly and
Enthusiastically, nothing else can be de-
manded Of him. Thank God that we
have this precious boon and no one
may molest or make us afraid. if we
hold to the Greek, the Romish. the
English, the Presbyterian, the Method.
ist or the Mormon faith. Ali stand
alike equal, and equally in authority
before the law.
Here IN Utah the Mormon church ia
triumphant in numbers, yet those
numbers predominant and great as
they are, ruling by reason of its
strength numerically has no more power
over the votes and voices of the people
than the Catholic or even the Luth.
eran. No matter what the past has
been, when the state governmt Mt is orr
ganized all the churches Will be equal
in this, that mona will be permitted to
dictate TO the civil government. Saint
and sinner, believer and infidel, will be
upon level equality and none will
have advantage and none may perse-
cute for opinions sake. The resultant
lesson that no matter how the pope of
Rome, the queen of England or the
Gar of Russia may wish us vote, we
will simply vote as we please and defy
all that either may do or attempt to do
to teach US that they would be graft
fed if we voted their views. This ie
Americanism, all else is false and spur
ious and not binding on either motive
or action.