The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-03-17
THE WEAK CHAMPION.

There he goes againl The poor pulling
selt-appOinted though oft-repudiated
champion of the Mormon church in
this part of Utah, is rushing into the
breach TO ward off an attack which was
never made. The pity of the Splatter-
bloteh's position is that in attacking
The DIsPATCH's article on taxing
church property it is forced to defend
all the other churches in the United
States. We know they will not ap-
preciate the coarse, ignorant and Hitter
ate fellow who tilts in their service,
any more than the Mormon people do.
The fact is the article we wrote was i'm.
partial and the Mormon church was
not mentioned, or even thought of
when / the article was written. Its
property falls far below mere tithe of
the church property in the states, and
vet this painting advocate of the faith
would teach that we were driving tull
at the Mormons, and no one else.
The Splatterblotch has hobby That
hobby is to take up any and every arti-
Gle published in these columns that has
reference in any way to matters religi-
Gus, and in its own bungling way, mis-
construe what is said, and in the most
labored manner imaginable endeavor
to put The DISPATCH in false light
before the eyes Of the Mormon people.
70 lyo hoF
this paper is antagonstic to the best
interests of the Mormon people, simply
because The DISPATCH is owned by,
and its editorial pages CONTROL ed
by nom mormon. The management
OF the Enquirer has another reason for
publishing the frothings of its hired
scribe-it wants to build up the En-
quirer by tearing down IHE DISPATCH.
Now be it understood that this paper
does not claim that all the argument
on this most important question of tax
ing church property is on the side
taken by US. A fair discussion, such
an one as will lead the people to think
and determine for themselves as to
which side is right SO that they could
vote intelligently on it if called so to
do, is what we court. But when such
puerile argument as that the Mormon
church could not afford to pay taxes on
its beautiful temple is set forth it is dis
gusting. There is no principle involved |
in that remark. We are not enformed |
by it as to whether or no the state
receives adequate recOmpense from the
churches in their moralizing and civil
izing influences for its exemption Of the
property of the churches from taxation.
Neither are we led to think of the
thousand and one other arguments that
naturally arise in the thinking mans
mind when be contemplates the sub
ject.
And then again to fling in an insinua-
ton that this paper failed to maintain
its stand on the keeping of salaried
preachers and men devoted exclusively
TO Gods work out of politics, simply
because the Enquirer aimed to make it
appear that every Mormon is preach
er in the sense of the word as used by
US, is unfair, as is also the charge that
this paper or its editor is endeavoring
TO change existing conditions among
the Mormons as to church matters,
church practices or church beliefs.
The whole article in the Enquirer of
last night is pueriIe in the extreme, and
thinking people can see to some extent
the shallowness of the brain that
prompted it. The only trouble is that
there are some readers who will Judge
the rest Of us by that frain,
At the risk Of another foul attack,
before closing this article we will say
that to non-Mormon who has come
into Utah to make it his permanent
home and has learned some of the ways !
OF the people, it does seem that the C
Mormons have been and continue to be 2
too lenient with their !
traducers in their own ranks, and that i
1t also does seem that they actually t
deserved a very great amount of the 2
persecution to which they have been =
subjected, for no other reason than that n
they allowed such puerile, imbecile and Z
asinine scribes as now writes for tn e Z Z
Eng irer to speak ior them through h
he public press.