The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-13
THE ARGUS EDITORIAL.
Wants Republican Victory Without
Tnint of Priesthood.

The Argus surprised it's friends by
an editorial on the subject, which de-
rives significance from the fact that it
is a Republican paper. Ii was IS
follows:
the account given in another column
Cs this paLlar of the recent meeting of the
Mormon priesthood, will, no doubt, prove
q.artiirg and surprising. The majority OF
Argus readers have never questioned the
power of the Mormon church in matters
temporal as we'll as spiritual, but they
had at least hoped that the day was past
when the priesthood would attempt to
do by indirection what they formerly did
by open and direct methods Much as
the Argus desires Republican victory,
fruitful If good results as we believe
such d. c0nsunlmation would prove to be
to the people of Utah, we nevertheless
say here, openly and unequivocally, that
we prefer defeat by all means than that
any victory we Iaight obtain should be
tainted with even the suspicion of Nor
mon church cC1tICl or dictation. When
the Liberal hosts disbanded we believed
that the po!itico-ecclesiastical questions
that had racked this territory in times
past had been relegated to oblivion. The
People fondly hoped that with new issues
dividing the voters of Utah the in-feel-
';.!gs that had been fostered for years
would be Oblterated and a new era of
prosperity be ushered in fer this fair ter
ritCry. With this belief and hope the
Gentle and Mormon contingents have
touched elbow to elbow and the magnetic
thrill OF that intercourse has just begun
to galVanlze into life a new political be-
ms. At first the shock was so strong
that men approached one another with
caution and distrust. Gradually this feel
ing y, were away and today Mormon and
Gentle in the Republican, ranks and Nor
mon and Gentle in the Democratic ranks
are as closely allied and as absolutely
faithful to their political pledges and
promises as ever the Gentiles were to
one another in time past We demand
that this state Of affairs shall continue.
We do not desire a return to the old
methods. Let the church render to Caesar
those things which belong to Caesar Be-
ware of double dealing with the people
of this territory.
George G. Cannon said to the Nor
mon conference on Sunday last that
This people must rise above the methods
OF the world in matters of politics and
business, and that this is Gods Zion
and He Will take care of it., and that
men may plot and plan but God will
sweep them aside Those words taken in
connection with the meeting of the
priesthood ON the following day i'll which
Mr.. Cannon endorsed the sentiments OF
President Smith might lead to the suS-
picion that Mr.. Cannon believed that the
church should control the political &C
ton of all it's adherents. Mr. cannon
ef;,l1ld not permit himself to remain I'M
der SUSPICION In Illdl wv GCliO4l lOl C'4%
moment AS the head CT the Mormon
church. as the intellectual center Of that
religious circle, he should call together
again that same body of men who gath
cred here last Monday and say to them
in language SO plain and unequiVocal, in
words so strong and clear that the YER
lest child might not mistake their mean
ing. that by criticising Messrs Thatcher
and Roberts as he and President Smith
did that they neither intended to influ-
ence Mormon Democratic votes against
these men. nor did they intend to init
mate suggest or counsel the Mormon
priesthood and through them, the Nor
mon people that 1T was the wish and
desire of the Mormon church that Utah
should go Republican this year. The is
sue is SO clear that DO evasive or doubtful
measures can be adopted. We want TO
know now and once for all whether the
Mormon church is in Utah politics. The
people have right to a clear cut am
swer both in words and deed to this
question. To equivocate at this junctuTe
is to admit guilt. 1t is a question: that
is of vital Importance to the Gentiles of
this territory. On its proper solution de-
Ponds the future prosperity of it's peo-
pie. If we are to have "a repetition of the
old feuds, the disagreeable wranglings
and a continuance of the long right Of
distress that encompassed Utah for years,
better q Thousand times to know it now
while in territorial swaddling clothes
than to wait until we have Invested our
ss!ves of them and arrayed ourselves in
the royal garb of theocratic statehood.