The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-02
MINISTER'S DEFENDED.
j. b. @. TAKES ISSUE WITH w. N: ID,
ON THE RESOLUTIONS.
Political Rights of Religious Prencb-
erS the Same as Those of Any
Other Class of American Citizens.

To the Editor Of The Herald:
In Thursday mornings issue you pub
lished a letter from w II. D." under
the heading Hands OFF," wherein the
writer ventiIates his views on the recent
action of the Ministers association in
taking 'a hand in our election affairs
The gentleman seems to entertain the
opinion that ministers of the gospel have
no rights as American citizens and that
public morals and politics" should be
left severely alone by them. He speaks
of our election affairs. Whose election
affairs is he talking about? The public
affairs of the citizens, or simply those Of
the bal;Ot-boX suffers. the election re-
turn falSifiers, and that numerous class
Gin which he evidently includes him
selfO that SympathiZe with law-break-
erS and laW-haters in general? Is no one
to have a voice in the affairs of our city
unless ne runs a saloon CT is qualified
to speak on account OF owning property
on Franklin avenue rented for immoral
purposes?
His talk that if tine resolutions formu-
lated by the Ministers association had
emanated over the signatures Of the
dominant church party in this territory
there would at once have arisen a
wildly indignant wall and protest against
church dictation and interference in poll
tics is pure boSh- No cry has ever been
raised inside or outside of Utah on aC-
count Of the leaders of the dominant
church, publishing resolutions asking
for the enforcement of laws appearing OH
the statute books. On the contrary, such
a declaration on their part would be
hailed by delight by those who are asked
to believe, in spite Of their past expert
ence. that the leaders of the dominant
church are anxious to see American in
situations firmly established in the new
state that is to be.
No one DESTROYS of seeing the greatest
good accomplished for all the people
here has any objection TO ministers OF
the gospel taking a hand in public af-
flied to speak on moral questions are 10
be muzZled if the thousands of men and
women living in this section of the C0un-
try who believe in the right. because IL
IS right. cannot express their opinions
we had better speedily reach the cOnclu-
sion that life under republican institu-
lions is not what it is cracked UP 70
be- and move somewhere else. leaving
w. II. D." and his SympathiZers to
complete the ruin.
1t may not be amiss to remind this
gentleman that one of the ministers in
New York city took a hand in''our''
affairs and the majority of the people in
that great state also managed to get
their hands in, to the diSCOmfOrtuTe Of
that class of politicians for whose right
to perpetuate infamy he 50 vigorously
pleads. For the best welfare OF the
state of Utah 1T is to be hoped that the
ministers having their hands in our af-
I fairs Will keep them there until. aided
by awakening American citizens all over
, the commonwealth, w; H. p. and the
class he represents will be laid ON the
top shelf TO runliuate over the fact that
purity in politics has developed into
something more than an 'irrideScent
dream" Yours, etc. J. e. c.
Salt Lake City, Feb /, 1895.