The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-02
PREACHERS POLITICAL R1GHrs.

i.
peared in The Herald few days ago.
1t will be seen that the champion of
the minister's who formulated some ill
advised and slanderous resolutions, is
neither logical nor temperate in his
attempted reply. He has gone off on
a tangent, made remarks about Mr.. w.
H. D. which are entirely unwarranted.
CHASED him with people whose dOings
there is no resaon to believe he would
approve and altogether strayed from
the main issue.
w. H. D. said nothing which JUST
fies j. B. c. in assuming that the
former includes himself with "bal-
lot-box suffers" election return
falsifers" or "sympathizers with law
breakers and law-haters in general"
That is as near to blaclzguardism as
could be imagined from a defender of
religious ministers who take a hand
in politics.
If ]. B. c. will carefully read the
letter from w. H. D., he will find that
! it complains chiefly of unjust and I'M
lseemly insinuations against the Utah
Commission. Here is what he said:
! Aside from the manifest improperly
and indelicacy of these gentlemen of
! the cloth assuming that the Utah
! Commission, or the Democratic ma
jority thereof, are attempting to
count OUT any man rightfully elect
! ed, there remains the fact that the
information they had upon which to
/ base their accusations must have
! been meagre. How many of them
have taken the time or trouble to in
vestgate either the facts or the law
| in any of these cases"
1t is evident that j. B. G. has either
failed to fully investigate the matter
on which he discourses. or ne is ready
like the ministers whom he defends
to bear false witness against his
neighbour. Arguing that those gentle.
men as citizens have the right to a
voice in public affairs is merely gas
without light. That is not the gist
Of the matter
Whatever right each one of those
men may have as citizens to take a
hand in political affairs, they have
no right because they are religious
preachers to SANDER the Commission
or other persons. And their cloth
does not form sufficient arnor tc
shield them from the shafts of truth
that are provoked by their assump-
ton.
But is not simply as citizens THAT
they formulated those resolutions
They spoke in their clerical capacity
| II iS o0l1- in +l,go+ +to+ ,+l,o1- ,,-o,,Ia -
able to exercise an influence among
the people, and therefore it is useless
to try to divest them of their minis
terial garments that they may escape
censure.
They. and ]. B. c. with them. have
joined in a howl that is without rea-
son and without religion That there
has been some unlawful work with
the Sanpete election returns is admit,
ted. Who performed it is not yet
known. It is hoped that the matter
Will be 50 thoroughly investigated that
the guilty will be brought to light and
punished. But to say that the Com
mission, or the Democratic party, has
tried to count OUT men who were
elected and count in" others, who
were not elected, is an outrage thai
is not made any better because it i<
perpetrated by religious ministers.
No one that we know of here wants
to have ministers of the gospel "muz
zled" SO that they may not speal
freely on all public affairs. Argu
ments for their liberty in that respec
are a waste Of words. They have al
the liberty they could ask for. Blu
when they get on to the pclltica
plane, and become 50 partisan tina
they use the weapons of the secular
politician, they are just as much oper
TO criticism and liable to be met with
political sword and spear as if the!
were ordinary citizens.
If J. B. c. or any of the resolving
ministers know that the Utah Com
mission, or any one else they car
Idesignate, has tried to count out OF
count in persons unlawfully, the!
have as much right as anybody els'
TO point out the guilty and to speal
against the guilt. But when they
merely JOIN III GA ullJ e1S9eS
under cover of religious resolutions
and clearly for partisan purposes
upon men whom they cannot prove
to have done any wrong, they ough
10 be rebuked, and their pulpit posi-
tons must not shelter them, but i
anything expose them to the greateI
condemnation.
We publish j. B. C's letter that hs
may not think we win not give him {
hearing. But as he shamefuny at
tacks w. H. D. without cause, VIZ
would have been justified in exclud
ing it. But we could not fairly prin
it without making these remarks OF
the main question in the controversy
! To denounce wrong is right Tx
maintain purity in election affairs i
the duty of all citizens including tht
ministers Of religion. So far as tina
lis concerned we join in the plea fol
righteousness in politics. But Sian
der, direct, or implied, for partisan
lends is to be as much despised as tam
Ipering with election returns, and tina
lis what W. H. D. condemned. In tha-
line has the endorsement of The Her
laid.