The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-06
CHURCH INFLUENC E."

some newspapers still continue to dis
cuss the question of church influence as
AFFECTING elections in Utah.
we entirely agree with the Salt Lake
tribune in two statements it makes
Whch are that "a majority of the Nor
mon votes in the territory were Demo-
cratic votes" ard that 80 per cent. OF
the old Liberals are Republicans" and
we deduce from these facts the conclus-
III mat the Mormon church in a body
iis's mol gone over To- the enemy; but we
also peIleve that some prominent Nor
mons VINO are Republicans, did influence
many Mormon voters to vote with them
Our contention is that men should not
use any but political influence with voters
anu mat whenever any man high or low
tfles to influence voters in the exercise
OF their franchise by means of his eccles-
lastlcal position he is acting outside Of his
sphere and ought not to be followed by
those who recognize his leadership in
inatters pertaining to the church.
. we enphaUcally deny that church in
nueHce has been exercised in form, but
are lully satisfied that with some persons
INC duVlce or suggestion of church lead
SIs mas produced the same effect as a
formal church declaration would have
zone, ana claim that under such circum-
stances a majority of the Mormon voters
nave good cause TO complain OF the effect,
anu 10 demand that the political con-
sciences of the majority should be re-
spected to the extent that they may be
Iple 10 maintain precisely the same rela-
tlon TO their brethren in church matters
as they would if all agreed politically.
we want to make the distinction square,
~ and broadly between the two facts,
mat the church, as a church, is not in
pontlcS, but that most OF its members as
lndlVlduals, are in politics, and to lay
down the further proposition that the
pontlcal sayings ana doingS of each indl-
Vldual neither gains nor loses weight by
the fact. that he is either a lay member,
or prominent official. 1t is the connecting
OF the sacred prestige of priestly influence
with political work that we object to,
ana whilst We desire to accord to every
voter every privilege we claim for any
other voter, the majority of the Mormon
voters protest against two things. One
is: Republicans claiming church influence
ON their side when we are a majority OF
the church; and the other is, any attempt
to reduce our majority by means of sug-
gestions to the effect that some church
leaders favor RepublicaniSm. Both have
been done, and it is high time it ceased,
at once and forever.
The suggestion that Mormons favor
home industry is true of both Democrats
and Republicans. Mormon Democrats be-
lieve in doing as Brigham Young and his
followers did in starting Che manufacture
of wooden goods, combining their own
means, of their own Volition, and building
factories and paying for them with their
own money. Our Republican friends want
TO support home Industries by the taxes
of the people whether they want to pay
taxes for that purpose or not; but both
want home industries supported, and it
is the veriest rot to suggest that the
supporting of home industry has any
thing in the world to do with politics.
Provo Dispatch.