The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-12
a LITTLE MORE M1RY CLAY.

Mr.. Clay seems unable, or at least
is unwilling, to drop the controversy
over the ministers unwise resolutions
unless he has the last word. AS to
his personal confab with Mr.. Walden
we have nothing further to say, as that
gentleman is able to take care of his
own end of the dispute. But we will
notice one sentence in the letter which
is published in another column of this
paper, because it touches on the chief
point of the discussion in which The
Herald has taken part. It is this:
do not believe the Delegates-elect
VIII ever consent to vote for a docu-
ment containing an article so manifest
Iy unjust, as one that would deny to
ministers of the gospel the right to
protest against any wrong that was at
tempted by men who were acting for,
and in the name of, the people of
Utah.
1t will be observed by the thought
full reader that this contains two i'm
plications: One is that there is a dis
position on the part of somebody to
incorporate in the Constitution of the
State of Utah something that would
infringe upon the rights of ministers
OF the gospel The other is that some
persons in office have been attempt
ing to perpetrate a wrong against
which the ministers have been protest.
ing.
We do not believe there is anybody
in Utah who wishes to deprive a, re-
1iPiOI1S T1iT1ictar of oo-, &c H.
OF an American citizen. There are
! people, however, who think that such
persons should be satisfied with the
exercise of those rights simply as
citizens, without endeavoring to in
crease them by adding the influence
and force Of their sacerdotal position
in partisan proceedings, thereby OBJ
! tanning an unfair political ADVANTAGE
over citizens who are only laynen.
! But the history of constitution making
in Utah proclaims that there will be
no attempt to deprive any class OF
citizens Of their rights, just as there
will be none to blend together the
powers of church and state.
The idea, then, that the DeIegat ties.
elect will have occasion to refuse tc
consent to incorporate in the Consti.
tuition any such provision as Mr.. Clay
1nsinuates will be attempted is, to use
his own phrase, ''gratuitous' and en-
tfrely unwarranted
Now as to the intimation that somt
men acting for and in the name n
the people of Utah" have been com
uniting or trying to commit wrons
against which ministers of the gospe
claim the right to protest. We regard
that as all of a piece with the cover
attack in the resolutions, and as Droo
that the common understanding
Of the intent of those who signed i
was to assail the Utah Commissio,
without mentioning their names.
We claim the right to protest agains
such assaults. We do not deny tn,
right Of ministers, whether in thei
clerical capacity or as ordinary citi
zens, to denounce wrong in any form
We claim the right to criticize thei
manner Of doing it, however, and wheI
they do a manifest wrong to publ
officers by vile insinuations wbicl
they cannot support by evidence, an,
the responsibility for which they en-
deavor to shirk, we expect to denounc
that kind of conduct with the sam
freedom which they claim to expires
their opinions.
The difficulty with some of our cIeri
cal friends in clamoring for libert,
which no one denies to them is, tina
they seem to hold themselves abov
the criticism to which ordinary citi
zens are open, and thus become AFRO
CANT on the one hand while fghtin,
a foe of straw with the other The las
fusilade of Clay is very wide of tn
mark.