The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-13

freedom of political action. unrestrained
| by fear OF ecclesiastical punishment, is
essential under our republican form of
government. This principle : so well
established in the Declaration OF hide
pendence in the national constitution and
IN tie constitution of CUR Own state tnat
II needs no argument TO sustain IL Could
l have accepted as a fact your state
me--tS.' ! would have saved myself the
d-s-ress that has followed my course re-
sarding the manifesto Of October, 1880,
which was generally considered and is
sun regarded as the first public and er-
fective movement towards securing state
hood in Utah
POLITICAL LIBERTY.
But my vote was sincere. and SO it was
year later, when the authorities and
SAINTS OF the church, in conference as
sembied, pledged themselves as individu-
as and as a people TO this government
that the members of their church should
be untrammeied in all civil concerns.
When IL was declared that there was no
foundation or excuse for the statement
that church anu state were united IN
Cta- or that the leaders of the church
dictated TO the members in political mat
tiers. and that whatever appearance OF
church domination there might have been
n the past nothing of the kind would
be attempted in the future. 1 sincerely
believed in these declarations and the
subsequent official declarations OF The
2uthor;tes OF the church on THIS MS, sup
ject. On the 18th day of March, 1892. the
INST presidency OF the church declared
over their official signatures:
We have no desire TO interfere in these
(ooliticaD matters, but proclaim that, as
f-r as we are concerned. the me mbers
of this church are entirely and perfectly
free in all political matters
In a leading editorial. the Deseret Even
ing News reaffirmed the position of the
authorities as stated in their public
declarations and added:
The public, however. must not expect
that leading church man shall become
| q political eunuch because of his &c
cles-aStcal position. He is as much a
citizen with all the powers and liberties
of Citizen as if he were laymen or an
infidel."
And the views expressed by the first
presidency in the celebrated Times
interview must bear a portion of the re-
thoroughly grounded. in me. 1 call your
attention to the following extracts from
the answers carefully prepared by them;
Does the church claim the right TO
dictate to its members in political mat
ters?"
1.-The church does not claim any such
right"
THAT being true, are we to understand
that the church will not assert any right
TO control the political action of its mem
bers in the future?"
THAT is what we wish to convey and
have you understand. AS officers of the
church we disclaim the right to control
the political action of the members of
our body"
DO you believe that it is the wish of the
Mormon people to unite with the great
national parties and TO conduct poiues
in this territory as they are conducted
in all other states?"
THAT is the impression we have re-
ce.ved from conversation with the men
among US who take the greatest interest
in political matters"
rs there any reason why the members
of the church should not act freely with
the national parties at all umes?
we know of no reason why they
rs there any foundation for the charge
that the Norman leaders are now en-
gagged in a political conspiracy to secure
political power for the church,?
There is not the least ground for any
such statement. We are not engaged in
any conspiracy of this character"
THE opponents of party division on ma
tional lines declare that they want evil
dence of the sincerity of the Mormon
people. The Times would ask you TO
state whether the declarations OF sin
have been before the public reflects your
views and meet with your approval"
Those declarations express our views
and have our entire approval. What
greater evidence can be asked
than that which has already been gwen?
1t has been asserted. in addition, trait
the people were governed by the priest
hood in political matters. This IS now
disproved by the dissolution Of the Peo-
pies party and the union of It's members
with the two national parties " nat
the people il they were not sincereE II
the clements OF sincerity were wanting,
such a movement would result in entire
demOraliZa ton.
III | could have looked upon these grave
and solemn declarations differently,
might have been spared the PAIN ana
humiliation following my failure 10 Sizh
what you say has always been doc
trine of the church" If this were wen
established and generally understood 10
be "a doctrine of the church. was not its
Il 1af,fa Fxr
unnecessary? You ask:
Why should Moses Thatcher alone. OF
all the church authorities. feel that he
could not sign it, as he alleges, without
stultificat ion2 Was not that in Itself evi-
dence that he was and had been out OF
harmony with his brethren And are they
ing to stultify themselves, or 10 assent
to anything wrong that is OF vial I'M
portance to them and TO the chsrcn?
AS TO STULTIFIC On.
could not sign that manifesto be-
cause l had endorsed the others herein-
before quoted, and because l could not
RECONCILE this last one with those mace
nv file leaders and ecclesiastical superiors
between ley0 and the date OF Ctah's ad-
mission into the Union. l must be per
hers OF the quorum to which l once De
longed can define better than any c-c
else their views Of right and wrong, ana
their ideas Of what constitutes stEltlllcS-
are subject 10 human Weaknesses ana hu-
man errors. AS students OF history eacn
citizen must determine how long any
people can prosper under the practice o.
punic faith secretly carried into erect
and openly avoWed ana executed The
declarations OF perfect political freedom
10 all the Saints are just as binding to-
DAY as they were before We OBTAINED
statehood, and il is the duty OF every
citizen of Utah TO so regard them
And now, having shown by quota
lions from unduestioned authoritative
sources why 1 could not. without stulti-
dcation. SIGN the political manifesto,
I am bound to stand where counsel
and conscience have placed me; for,
with other citizens of Utah, am
hidden to attach myself 10 the party
of my choice and then be true TO that
party"
endeavored to show. upon every proper
occasion, that respect and honor due
nv ecclesiastical suDeriors. l had
thought that there was room in Utah,
as elsewhere, for a citizen to do his
whole duty to the state without intre-
fering, in the least degree. with his
obligations to the church of which he
might be a member.
CHURCH AND STATE.
These views respecting non-union of
church and state are those have held
and openly advocated for more than a
quarter OF a century. Recent occur
rences have intensified rather than
modified them, and I now comprehend,
better than heretofore, the wisdom ex-
pressed in that part of our state con-
stitution relating TO the absolute sep
aration of civil and religious matters.