The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-03
THE NEW MANIFESTO.
HON. JOHN SEAMAN REPLIES TO
RAY VAN CoTTs LETTER.
''A Daniel Come to JudS,n ent''-WhO
Are .The Leading officials" Re-
ferred to, But Not Named:
To the Editor of The Herald:

To the Editor of The Herald:
Dear Sir:-When I wrote my former
article which appeared in your issue of
the Gath 1 had no thought to further
discuss the subject, nor any desire to
persuade men to my way of thinking.
Just to say how l viewed the matter
under consideration. l was then and
am now perfectly willing for any kind
of criticism, fair or unfair, to be passed
upon my paper.
If il will not stand the crucial test,
and is misleading and untrue 1, of all
men, should be made to see it.
In your issue of the 9th inst. Mr..
Ray Van Colt discussed the new mani
festo as it has come to be called, and
treats in a very flippant and ironical
manner the earnestneSs of some who
have not been blessed with that Ray"
of qigGat which has illumined his WIS.,
ion. He accuses good, intelligent men,
men devoted to the welfare of our state
and DESTROYS of her growth and pros
perity, of standing upon the house tops
and proclaiming, without just cause or
provocation, that there are dangers
looming up before u.s. and for the citi-
zen to be on his guard. He assures the
people very nonchalantly, that a mole
hill has been magnified into a noun
tain. He says, 1.-The manifesto is what
large portion of the people have been
clamoring for"
This may be true. They have had
several manifestos, but all to the effect
that the church officers were not in the
debating business on political lines, nor
were they in the least DESTROYS of con-
trolling in the civil action of any of it's
members. Mr.. Van Colt cannot see
that the new manifesto claims any
more. Others with less astuteness than
he, view the matter differently.
AS to the clearness of the wording of
the document he says that he who
runs (for Office or otherwise) may read,
and none need err therein. Funny,
isn't it, when not single officer to
whom it would apply is named? And
it is left to future manifesto or the
construction of different Individuals as
to who would be considered a leading
official in the church,
He also refers to the sixth declara-
ton spoken of in my former article,
be "a beautiful sentence, embody-
ing grand principle of civil
liberty" But he further tells US that
'in actual practice it becomes a hollow
mockery" Again hear him:
THAT the individual is left free to act
upon his own Judgment exists only
in the minds of idealists." Nice COM
pliment that to American manhood
How many of the millions that have
acted on the stage Of life since the
foundations of our government were
laid, have ever sought the consent of
church dignitaries to engage in any
business or accept the tender of an Of
flee at the hands of their fellow citi-
Zens? How many do you think on
either side of the great contending
armies of the north and the south in
the late great rebellion ever sought
another to learn of him whether he
ties" take up his sword in defense of
what he thought was right? All, my
friend, independence of thought and
action on the lines of the judgment
of the actors is not "all hollow mock
cry" Nor is it true that it exists
only in the minds of idealists."
The silent ballot has exalted and
vanquished men, indicated and ex-
pressed the principles of those who
cast them. Whether those principles
were always correct or not, it was the.
judgment of the voter freely expressed.
His next charge is made on the in
tegrity of the actions of those who in
the reconvened convention endorsed
the sixth declaration. He says: ut is
impossible to look into that sixth
declaration without seeing reflected
therein the biggest qualification of po-
litical action that was ever recorded
in the annalSaof our history
There you have it. This Daniel"
who styles himself Mormon Demo-
craft (whatever that may mean has
interpreted the action of the recon-
veneo convention, and has finally To-
Gated US all and found fitting word
to characterize our action, to-wit:
''STULTIFICATION.
But, Mr.. Editor, there is one thing
he overlooks, and that is the status
that Mormon church members will be
in in the political conventions of both
parties hereafter to be held.
All those who have supported the
manifesto have declared Qor it is now
by adoption the rule of the church,
that they acknowledge the right OF
their religious advisors to exercise
over them power to permit or deny
them the privilege of running for Of
flee.
How will they be able to convince
their party associates that, should they
be elected to office. that they would
act independently of the men by whose
grace they were permitted to contest
for it, Suppose it was our friend Van
Colt. and he should-as he undoubtedly
would-tell them that he would act
in the office independently on his own
Judgment, and they should use his
own language on him, independence
of political action is all a hollow
mockery. That exists only in the
minds of idealists,' what further as
surance could he give?
Whether the manifesto is a wise
measure remains to be seen. But that
all men are alarmists, or DESTROYS of
1T -%,.ifn i-a@
doubt it's utility, l do not believe.
1 don't expect, Mr.. Editor, to refer
to this matter in the papers again.
Very truly yours. JOHN SEAMAN
View, Weber county, Utah.
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