The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-08
PRESIDENT WOOD
RUFF'S SERMON.

the explanation is senile. The Tribune
says:
The words of President Woodruff on
politics, in the tabernacle yesterday,
VIII be received with a full considera-
tion of the extreme age and the many
lnfirnides Of the speaker. 1t is plain
that While he was talking he quite for
goa his own statements regarding the
rights and duties of voters when the
division movement was first sprung,
and the people divided off on party
lines. Old people, very old people, are
prone to forget the lapse of time and
the events of recent days or years, and
to go back and FOLLOW the paths of
youth and early manhood. 1t is quite
possible that President Woodruff, yes
terday. was for the time being only
dimly conscious OF the past seven
years history of Utah; what has been
done. What pledges have been made,
what restraints and restrictions have
been removed by his own consent from
his own peoples political freedom;
what obligations the church during his
presidency has placed itself under to
the great republic and its government.
Considering all these things, there is
nothing more necessary to be said,
than that if it were not so.
That is to charge President Wood
duff with imbeciIity and mental decay.
What he said was clear cut and in
cisive, and showed that his mind is
still active and vigorous though his
years be great. Compare what he said
with the Tribune explanation of it and
no one will say that it is President
Woodruff who shows extreme age and
evinces its usual infirmities The Trib-
une's explanation doesn't explain; it
only shows an intention not to recog-
nize the facts in the case and to avoid
a disagreeable situation for itself. The
Tribune simply insults President
Woodruff and all those who look up to
him as their spiritual guide.
The News has the good taste not to
resort to any plea of imbecility, but
the explanation is simply an effort to
minimize the effect of what was said
and to make it appear that no attack
was made on party lines, and that the
remarks only had reference to the local
situation. 1t is an explanation that
wholly fails to explain. The News says:
In common with thousands Of the
thinking people of this community. his
mind was filed with reflections upon
the sad and Strengthened condition in
which the residents of this city find
themselves through municipal mis-
government. In common, too, with
thousands of others. he holds views
and desired to express and did express
them in disapproYal of the idea that
hide-bound, closely drawn, partisan
politics should be insisted upon in
purely local affairs.
Men OF all forms of religious and po-
htical belief hold and express these
same views. But do they, or does he
proceed from that basis to advise or
expect that there shall be a wholesale
or even a partial disintegration of par
ties. Wiping out of the lines on which
national or state issues are fought for
and decided?
How does the News know with what
reflections the mind of President Wood
ruff was filled? If it was filled with
reflections on municipal mismanage-
ment in this city. why should he seek
to give them to his auditors, the great
majority of whom were non-residents
of this city and have no concern with
its affairs? If his mind was filled with
reflections on municipal mismanage-
ment. and that only, why did he refer
TO affairs of state? The News declares
that "his sole thought was the better
ment Of local onditions-indeed. the
betterment of politics." 1t wasn't a To-
cal assembly that he addressed, nor
was it a political gathering. No mat
ter what his reflections were, the fact
remains that President Woodruff, in a
general conference of his co-religion-
lists. told them to unite on political
matters. If ii is said that he only ad-
vised them to do this 80 far as is
WISDOM the question naturally arises
in whom is wisdom" lodged that shall
say the thus far and no farther? Will
it not be in those who advise the ig-
noring of party lines in a city election?
And if it is the province of President
Woodruff. speaking excathedra, and
not merely as a, citizen interested in
good government, TO tell his co-reli-
gionists to ignore party lines in mu-
nicipal elections. why is it not his
province to tell them TO do the same
thing in all other elections?
wise father of his people, a true citizen
of state and nation, a tried servant of
the Lord in promoting human saliva
tion-he spoke as an honest, upright
man; and those who deny his right
thus to speak, or who do not approve Of
his views when thus fairly explained
and properly presented, can make the
most of it,
Nobody is denying President Wood
ruff's right to speak as he chooses and
where he chooses, but when he gets up
in a general conference of his CO.
religionists and in his ecclesiastical
capacity tells them what they should
do in political matters, whether per-
tanning TO the city or the state, he is
using his great ecclesiastical position
and power to influence political matters
pure and simple. And if it is his right
and province to do this in municipal
election it is equally his right to do
this in a state election; and it can all
be done on the same plea that it is
now being done.
The News says that those who do
not like what President Woodruff said
can make the most of it. Isn't it hurl-
ing unnecessary defiance? 1t ignores
the fact that the head of the church
was speaking as such and addressed
his remarks solely to its members. He
did not say that as a citizen he believed
that the best interests of the city would
be subserved by abandoning political
lines in municipal affairs. What he
said was that God Almighty required
those whom he addressed to unite in
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