Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-04
LESSON IN FINANCIAL SCIENCE

scope and force of some of the lessons
the Almighty, through them, is teach
ing and establishing among mankind
II is often remarked, metaphorically,
that the Temple in this city is a great
sermon, but Il is usual to regard 1t as
bearing great testimony and convey
ing great truths Of a spiritual or re-
ligious character only; and 1t is not
often spoken of as conveying an I'M
pressive lesson in finance,
But there are rejecting persons who
view It in the latter light. Among
them IL Warren Foster, editor Of Living
Issues, weekly paper published IN
this city and devoted to the principles
OF the Peoples party and the innova-
lions and reforms which that party ad-
vocates. In the number of that paper
dated Dec. "a, under the heading Two
Methods" appears lengthy argument
in favor of the financial theories ad-
vocated by the political party named.
in which the Salt Lake Temple is used
as a striking object lesson. We quote
"This city contains two very fine
structures-the great Mormon Temple,
and what Is known as the city and
county building. They are both con-
structed of our native sranite; both
very beautiful and sufficiently substan-
tial to last many thousands OF years
"The Temple cost about S300O,00O and
is paid for The city and county build
ing cost about si.0OO,OD0 and is not PAID
for and If you ask when 1t will be,
you have asked question that neither
we nor any other person can answer
"The county OF Salt Lake owes $780,
900 on its one-half of the building. This
amount Is represented by per cent
20-year bonds. The interest on this
amount is sci 1000 per annum, or nearly
$4,000 per month. about s7b per day, 50
per hour, or cents per minute. At the
end OF twenty years the county viii
have paid 100000 in interest and still
owe $4,000. An encouraging picture,
surely The city's half of the building
Is about in the same condition.
AS we stated above. the Temple is
paid for. the city and county building
is not, and. unless there Is u change In
matters and things, never VIII be. This
lends US to look into the methods em-
ployed In the building of the two struc-
lures.
",rhe Temple, as all know, was built
by the Mormon people and without amy
outside help. There never was cent
of interest paid on Il dollar that went
into It's construction and never viii be.
As we understand 1t, all the labor and
nearly all the material was paid for
with tithing scrip. The scrip drew no
interest, and has all along been re-
deemed by the Church. which, when II
was done. paid for the Temple, The
system was practically this A man
would work month on the Temple.
He would receive a stipulated amount
of Church tithing scrip. He would
take the scrip to the tith
ing office and there receive meat,
flour or vegetables, or any other
article of use the Office might have.
things instead of money, which fact
IL true in all oases. The power of the
church to redeem it's own scrip lay IN
the recognized power OF the church to
levy a tax on Its people of onc-tenth
of all they produced, Thus the church
would issue It's own notes or orders
with which II hired men to build the
Temple and redeem them with the pro-
duce they collected from the people.
when the Temple was complete, the
thithing orders had all been redeemed,
the work was done the debts We're all
paid, and the Temple stands today to
show for It. 1t is but the crystalized
labor of the people.
ANpN u bUltll like
the Mormon Church can and did ac-
complish such feat as that, why
cannot the people of Salt Lake coun-
~ do the same thing? 1t will greatly
accommodate us If you will answer
one at a time and thus save confusion.
Let us see; There are n great many
more people in Salt Lake county than
there We're of the people who built the
Temple. They certainly own more
ifnnpltN tbnn did tho
county has the power to tax the people
Just the same and more so than the
Mormons had. The county has tho
right to issue its scrip the same that
the Church had. Then why has It NOT
done so? II is claimed that II took
forty years to build the Temple. True,
and 1t will take twice forty years To
pay for the city and county building.
THESE two buildings represent thu.
two ways of doing things. The TEN
pie was built by men who had an eve
10 business; men whose highest aim
was to get best results. The other
was built after our more modern way
OF doing things, and very nptly do
they ~ , represent condition of things in
ut Is not out OF the Nv to motto i'm
this connection that the Mormon people
not only built ana paid for the Temple
ana the hundreds Of other temples. tab
ernacles and churches out of their own
labor but they In addition paid their
snare OF state, county and municipal
taxes right alongside their GeniiIs
brothers; ana what is of further note
IL that while they were doing all This
they were providing for themselves
homes, 50 that today It may he sald
and truthfully, too,that there are more
Utah people who live In their owp
homes n1mes th9n that Of any state in the
Shioh' Nhlle, or course, the deVout
Mormon might attribute all this Ia
special favors from God because of
their religious beliefs and service v,e
would give quite another reason for n
unless mayhap We may say TINT n
was special Providence that raw
,hem leader and teacher who had
brains enough to know that man ia n
land animal, and that to be prosnerSue
ana happy he must have some place
where he could apply his labor TO The
iand. The real secret, to our mind
OF the success of the Mormon pponie rs
due largely to the absence Of land mon
opoly The facts are that brigham
houns reduced populism 10 science
ana 70 that fact. and To that fact
alone, Is que the phenomenal growth
OF the utah people Any other peonle.
ana at almost any other place under
IKE conditions would have shown the
same prosperity, Moreover the same
rs true vet Give the people homes.
give them the right kind OF money, and
restore TO the public its natural right
TO own and operate It's utilities. and
rose.
1t will be understood that neither
Niving Issues nor It's editor has any
tith in or endorsement for Mormon