Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-09-03
AN HONEST STATEMENT
THEIR uScAlltp. FOR RESOLUTIONS
A. Their Late session the Cause.-The wri-
ter IL for Fairness. Justico and Equal
ity--An Excellent Statement.

The News" IL In receip, Of The FOL-
loving which II publishes With an en-
dorsement because u the ftir-minded.
nprieht. Independent trend o. Thought
which II exhibits. u all would be az
jus. the worm would be much besier
on and the cause y: Christianity be
greatly advanced.
Salt Lake city. Utah,
September and. 1898.
To the Editor:
In the morning local papers read the
report Of the Presbyterian ministers
met in their formal assembly at Manii
and speaking In their official capacity.
md N rrloved me TO the heart. ! could
not help contrasting the gentle dignity
and kind spirit u your editorial COM
mcnt with the fcvcrlsh anxiety OF the
critics 10 repent OF their neighDors
aims.
Tho writer II q clergyman In good
standing Of one ~ the leading Profess
tant churches In America. has done
clerical work In different towns % the
state and believes he IA a. close an OBJ
server and na Intelligent a fenaOncr ns
any one In the Intc Presbyterian meet
Ing. and yet h. feels sure he could nu'
endorse their unanimous conclusions ~
regard 90 Mormonlsm. came 10 tn.
State aurchhrred with prejudlccH ana
prrconccftlons ngninst the Mormon
church and IT, adhcrcutH. ] nm happy
60 say that I md no dlffercnre-cer-
talnly no marked dinercncc-botween
the MormOnH and any other klnd 81
Christian rciigionlsta or course,
am taking into consideration all the
facts In the caae-Origin. education IN.
tciirctuality. intelligence aud past ana
present environments. ~ ! take hi
these things Into confederation, AZ
watch the fcrvor, devotion. earneatneHs.
self,-acrincc and the missionary zeal
and laborn Of the Mormons. ~ ] rrRarh
the Industrious. simple, honest lives on
the people. as I consider the mighty
works they have wrought" In conquer.
ing tho desert. building citieu aud erect
ing monumental ntructurea. and az
wonder. the words of the GENTLE MASTER
--"hy their fruits ye shall KNOW mem,
Il fnltcr where l frmiy trOd'-i ask
myself, Can II be that these are not
the children of God aisoY And whom
art thou that Judgcat another mans
slavc7 To his own master ne ntande'h
or faileth."
1 have fovad among the Mormons
the good and the bad. a. have ainonE
every other kind OF people i nave
found the same Kind hearts and ready
hands. the same human weaknesses
and fallinga that obtain everywhere;,
Apart from mere matters OF belief !
see little difference between ocntlle
and Mormon.
a. to the charge that the Mormon
Church dictates the political o1hduct et
~ ndhrfenta, I do not believe that u u
more true than Ia the case with any
other Christian Organization similarly
situated. II u Inevitable under the
REGULAR circumstances that some mem.
bef OF the Mormon Church should
week counsel and advice from their &C.
elesiartica leaders IN whose lnteEriy
they have unbounded confidence, ar 70
Apart from mere matters Of belief. |
urai than that no should be advised 70
the best Of the ability Of his leaders
What Roman priest or PROTESTANT
preacher would refuse To Inform ana
his political duties. What moro nat
hls clylc dutlen7 The Mormon counselor
may be A Republican or Democrat or
Popullst. Win the Democratic bishop
advise the layman 10 vote the Itepub-
iloan tlcketG Wen. hardly
nut the nrat resolution OF my worthy
brethren would lead one 10 believe that
this accusation against the Mormon
which had never been heard ~ before.
What one Of the leading ChriAtihn
churches has not In the past. and does
not now, NEEDLE with politicsf Has thr
Roman church In spain nothing 70 %
with politicn1 Did not the MrthpdlHl
church IN iSis both anticipate and
preclpltate the civil war, and does u
not now keep 10 tho old n.ht after
every one else has abandoned section
niinfnf Does not one see today on gp-
adviao an inqulrlnK pafishongr abtul
ponlte sides of the street, f1c-nE eaoh
church. NORTH and an M. Il. church.
other. In the same towns. an M y,
of New England never dietats ponusss
60 the people, aud has u nothing 70 90
with politics In Scotlandi j read the
manifesto Of April 9. 1895. and un-
dernto0d u then. and understand u
now, Az explained In your editorial
surely, a church mas right 20 dlsci-
pilne and control It's ciergy, Even the
mild Episcopal church has canon
about ia clergy bearing arms In de-
Tense even ~ their country.
Az TO the capture by Mofmonn OF the
puhilc schools presume tho matter ~
The High school last year IL Indicated
II ~ that was defeated for all time,
ana by Mormon votes, ~ 20 the 81
fort 10 place Mormon teachers In the
public schools. there may be here and
therc some ovcr-sealouA oncih VINO
no seeks 60 curry favor. ~ he aupposes,
or thinks he does God service. but I
have entirely failed 10 mud an author
alive propaganda Of that Kind.
can only notice one other Items tho
charge contained In the third resolution
about polygamy. l cannot contradict
the statements % alleged facts nor dik-
puts the nEurcs. because do not
know. But ! would like 60 ask my fell
low ministers OF Jesus Christ, what
good they expect such statements Ia
cffectf DO they believe their publicity
VIII bring the erring 10 repentance, or
did they feel compelled TO state the
case, ms they believed II. 60 their home
boardsf Ia the latter case. Il would
seem that publicity, where Il could not
fail 90 wound and estranEe could have
been avoided. However admitting all
that II alleged, let mo ask. IL the sue
ceaHive polyEainy or South Dakota or NJ
New England worse than the Himultan.
eous poiygamy OF utahg Which II
worse. having fve wives one at a time
or having Ave wives nj n timef do
not mean which the wives would pre-,
fer. but which most conducea 90 up.
hold the basic init OF society. namely
the famlly2
Come, brethren. let us be fair. let M
judge righteous Judgment Let me AJAX
who keeps the saloons. the tough
dives" the low ''liontn," Rambling dem
and bagniosg Not the Mofmons
doubt II there IA one Mormon saloon OF
hrothel In town.
A my ncrronality has nothing what,
ever 20 DO with the pcrtinence NJ my
remarks and reasoninga, and as n
might be the occasion ~ scctarian feel,
ine. I slen myself simply