The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-12
BEHIND THE MASK.

ways been ready to approve of ecclesl-
astical interference in political affairs
when such interference would benefit
the Republican party. And yet 1t
knows that this rather than polygamy
is the real issue, if there is in Utah
politics an issue peculiar to the state.
Polygamy is practically thing of
the past The sentiment of the people
is against its practice. The pledges of
the people are against its continuance.
The trend of the times is away from
the system. 1t is finding its own solu-
ton. Nothing is to be gained by at
tempting to force it. Extreme meas
ures will impede rather than facilitate
the progress which has been going on
in this direction for the last ten years.
It hasn't been very long since the Trib-
une said: There is not man, wo-
man or child in Utah who for one mo-
ment thinks that there is any agree
ment or thought of restoring polygamy
in this territory, or that it could be pos
sible even if such thought was in the
minds of a few bigots.'
Later it denounced as infamous any
attempt to revive the old agitation.
When it was supporting for Office men
who were known to be involved in the
system which it never cared about I'M
til the second nomination of Roberts
for congress, the Tribune said:
Again. in considering this matter.
thoughtful people will not lose sight of
the fact that human passions cannot
always be killed by a proclamation, or
10, dol of x~eaar q n
influences. Beyond all that, the matter
of faith was not touched upon by the
pronunciamento. 1t went only to the
point of plural marriages, which had
been taught as a holy sacrament. mist
not hereafter be solemniZed. We believe
that the rule then laid down has been as
sacredly kept by this people as II would
have been by any other people; that the
NOrmons and Gentiles have a right to say
that the change amounts TO a transforma-
ton.
But the real issue, the question of So
called church influence in political cam
paigns, has been up in every contest
between 1890 and the election just over.
In 1895 the Democrats of Utah. a large
majority of the delegates being mem
bers of the dominant church, got to-
gether in convention and entered SOL
emn protest against ecclesiastical dom
ination. That was the time for the
Tribune to show its coiors, but what
did it do? It laid down; it threw cold
water on the independent Mormons
there assembled; it defended the right
of church authorities to use secret in
fluence and religious meetings in OPP
position TO a political party. The
Tribune favored that because it saw
party advantage to be gained.
VIII our neighbor deny it? On the
2sth of October. 1895, the Salt Lake
Tribune copied the foregoing and COM
mented on it as follows:
1T was believed that Judge Powers
could carry the Gentiles off their feet
and buiidoze a great many Mormons
into voting his ticket for fear statehood
would be defeated unless it was done
The Tribune helped to stop that little
game
1t described the reconvened conven-
ton as follows:
One after the other of them got up and
declared how necessary ii was that this
region should be free from church rule
and then an address was prepared; and
we will guarantee that after the election
is over, after the excitement has passed
away that Judge Powers himself will
admit that there never was on earth be-
fore SO fat a peroration after an eXordium
50 sounding The call was like the mani
festo of some Central American braggart,
who having no other means to make a
living, issues manifesto to incite his
fellow loafers to undertake a revolution.
The effect of that protest against &C.
clesiastical interference was pathetic
ally described by the Tribune as fol-
lows:
They. (the several hundred delegates who
met have done what they could to
spread distrust of this people throughout
fae United States: they have done what
they could TO alarm the country and 10
generally believe that when the Peoples
party disbanded and they filed off on
party lines, they were not sincere that
all they need is a hint from the first
presidency OF the Mormon church to make
them forget their pledges and their sense
of honor and their native manhood. We
think it all an outrage.
Again it deplored the fact that '.all
this fuss has been made, all the lying
kilograms sent out, all the bogus dis
patches received and all the churning
up of doubts against the integrity of
this people had been made"
une, just before the nomination of Rob- |
erts for congress, do not worry about
Utah. There is as much intelligence
and as much integrity here to the
square inch as the people of any other |
state or territory possess, and when the |
present rumpus shall be supplemented |
after election by a Democratic clamor |
to have congress. recall the enabling
act, we beg that our contemporaries. |
east and west, will remember that if |
there was any reason for the people of
This territory tSdesire statehood a year
ago that reason has not been milirat-
ed against in the slightest There is
going to be no revival of polygamy;
there is going to be no return to church
rule"
Isn't this enough TO expose the utter
of the political CRUSADERS
When hundreds Of young Mormons met