The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-03
MR.. CRITCHLoW7s VIEWS.
Charges That Church Is In the School
Fight

rest OF the people of the United States
This condition became unbearable, and
at length I. change seemed to come. a
constitution was formed upon the faith
of which and the pledges of ecclesias-
teal leaders statehood was granted.
The constitution contained an express
guarantee in the words There shall be
no union of church and state, nor shall
any church dominate the state or in
terfere with its functions" Time and
again there have been complaints, par
ucularly at or about election times,
that one particular church was inter
fering with the functions of the state.
and these complaints. coming from
members in good standing, have at
least kept before nOn-members the pos
sibiity if not the probability Of such
wrongful interference.
The echoes of the latest election have
not yet died out. elimination and re-
elimination between members of the
Mormon church are stiu rife, and we
are now on the eve Of an election in
this city of more vital Importance to
each of us than, that of Nov. g.
Again we have up the question of the
membership Of the board of educa ton,
and underlying that the question of the
policy of its management Five mem
bers are to be elected, and there is no
Disgusting the fact that despite all for
mer experience, despite the suicidal
1 folly of such a course, demand is be-
ing made for the election Of certain
men, not because they are specially
fitted by education. experience or train
ing. but because they are members of
a particular church. and because that
church demands control of the schools.
A man may be a good Mormon, a
good Baptist, a good ROmanist or
good Unitarian, and at the same time
a good and valuable member of the
school board But when a man or set
of men base their claims for election
/ fundamentally upon the proposition
/ that they represent church, and that
the church must he recognized, il is
the part of good citizenship to repudi-
ate the inSOlent demand The public
school system is d part of the state.
/ To most Of US it is the dearest. most
vital institution of the state; and IN
{ less 1 am mistaken. here the people
viii take their stand and to the last
! resist the attempt of any church, I'M
der any name or any preteXt, to inter-
/ fere with its functions
1 have said that such an attempt is
again being made. No one denies it
/ except those who are interested in the
success of the movement. Proof is IN
( necessary to those who are familiar
with conditions in this state. When
nominations are made at secret church
/ meetings, when the machinery of the
/ church is used to pack caucuses, when
] fingers are crooked and secret signs
and passwords are given, it is churchly
I interference. Otherwise why should
/ Republicans in the First precinct OPP
! pose a Democrat on political grounds,
( tall the while protesting that the office
I is not a political One), who two and
/ three years ago opposed Republican,
( Why should Democrats and Repubii-
cans alike rally around Democrats (Of
4 their faith) in the Second and Third
/ precincts, while in the Fourth the
/ prime mover against Judge Henderson
/ Is, with the latter, an ardent Demo-
/ crat? And why should the cry against
/ Mr. Wilson be based upon the location
of the high school, with no word about
/ discrimination in matters of religion.
while it is urged against Henderson
! only that there has been religious dis
( elimination; and why, if these things
/ are urged in good faith, should they
not be urged against Moyle. Giauque
/ and Nelden, who are particeps CTiminis
/ and equally guilty?
I should not have presumed to write
! this letter, deeply as ] am concerned in
] the outcome of this contest. were it
/ not that MIR. Geoghegan in the Fourth
precinct has seen ht TO accept a candi-
{ dacy from the Mormon church MEM
/ bers of that precinct upon a specific
( and definite issue, one which if true,
/ affects the whole board of education,
( and more particularly the COMMITTEES
I y
/ have been chairman. I say that this
/ nomination was given him by the Nor
/ mons as church members. although he
/ is quoted as saying that he did not SO
] understand il. If he does not know
I this to be the fact be is the only man
/ in the city ignorant of it, and besides
/ I observe that you quote Father Kiely
I as saying that il was the MOrmOns who
| nominated him We find Mr.. G.. there
{ fore. running for an Office under the
- T-rr Nn
/ aVOWed candidate of certain church
I members. He announces himself as in
2 favor of the common school system and
! especially the High school He is 10
( be congratulated, and the fact that he
J is and always has been q patron OF
| the church school rather than the pub
( lie school is possibly an accident
I merely and does not correctly shadow
/ forth his personal preferences
/ But Mr.. GeOghegan for himself and
J for those who have placed him in
/ nomination. first in secret church meet
( ing. then in open caucus, has an
! nounced that there is a grievance
I against Judge Henderson and the rest
/ of the board which is specifically that
! there has been discrimination against
/ Catholics and against Mormons- From
/ the fact that he is nominated against
! Judge Henderson the complaint is
! pointed as to him, and is by Inference
( against Messrs. Young, MOyle, Nelden
! Wilson and others including myself.
] The mistake was made OF specifying
/ a particular instance. Father Kelly. as
! reported by your paper this morning,
| says. I know of no cases of discTimi-
/ nation except the one recorded in The
J Herald this morning and the board
/ seems TO have had justification for its
/ action in that instance.
J Just how this may be considered a
I case of discriminat ton is not apparent
/ That it was not such. but on the con-
Z trary conscientious attempt on the
/ part of the board. Mormon, Jew and
/ Gentle alike, the record Of the case
Z viii demonstrate to any one interested
l But the significant fact is that I did
[ not know, and I believe no person in
/ anyway connected with the board
knew. whether the young lady was a
/ Catholic ~ a Protestant. Both Judge
/ Henderson and myself knew the father
/ of the young lady and have long
} esteemed him as a friend. but beyond
I the fact that he was a non-MormOn we
had no knowledge To refuse further
/ employment after trying her for 2
period of two months, WIS painful L
I us. how difficult and now painful
Bishop Woolley. who has perhaps beer
/ placed in a similar position on the
/ board. viii know As 10 whether any
l other member knew until with US he
{ heard within a week that she was z
Catholic / cannot say.
So far as I know. only one other
! Roman Catholic ever applied to this
/ board for a position i'm our schools.
I happened 10 know her and her mother
J She came with good communication
l from an approved source, was employ
ed and is one of the teaching force to