El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-21
PROMINENT MORMON
Replies To Statements Of a Man
EstM Salt LAKE.

COLONIA JUAREZ. Mex. Nov. II.
| 1900:
Editor FL Paso Herald:-Your issue
| of the l4th inst. contains an article
contributed by one j. S. Wilston, hail
ing from Salt Lake. Utah. and as it
contains some inaccuracies / beg leave
to make some corrections. He charges
| the Mormon church with having caused
| Utah to go republican at the recent
| election. charge without the slight
| est foundation in fact. Mormons. like
| Baptists Presbyterians. Methodists.
| Catholics or members of any religious
| community under heaven have their
| individual political beliefs and predic-
| tons. no more. no less-and have the
same right to express them at the
election booth.
| No man loses mis- right to the elective
| franchise by reason OF his religious
| belief or unbelief. because union of
church and state is antagonistic to the
true spirit of republicanism and indi-
vidual liberty. This is cardinal point
| in the political and religious creed of
the Mormons and has been so always.
They are divided on political lines as
republicans. democrats and pOpulistS,
just like other states and communities
and the members of either party are
Just as energetic in advocating their
principles as other people.
Why should they not? Religion or
atheism has nothing to do with the
| matter.
Mr.. Wilston notes as very strange.
that Utah. democratic in 1896 was re-
publican in 1900: how about other
states. Nebraska. for instance. and 9TH
ers far moore politically important.
which changed their pluralities from
\ democratic to republican? Take New
York. for instance. which has swung
like a pendulum from side to side for
| many years.
The cause the change in Utah is not
difficult to discover. In 1896 Free Sill
ver'' was the battle cry of democracy
| which swept all before ii in the silver
producing states: but that doctrine met
it's Waterloo in that year when McKin
ley was elected. and the nation signi-
| fed its disapproval of the principle.
Unprecedented prosperity. manufac-
| turing and commercial flooded the ma
ton. and the United States took
mighty upward leap in the scale of ma
lions. Men differ as to the causes of
| this great prosperity an advancement
but the indisputable fact remains, and
| nothing is so successful as success"
| Bryan forced the insertion of the free
silver" plank-repudiated by the ma
ton in 1S96-into the democratic plat
else defeated him.
The Mormon democrats could see
this as clearly as others-could I'M
derstand just as clearly the folly of
| lighting longer for lost cause. and
| had they continued the fight for 10 to
L" might justly have been charged
| with blind political fanaticism.
Mr.. WilSton intimates that the secret
| cause of the change in Utah was the
ton in the next session OF congress.
They have no such fear: should such
| legislation be enacted il would merely
| supplement the provisions of the con-
stitution of the state of Utah. which
prohibits polygamy in that state now
| and forever, and which are possible
| for repeal only by the congress of the
United States. Also the civil code of
the state makes polygamy crime
liable to severe punishment. No new
| plural marriages have been contracted
| in Utah since it was solemnly and Off
cially announced by the leading church
| officials that the church would accept
the decision of the L. S. supreme court
| relative to polygamy and obey the law
of congress prohibiting il.
Mr.. Wilston says leading church.
men in Utah still have several wires:
If this be so. doubtless they are men
/ WHO married plural wives DefOre any
law had been enacted by congress pro
| hibiting il and therefore when not a
criminal offense: and while it would
| be unlawful now to take plural wives
| no honorable man would refuse to sup
| port and educate those whom the law
made practically widows and orphans
women who had married him in good
| faith. and whose children would natur-
ally be as dear to him as any others.
| do not charge Mr.. Wilston with in
| territorial unfairness and only notice
| his article so that both sides may be
heard j. III. Martinean.