The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-29

| Reed Smoot knocking for adj
- mission at the door of the
| senate is within range OF
practical politics. 1t is not contended
that Smoot is bigamist. like Brigham
Roberts, but his admission will be op-
posed, in the probable event of his elec-
tion. upon the ground that he is the
ecclesiastical associate of men who lead
polysamous lives and u high officer of
the church In which polygamy has been
preached and Dracticed. and is still al
legged to be covertly accepted as a ft,nda-
mental tenet OF it's theological system
Tho issue is beset with peculiar consti-
| tutiohal difficulties. The Mormon church
mas ostensihiy repudiated polygaTy. It's
| members clearly are entitled to espouse
any doctrines which are consistent with
pubic morality and not contrary to the
| federal law which penalties polygamy.
1t is the crime and not the conviction
that makes the criminal.
Mormonlsm is called by it's apostles
ana doctors Il church. 1t is in all es-
sentials a derivative and systematized
religion, as essentially 50 in its char
acteristics as Mahommedanism Re-
liSOn cannot be divorced from it's
political correlatives. This was true of
classical Paganism and of Judaism
and is today true of Christianity,
Mahommedanism, or of Normonism
The characteristics Of a religion as diff
ferinE from those OF a church, no matter
now ancient that church may be in its
organization or universal IN it's juris-
dlctlon. Is that politics cannot be
divorced from religion without emascu-
latinS the one and vitiating the other.
On the other hand, Il church in its ac-
'repted congregational sense is the more
living and virile generally the farther
removed it's polty is from the execu-
tive activities ana political maniresta-
tlons of the secular government Now,
accepting Mormonism as religion.
which it is, its inherent political usso-
cations begin to manifest themselves
at once with the establishment of its
sway.
Apostle Smoot will be elected to the
senate because he is an apostle and
because he is q Mormon. not because
he is an American citizen with Ameri-
can ideals in view. Mr.. Smoot would
impose Mormonsm as Il state religion
or Utah If he could. In other words
he would establish a sort of theocracy
III Utah, with Joseph Smiths revela-
tions rs the religious, moral, social, |
political and legal Framework of it's |
just as the Koran en-
braces the faith, morals and politics OF |
the pious Mahommedan. But this fact |
only ADDS to our embarrassment. Smoot |
is citizen. he denies that he is q |
polygalnist and his denial is accepted, |
he is duly elected TO the senate and |
claims his seat. The senate may deny |
MN his seat as the House of Repre- |
denied Roberts, who ad- |
was Il fragrant polySamist. |
Yet why should the senate deprive
Smoot OF his seat or eXpel him If it |
goes so far as to admit him? Not be-
cause he is a Mormon, because that |
would be denying to a man the first |
axiom of constitutional liberty; not !
because he is a polygamist, because he
associated with men in the apostolate
Oh g. church who practice or believe in |
polygamy. The senate would, in that |
case, be sailing very close to the wind |
Of it's parliamentary prerogatives by re-
fusing Smoot admittance upon creden-
tials as valid as they are demonstrably
..
1t seems to us that the whole diff |
Guilty might be obviated by Il joint
resolution OF both houses refusing ad-
lnittance to any citizen reasonably slls-
pected or convicted OF bigamy or
polygamy: and excluding all clergymen
D. men performing sacerdotal or eccles-
iastical functions of any nature.
The troubles in Philadelphia over
Sunday cigar-sellng, brought to notice
by an organization of dealers deciding
10 pay weekly fines rather than close,
VIII doubtless cause another effort to
secure the repeal of the present Sun
lay laws. Indeed, such an effort is al
'eady being organized. 1t will fail The
American people are growing lax in
sunday observance, but they are not
vet ready to admit it in their legisla-
ion.
1t begins to look now as though the
lrnlV Canteen would not StaV cOrkeI |