The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-10
MANS DUTY TO GOD AND THE STATE.

The topic leading to widest consideration and
discussion in Denver is the alleged election frauds.
AT least this is the Sunday topic in Protestant pull
pits. Denver ministers had something to say about
the charter election before it took place They
have something more to say now that the election
Is over and the charter is overwhelmingly defeated
They charge it was defeated through fraud That
may be true and it may be false. Investigation
through the proper channels will establish the
fact
We must assume there was fraud in the cleo
ton if to follow the preacher in his theo-
retlc and dogmatic applications to prevent fraud
These are as varied as the pulpits from whence
they enuncated. But we will take up the SER
mon of Rev. David Utter for two reasons. One is
that Rev. David Utter is a Unitarian, and there
tore III position to express clearer ideas than the
ministers of other denominations. The other is
that Rev. David Utter once occupied pulpit in
Salt Lake. SO anything from him possesses local
significance. He said:
That there was fraud in our recent election have
the best of for believing and that it was ex-
ensive, and carried by the dishonest work of hun
dreds of people But it is upon recent election
alone that base my diagnosis of Denvers disease of
dishonesty, and not upon political indications wholly
The belief that nobody is honest is at once a symp-
tom and cause of the epidemic of dishonesty of which
speak What is the hope of checking this disease?
Really there isn't much hope. Science has revealed
the germs that diphtheria and show how they
are scattered. But the germ of dishonesty is always
present. There's no overcoming that disease except
by the natural resisting power the invisible soul
one great help will be for all who love the right to
awake to our situation to realize how low we have
fallen and the great need for strenuous exeron to-
cir and
can be done till we make of honest elections fair
voting honest judges and honest counting All party
INES should vanish party affiliations be dsregarded
till this is accomplished.
Amid rhetorical iourishes, perhaps DR.. Utter
did not perceive how forcbly a few of his own
words impressed another The wealth of that whole
sermon is contained in the sentence: ",Tbere's no
overcoming this disease except by the natural re-
sisting power of~the invisible soul" invisible
soul implies conscience 1t implies God, the Gre
ator OF the invisible soul and conscience Man. Gre
ated after Gods own likeness God alone hath do
1nlnlon' and his dominion is absolute and uni
versal lie Is the creator of all things: all exist
ences dlstingushable from himself are entirely and
exclusively the work of his hands. and therefore
are MS He Is their proprietor or owner, since the
thing necessarily belongs to the maker
1t we could comprehend this truth in its per-
lection; if one could see in his neigRbor the reAec-
tlon OF God, and conscience tell him that an in
Jury TO that nelghbor is injury to God himself
as II lie stood IN person to receive the blow. that
every dollar we man is a dollar we owe +o
dod' and every duty we owe to the state the duty
we owe to God, what would happen? There would
be no epidemic of dishonesty such as DR.. Utter
describes On the other hand. there would be hon
eSt elections, because is impressed with the
ruth that the state belongs to God With that
dea IN mind, conscience will direct what to adopt
md what to reject in the government instituted bv
nan.