Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-23
THOSE FALSE pRgrrNcEs.


Now that the excitement Of the SEN
atorial election Is over It may be wen
10 make brief reply to some OF the
remarks that have been made concern
ing IT, and TO the objections offered by
individuals and by the press This be-
comes somewhat necessary because Of
the disposition 10 keep up the agta-
ton, In regard TO The religious status of
the gentleman who has been elected by
a large majority Of the Legislature Of
Utah
The newspapers which have been
chiefly instrumental IN stirring up out
side animosliy on this matter, persist
IN calling the senator Apostle smoot.
They do this on every occasion when
making reference to him They ought
to know that Hon Reed smooi did not
present himself before the people Of
Utah as an Apostle OF the Church TO
switch he belongs on becoming a candi-
date for political office.
The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
day Saints had nothing whatever TO do
with his election, or with the election
of the members Of the Legislature who
voted for him. There Is not the slight
est evidence Of any Kind 10 show that
the Church took hand IN the matter,
and nothing OF the sort has been pre-
scented By those persons or papers which
alege that such influence was exer-
cIsed. The only thing that can be point
cd at in this connection Is that the
Church authorities did not interfere In
his candidacy II they had done so
there would have been an opportunity
for the carping critics, who are always
on the watch for such an opening, TO
cry "Church interference IN political
affairs
The newspapers that are continually
speaking Of Senator smoot as "Apos-
tie" smoot, have no more reason TO do
80 than to designate each Senator or
Representative In Congress or IN the
Legislature, by the prefix Of his busi-
ness or other calling. They do not say
"capltalstr so and 20, or Merchant
this or Attorney that; they do not
say Miner Jones, or "stockralser'
Smith, or Farmer Brown or 'llrok-
err Robinson, When Benjamin Harrl-
son was elected President Of the Unit
ed states, he was not held up 70 the
nation as Elder Benjamin Harrison,
nor was Senator Kyle Dubbed "Rever-
end when spoken Of as Member Of
Congress
Senator smoot has but recently oc-
cupied the position Of an Apostle in the
"Mormon" Church. His lie has been
spent chiefly IN business circles, Why
not call him Banker smoot or "su-
perintendent' smoot or speak Of him
by some other business title, II some
thing Of the Kind must be usedY II Is
very easy TO perceive that the purpose
of these papers Is to excite prejudice
against the gentleman and the Church
OF which he Is a member
when Hon. George @. Cannon served
as Delegate In Congress from Utah
FOR several successive terms he was not
called Apostle Cannon, although he
was and had been very prominent
Apostle and Church worker and had
spent his life in ecclesiastical work. No
objection was offered against HIM either
in Congress or in Utah because OF his
high Church status Hon John #.
Game had figured prominently IN &C.
clesiastical positions when he was
elected to Congress He was not held
up TO the country as High Priest"
Game, nor was Hon. w. II. King pa.
faded as Elder King. They an held
the same Priesthood as that held by
Mir. s'moot, and there is no more sense
in harplng on his apostleship than on
their office in that Priesthood None
of them hgured in political offices by
virtue Of their Church position, and
Il Is IN spirit OF deception and anti
mormon" prejudice, that the title
opposite" is substituted Tor the word
Senator" or Honorable" in the case
OF MIR smoot,
One Of our contemporaries offers q
Ions disquisltion on alleged objections
to the election Of "A high Church on
cial TO political office" There is 80
little in 1t that II is almost waste Of
time 20 notice il. But We win touch
upon one or two slaring errors It con-
tains enc Is that when Church on
cials enter me political arena 'Gentiles
refrain from entering the lists, from a
feeling that II Is no use TO do so; that
there T. no possible chance OF success.
The untrth OF this assertion ia mani
fest IN the political history Of this state
a number o. "Gentiles' have been
elected 10 Office when their opponents
were known as high Church officials
nor is Il true as stated by the same
paper thas "Mormons keep out partly
for the same reason The writer Of
that manufactured objection is either
ignorant of Utahs political affairs. or
WIS hard up for opposition material
The same paper offers as another OBJ
lection, that the election Of an Apostle
viii be certain 10 reopen the old ran
eorous. faction hsht which prevailed
Tor a generation why Is Il so GER
tain that the fight will be re-openeds
Is II not fact that there would be no
SIGHT al all on this point were It not
Tor the efforts Of our contemporaries
10 back up the sectarian preachers IN
their lmplacsble hostility to the Nor
mon" Church, Is Il so certain" that
lhese preachers and papers viii sue