The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-02
MORMON
DOCTRINE
SOCIALISM
Drifting from it Since The
Prophets Death
Brigham's win Alone Made
il a Success


in Professor Richard T, Ely's article
in the current Harper's on The Econ
omic Aspects of Mormonism." Al
though Professor Ely holds the Nor
mon organization to be the most near
" perfect piece Of social mechanism
the world has known, he Is obliged to
confess It is at present In a retrogres-
siye. rather than progressive, condi'
ton. and that tho few cooperative
establishments yet remaining are
gradually coming to take on more and
more Of the character OF private ven
lures.
The Mormons have always prac'
ticed cooperation. moro or less ana
especially after they migrated to Utah
the advantages OF this scheme OF liv-
ing we're more apparent Their press
ing needs. the dangers from the In
dians. and exposure to the elements
all operated to bring the people
into close economic relations. the
Mormon creed. in fact, teaches social
lism. The sacrifice Of the individual
TO the whole Is demanded, and the
suhordlnntion OF the whole to the
Ichurch. In no other church In the
world could the leader arise in the
pulpit as Brigham Young was accus'
toned 30 do in Utah, and say; TO
morrow / want ono hundred and htty
men and teams to meet and work on
} the iulgatng ditch
The First lrriaationlot.
Not everybody realizes perhaps.
that the Mormons were tho pioneers
of irrigation in the United States
Agriculture was made the foundation
of economic life OF the Mormons OF
Utah. the only kind of agriculture that
could be followed was an irrigated as
riculture and irrigated agriculture
depends largely for its success upon
! compact society. closely knit togeth
I or Under the conditions therefore
y under which the Mormons went t'
= Utah. indvidualiam YVES out OF th'
3 ouestlon. and. ss Professor Ely point
4 ont. tSeir religion supplied the cone
4 siye strength necessary to secure ec'
\ nomic success Professor Ely's de'
= cription of the settlement OF sal
2 AXE may be quoted as typical OF IN
3 cooperative methods Of the earl
) Mormons In the west:
Z salt Lake City was divided inu
I ten acre blocks, and each block wa
\ divided into eight lots, 80 that withi
2 the city itself each owner should hay
z ar acre and a quarter to cultivate
\ and In the early days the cultivauo
of he home garden was a very III
/. portAnt item In the maintainance
4 the family First OF AL, In the Sc
N tlement the central plot was reserve
n for common purposes. A fort wa
constructed and within the fort IN
houses were built and the house
themselves constituted the walls
n the fort From this central reserv
tion the settlement extended outward
very quickly. as settlers increase
II and dangers from the Indians disa
M Fpeared. Il was necessary at once
"A construct highways and build ditch'
in order by these means 10 reach q
= timber in the mountains and 10 tul
water on the lands"
Socialism Dying Out,
The cooperation in all these |orb
Professor Ely says. was generally
formal and was always under the
rect influence OF the church The
10 teresting question arises, therefor
10 does the decline in the co-ope'au
"A. methods among the Mormons man
decline I'm the influence OF the churcl
= Il is known the Mormon religion
IL is found today. falls very far sho
Of It's ideals. Curiously enough Nc
monism seems 20 have, like Plato
first best state and a second be
state The first best state Is col
munism pure and simple and has
view the United Order, the plan
q which is that every man shall deed
= his property 20 the church, and
= ceiye In return a stewardship. IT
J second best state implies enort
4 maintain equality OF oppormniti'
I But even this second best state
Z not found among the Mormons toda
= where approximately the same co
q ditions are found as exist elsewheI
u Uhereyer. in fact men and wom
4 are engaged in the struggle for j
4 the amassment OF wealth In Z
Z hands OF the few. and the rule app
] emily holding out that 'to him n
= hath shall be given.