Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-06
'"ls HE A MORMON ?"

'ls he a Mormon
This Is the question asked by Co
lumbar students Of the senior law
class which was nearly disrupted We'd
nesday night over the election for class
president.
u. II. Raley, of Oregon, il a candi-
date for the position j. jerome Light
foot "a resident of the District OF Co
lumbla Is n second Israel Emerson
Wiley, Of Utah If the third candidate,
and the question Of his religious anita
tons was raised by one of his antagon-
istlc classmates 20 confound his
chances for election
The foregoing is from an article that
appeared several days ago In the Times
OF Washington D. c.. and indicates the
spirit Of the contention over the cleo
tion Of n president Of the senior class
OF the law department of the Column
bian University The Times says that
some of the students went so far MS to
make some arguments on the given
names OF Mr.. Wiley which are Israel
Emerson. The first was jeered at as n
Bible name, and the second as the name
of 1.-THE first philosopher Of the Chris
tan Science cult" But Of course this
was more IN the line Of badlnage than
In serious vein, the real objection to
the candidate being that he is Nor
mon
The query of the Times, rs he Nor
mon? need not have been propounded,
The gentleman not only admits but an
nounces with pride that he is a Nor
mon" or rather a Latter-day Saint
His classmates understand that, and
number Of them speak of him in this
WISE "Mr. Wiley has been a student
of law at the Columbian for the past
three years and during that time has
by his clean. Christian habits. devotion
to study, and congenial disposition,
drawn about him circle OF staunch
friends not only among his own class
men but among Columbian men gener-
ally. To show their appreciation OF his
ability and sterling character, they de-
termlned to run him for class presi-
dent ana after much argument finally
gained his consent to such course, Mr..
Wiley has ever been proud OF the fact
that he is a Mormon and his religious
affiliation was known TO the class at
large prior to his selection as a candi-
date for the honors as class presl-
dent
The Times In a subsequent article
says; "Mr. Israel Il. Wiley Of Utah
won first honors In the opening debate
of the society at the Columbian" and
further remarks that "a Mormon pres-
ident Of the session class IS not novel;
~ in the Columbian Law School for It
IS said the president of last years class
was also n Mormon
From gentlemen at that University
we learn that the influx OF Mormon"
students to the universities OF the Dis
trict, and their general good behavior
while there, Is doing much 10 break
down prejudice against the much mis-
understood Mormon" people. "a few
years ago professors IN Law or Medl-
cine In the course Of their lectures, on
the slightest pretext, by way Of Illus
tration or for some other reason, said
unpleasant things about the Iatter-day
Saints. But now the professors have
come TO know that there are young
men OF that faith In all three years Of
the Law course and in two years Of the
course in Medicine"
The same good character Is given by
professors In the Ann Arbor colleges to
the Mormon students On Michigan
Their temperance, clean lives, studlous
habits and general excellence bring
many high euloeies from people not Of
their faith, and those qualities ought
to count against a popular prejudice
founded In ignorance and built up in
envy. Honors such as those contended
for at the Columbian university are
worthy OF attainment and should be
bestowed on persons fitted for them by
talents ana character But the good
name that is borne By our boys at
college is a higher glory than the COW
eted positions from which bigoted peo-
pie would exclude them
The religious faith OF a student ought
not to be lnterposed in case OF the
kind touched upon by the Washington
Times, nor when the qualifications for
office In any part Of thls republic arc
under consideration. II II not a very
long time since the title catholic" or