Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1905-11-11

of the church, has in the most solemn
and most emphatic terms that the
English language contains, as
sured the people that the church had
nothing to do with politics and that
the members of that church were as
free to do as they pleased as the wind
that boweth where it listeth We be-
lieve that these figures of speech eX-
press the intent and the practice of
the present president of the church.
We, however, know that necessarily
and continually members of the Nor
mon church occupying high positions
in the church have, especially during
political campaigns, represented
themselves as mouthpieces of the
church, and as such have gone about
whispering in a mysteriously con-
fidential manner that the church au-
thorites wanted so and so elected or
that the first presidency believed that
it would be for the best interest of
the Mormon people that this or that
ticket should be elected. This kind %
thing has been done time and again
by members of the political parties.
fragrant cases have been exposed
frequently, yet the heads of the
church have not, as far as we know,
ever "called down" or punished the
offenders who are in reality the worst
enemies the church has. 1t is bad
enough for people of that kind to be
allowed to go on deceiving the people
for their own ends and bringing trou-
BILE on their church by putting weap-
on in the hands of their enemies and
making it very unpleasant for those
not of their faith who desire to be fair
with the Mormon church and the
Mormon people, that is bad enough
we have said but it is infinitely worse
when the Deseret News, the official
organ of the church. is permitted to
take sides in any political campaign,
when the managers and editors OF =,
paper which is the organ of church
which processes to be out of politics,
favors one side or another in matters
political to help their relatives or
friends into offices or to vent their
spleen on others whom they don't
like.
Such is the condition which pre-
vailed during the campaign which
has just closed. The Deseret News
was a Democratic organ before the
nominations were made and all
through the campaign. 1t boosted"
in every way from open commenda-
ton down to the reprehensible tricks
of the ward oplitician and political
heller. Here is the climax of its per-
fidy and trickyness. The political
campaign practically closed on Satur-
day night, November 4. The Demo
cratic managers and the American"
party managers admitted that the Re-
publicans were in the lead despite the
efforts of the Deseret News in behalf
of the Democrats. Something had to
be done, thought the Democrats of
the News. Church influence was the
thing, the winning card. BY collision
between the managers of the Demo
cratic campaign and the editors of the
Deseret News, a scheme was put up.
A circular was written and signed by
the chairman of the Democratic COM
mittee and two paragraphs signed
Editor Deseret News" were also writ
ten and appended to the Democratic
chairmans circular. These sheets
with the News editors statement and
the statement of the chairman of the
Democratic committee were set in
type and run off in thousands from
the Deseret News press. The type OF
the News editors statement was then
transferred to the forms of that paper
and appeared in the News of Monday