The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-01
can easily secure for it a good, steady
ENcRoAcHING ON THE SCHOOLS,

The nonpartisan purpose being
disclosed as a plot to secure the dis
charge of the "outsider teachers, and
those who have q prejudice against
polygamy, the people Of this city know
what to expect in case the nonpar,isan
or church-candidates win, They
face the proposition that the existing
conditions of polygamous living must
be made matter Of tolerance if not
Of active praise in the public schools.
The schools must not train up the chill
drcn to be law-abidlng, but must either
encourage polygnmous lawlessness with
all its degrading conditions, which are
expressly under the ban of the law, or
must be silent about them.
The teacher who uphoIds the majesty
of the law in this respect is ''preju.
diced - and must be discharged, with
opprobrium and abuse. The teacher
who, disregarding the law, "honors W
the polygamists and defers to their
dominance and arrogance, is the teach
er whom they regard as successful and
unobiectionabe. 1t is not the ruling
polygamistic idea that the pupils shall
be taught respect for the law, but re-
spect for those who DEFY the law. 1t
is NOT their idea that they arc preiu
diced and criminals themselves, but
that those who stand for the uprooting
of polygamy are the offenders, and the
criminals are those VINO meddle with
the established polygamous relations or
object to the formation of new rela
tions Of that evil sort.
Their idea, further, is, that those
who stand for law and order and an
improved, law-abiding condition Of
society are endeavoring to introduce
politics into the schools; and that those
who have fixed their political and sec
tartan system upon the schools, and in
fused the polygamous atmosphere over
the whole school administration are
the ones who are seeking to keep out
politics from the schools. That is, it is
politics, and Objectionable politics at
that, to speak for the law, and have
"prejudice against polygamy; but
to defy the laws and coddle polygamy
is TO keep politics out of the schools.
Those who seek to impose such left
hand, Chincse-likc definitions upon the
schools, know very well what they are
about. They have the schools where
they want them; where they can use
them for their own purposes and profit.
More and more they are working them
Il IL .Eu
more they are making them of greater
use to the church. More and more are
they encroaching, crowding. to the end
Of getting their own vicious ideas in
corporated in all forms of public adj
ministration, including the schools. The
secret, treacherous, and illegal estab-
lishmcnt of their "religion class in
struction in the public schools is an ex
ample of the lengths to which they will
go in carrying out their intrusions upon
public rights. The establishment of
their scctarian "religion classes in
the public schools was first denied, then
defended, then excused, and finally
merit was made of the order from the
first presidency 10 withdraw them as
contrary to law and subversive Of the
equal rights Of all.
The enterprise of the polygamous
hierarchy in advancing its interests
would be worthy of praise were it exer-
cised in a better cause. Its case in
this is like that of Satan when a mild.
spoken old lady, accused of always de-
Tending those who were attacked, the
idea being broachcd that she would
speak well even of the dovil. who re-
torted, "Well, / wish others had more
of his industry Evil industry it is,
however disastrous to mankind, even
as the enterprise of the poIygamous
hierarchy is wholly evil and subversive
of human rights