Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-09
MONEY SPENT IN VAIN.

our old friend Or lift, In a lecture
recently held In Wllkesbarre, Pa. said
that four million dollars has been spent
to break up Molmonism." We quote
his significant expression from the
Wilkesbarre News OF October q. DR..
lliif perpetrated some other remarkable
sayings. He asserted, for instance, that
the present danger" Is not that OF po-
lygamous cohabitation, bur the rising
political ascendeney OF thu, "Mormons."
lie declared that the "Mormons" are
rising" not only IN Utah and Idaho,
but IN Wyoming, Colorado. Montana,
Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. In fact
Or. lliff has told his audiences many
strange story, but we take IL that one
OF his most significant utternnces is the
one quoted, that four million dollars has
been spent by the people OF this country
Ito break up Mormonism"
IL should be noted. In the first place,
that the leaders OF the anti" Mormon
agitation IN this region loudly protest
that their war Is not war against a
religious system, or a church They
are. they say. not concerned with the
theology OF any class OF people. They
are Fighting. they claim, for liberty. for
morality. for loyalty and all virtues and
cxcellencies, and especially for religious
freedom. But now comes Dr. Iln, one
Of their Intimate friends and advisers.
one OF the great opponents Of thei
cause, and gives al away by publicly
proclaiming the fact that millions OF
dollars have been spent In the task OF
breaking up "Mormonism,' Undoubt-
eddy DR.. Iliff told the truth. As far
as the sectsrlan side OF the antl-"MIor-
mon" hosts Is Interested IN the conflict,
II is anti" Mormonism' pure and sim
pie, and nothing else. The hope is that
some day the Church viii be wiped out
OF existence That some OF the sectari-
ans believe this would he an acceptable
service TO the Almighty. will not be de-
MED, but with many OF them the mo.
tive Is less pure, That they have en-
tered Into an unholy alliance with a
crowd that cares not for anything bur
the qualification Of ambition, Is not to
their credit. Undoubtedly, they have
done so In the hope OF breaking up
Mormonlsm," az Dr. Ilin expresses
himself.
IN the second place, the question nat
urally suggests itself: Who got the four
million dollars the lecturer said has
been spent In the war upon Mormon
ism" 1t would undoubtedly be an in
terestlng problem to solve For Instance
how much did that professedly meek
and humble disciple Of the Nazarene,
DR.. hin, get Of those four million dol
lars for his services? And how big n
share OF II did others that have figured
prominently IN this conflict, seoure9
When the financial transactions. pro-
vided the lecturer did not exaggerate
his figures, are considered. Judas. tho
traitor FROM Kerioth is seen to have
been but a miserable bungler What
were the paltry thirty pieces OF silver
h. obtained for his services, compared
to the four million dollars that ia said
to have been spent on the work OF de-
stroylng and betraying the Church of
Jesus Christ OF I.atter-day Saints?
Another question il also suggested. II
IL has already cost four million dollars.
how much more win It cos, to complete
the task? According to the lecturer
himself. in nifty years the Church has
grown to a membership OF three hun
dred thousand, and tho political power
OF the Latter-day Saints Is in the as.
tendency IN no. less than eight states