The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-16
Answer to a Mormon by
a Staunch Mormon

tain the highest personal regard, and
In whose esteem l should be sorry TO
suffer even the slightest depreciation.
He put this question to me: How can
you. whose father WAS devout ad-
herent OF the Mormon faith, align your
self with the party which has Tor
Its purpose the overthrowing OF that
faith, and whose SUCCESS depends upon
tho humiliation Of the people which you
are I'm duty bound to defend I'm SO far
as your limited ability will permit"
My answer may be Of interest TO Others
who are similarly situated; 1t may as
sist In defining the position OF many
members of the dominant church who
have reluctantly placed themselves In
an attitude OF apparent opposition TO
friends, old. tried and true, under the
firm conviction that they were respond
Ing to the imperative call OF duty,
In the first place, It must be said that
my questloner was manifestly unfair in
assuming that the American party for
that Is the party he had in mind, is In
any degree antagonistic to the Nor
mon faith. That party Is made up
OF q great number OF our most pro-
gressive citizens, bigh-minded men and
women who are incapable OF entertain
ing ill-will toward even the meanest OF
the race. to say nothing of conspirins
10 consummate the overthrow OF re-
ligious sect possessing tho many ad-
mirable traits which characterize the
Mormons as class. Nothing could be
further from the truth than this as
sumption, and II surely originates In
malice. or It ls the result of immature
reflection. The best and truest friends
OF tho Mormon people are to be found
In the ranks OF the American party, for
they but seek to protect the Mormon
against his own mistakes,
That mistakes have been made here is
incontrovertable. That the Mormon
church, as a whole. or some considerable
portion of Its membership, is re-
sponslble for these mistakes is absolute
ly beyond the limit OF successful con-
tradIction. To deny this is to deny
the observation and experience OF every
we'll informed citizen OF the State. 1t
Is TO deny q fact which receives daily,
almost hourly, demonstration. 1t is
proper here to state that the Mormons
themselves do not attempt a direct de-
nlal, be they ever so devoted to the cause
OF their religion
To what extent the responsibility for
these mistakes attaches TO the indi-
vidual Mormon depends entirely upon
his past and present attitude toward
them, to what extent the responsibility
attaches to the church as whole rests
a we'll known fact that the members OF
the church, In their individual capacities.
are not all tainted by the wrongs COM
planned Of; It is an equally we'll known
fact that many Of them arc tainted, and
that the taint has assumed that OBJ
noxious form which constrains them
to boast Of their wrong doing and to
openly proclaim their intention Of con-
tinuing In their sinful course.
Now, II the individual Mormon would
escape culpability he must not partici-
pate either directly or indirectly in the
wrong; IL the church, as a whole, would
escape culpabIlity, 1t must purge Itself
Of the wrong by Withdrawing encourage
known to be guilty OF wrong doing. A
failure to do this fastens the wrong
upon the individual on the one hand. and
upon the church on the other.
Many OF us-I am speaking as Nor
mon and as one who has not forsaken
a single vital principle Of the creed to
which his father was devout adherent-
have decided that we will openly. and
without regard to personal considera-
tions. demand that the wrong doer desist
from his wrongful course, and this re-
gardless Of his rank or dignity In the
church or the high position he may have
attained IN the service Of the State.
In fact, II is pertinent to say that we
consider the offense all the more in
tolerable II the offender has been ele-
waited TO a position Of power and re-
sponsibility.
We are accused OF Joining the ranks
OF the enemies OF our own people, yet
we have not wavered In our allegiance;
We have not sacrificed principle. but
rather demand that principle be not
sacrificed. we have adopted the course
which In our Judgment provides the only
effective remedy for the Ills that go
persistently arise to annoy and vex, to
retard, impede and hamper the welfare
OF this State In its political. social and
religious aspects, and business interests.
We demand a settlement OF this bitter
controversy. We demand that it be
settled for all time, and with dignity
and honor. All that Is required of us
TO effect this settlement is that we
should act as honest men. The i'm
plication Is not here sought to be con-
yeyed that person ia dishonest because
he does not agree with the conclusions
herein stated, but rather that his
prejudices and preconceived notions may
prevent him for the time from seeing
the course which common honesty de-
mands that he should follow,
We must bring other lives into har-
InOuy Win InS laWS OF the land, the
spirit and genius of American insti-
tutlons and the sacred pledges we have
made to the Nation. We must serve
notice upon all. the high aad the low,
that we will not endure the com
mitting OF sinful acts under the guise
OF religion, and least of all under the
guise OF our religion. We desire peace,
but 1t must be peace with honor, peace
with the majesty Of the law vindicated
and the union Of church and state dis
solved.
For these reasons We have aligned our
selves with the American party, il be-
Ing the only political party in our State
which has the courage TO demand the
reformation OF abuses strongly in
trenched through the fanatical zeal of a
multitude OF honest but deluded men
who have lost, or who have failed to
acquire the sense OF discriminating be-
tween right and wrong when the word
religion" Is injected into the contro-
versy.
It has the courage to demand the
Fighting OF wrongs which have long
been timidly acouiesced In by citizens
nf all rto n,hA