The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-20
SALE OF SALTAIR.

resort for an inland city.
The people of this community would
regard the loss of the beauteous etruc-
ture or any serious injury to the resort
as being a great calamity; and, there
fore, 1T is with profound surprise that
one reads the malignant editorial OF the
Deseret News in which, by their init
nation, the prophets condemn Saltair
as an unholy place. after having sold
Ii to some OF their victims.
Among many things the DeSeret
News says; The pavilion was orlgI-
nally constructed for tho purpose OF
providing bathing resort and proper
amusement for orderly and temperate
people. 1t was desired that persons
adverse to mingling with rough and
unruly individuals should find there
q place free from vice and tumult
where they could enjoy in peace the
recreations provided, as we'll Us the
pure air and saline waters OF the great
lake. 1t was anticipated that the Sun
day schools. mutual improvement as
sociations and other organizations for
the promotion OF good morals, right
conduct and social entertainment
would find enjoyment at that resort
without the evils that so often intrude
into such places. But tho beach be-
came so generally attractive that all
classes OF pleasure seekers thronged to
1t, and the demand for stimulants and
intoXicants became 30 great that II
was found almost impossible to with
stand the pressure. AS the church was
the principal stockholder In both the
railroad and the beach corporations.
the stigma of permitting the sale OF
those pernicious beverages reflected up
on the church"
The church organ goes on to say that
a stigma attached to the church be-
cause Of the sale OF "pernicious bev-
eragcs" at the resort, even when the
place was leased TO persons OF good
character and reputation: and that, a
great opportunity Offering, a sale has
been made which VIII be approved by
a big majority Of the people OF Utah,
and particularly by members Of the
church"
If tho sale OF beautiful Saltsir
were made to the enterprising syndI-
cate which purchased 1t purely for le-
gitmste reasons, what was the need
OF labored editorial rejecting upon
the character OF the visitors to the re-
sort? What was the need OF insinuat-
ing that Saltalr had become too bad
for tho church to longer bear the odi-
um Of it's ownership If the transac-
tion were business one. such as might
have appeared In ordinary circles,
what was the occasion for raking high
and low for peculiar" excuses7
On the other hand II the reason for
selling was purely an ethical one, n
the resort could not be maintained by
the church within the lines OF morality,
what horrible reflection 1t Is upon
church ownership Of amusement places
and church management OF resorts,
Is the church growing moral, or are
its people growing more immoral7
AS to the desire to avoid responsible
ity for the sale Of 'perniclous bever-
ages" that is such a brutally menda-
cious excuse that 1t only excites rldi-
cule In this community. Suppose one
we're to paraphrase the language of the
News and apply II to u. c. M l. "The
wholesale liquor department Of Zion's
Cooperative Mercantile institution was
established under the sanctified sign OF
the All-Seelng Eye. over the door ap-
peared the motto. Holiness to the
Lord 1t was desired that persons ad-
verse to mingling with rough and un-
ruly individuals should be able to get
their drinks free from vice and tumult
where they could enjoy in peace the in
toxicants. 1t was anticipated that the
patriarchs. the bishops counselors, and
other dignitaries who have in charge
living and social entertainment
would be able to find their en-
joyment in that liquor department
without the evils that 80 often in
trude into such places. But the
brand of wh!skey which lie sold there
became so generally popular that all
classes of drinkers thronged into the
liquor department OF II. u NJ, l., ana
as the church was or had been a
large stockholder in the Wholesale
liquor house the stigma Of encourag-
ing the sale OF the pernicious beverages
reflected directly upon the church"
1t must be clear that II there We're
good moral reason for selling Saltair
there is an extra good one for selling
the Il. C. M I, Why should a mag
nificent place like the beach resort be
made to suffer under the nasty insinu-
alton of the Deseret News while other
institutions are permitted to go scot
free2
In anyone but the prophet, seer, and
revelator OF the Mormon church. IT
would be deemed an act Of bad faith to
sell a property and theu begin TO ira