The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-15
Box Elder s Need

Editor Trtbunc:-Your paper announced
that Senator Reed Smoot preaching
in Logan last Sunday. AS usual, The
Tribune was correct. But Senator Smoot
was preaching In Brigham City the day
before. On Saturday he addressed the
saints, and on Saturday night he ad-
dressed tho secret priesthood meeting
here.
We are having some good. lively times
here, and ii takes the Senatorial oil TO
still our troubled waters.
AS we have no politics in Brigham City
and Box Elder county; number OF OUT
good sound people are looking for
political party to join. The writer would
suggest TO these men and women that
the one thing most needed here is the
organization OF an American party. so
that we might have politics pure and
simple, and SO that we might be gov
erned by tho will Of the people and not
by tho dictation OF the church author
tiles Of this stake OF Zion.
Democratic Mormon attorneys. ward
bishops, mutual Improvement officers,
and religion class teachers have banded
together and have captured the old-time
Republican party OF Box Elder county.
These men have In turn Joined hands
with Apostle Reed Smoot OF the Mormon
church who claims TO be the right hand
States. And the whole bunch OF them
put together boast to the faithful that
the President does Shoots bidding In all
| things pertaining TO Utah. Thus the
faithful are led along in blind obedience
10 the ecclesiastical authority placed
over us. We are told that the church
s not in politics. but 1t looks TO us as II
| good standing" are very much In the
| political swim. The stake presidency sit
| back, look on, chuckle and grin when
| they win land they always fix 1t 10 win).
| And so 1t is that We have lost sight Of
all decent politics and are now looking
mate upon our so-called Republican
| ticket.
The writer calls TO mind now one OF
| the most cowardly, low-down politico-
| religious tricks ever perpetrated in the
| State. And this trick was turned in
| order to satisfy the ecclesiastical author
tiles OF this stake OF Zion (who are not
| in politics or business, OF course). I
| refer now to the manner In which the
| present district attorney of Box Elder,
Cache and Rich counties, Mr.. Fred j.
| Holton, stole the nomination for that
Office from B. II. Jones at the Logan
observation-disclosures church influence.
| Holton was deserter from The Demo-
cratic party and had become a Republi-
can by order OF his bishop, just a few
weeks before that convention was held.
| He was promised that there were good
| things in store for the faithful who
obeyed counsel. Jones had been a Re-
publican all Of his life time, and had
served his party faithfully when It's
numbers did not exceed one hundred In
| this county. He continued to work for
| the party until 1t had a majority and he
was elected county attorney, But Jones
| was not In harmony with the brethren
and was not subject to counsel. He had
! opposed the will Of the stake presidency
| In the matter OF the electric light fran
| chise. And having at one time pros
ecuting attorney. convicted the president
Of this stake OF Zion Of unlawful CO.
| habitation, he certainly was not eligible
| to the office Of district attorney. At the
| county convention It was the expressed
| deslre to havo Jones nominated at Lo-
gan, inasmuch as 1t had been decided
to give the office of district attorney to
Box Elder county. But in our delegation
| were q lot OF bishops and bishops coun-
| selors, and they knew who paid the
| most tlthing TO the Mormon church; they
| knew the desires OF the stake presidency
So regardless of the wishes OF the county
| convention, Mr.. Jones was stabbed In
| the back and Brother Holton was given
| the nomination. We stood this like men
and stayed by our ticket; but we feel
| that We will not stand this kind OF dirty
work any longer.
What we need most OF all In this coun
| tY is an independent American ticket
| this fall. We should make the strike
now for liberty, and once and for all
stop this domination Of our politics by
| the stake authorities OF tho Mormon
| church, II we organize now we will
| shake the fetters which have bound us
| for years In this county and give every
American citizen a fair chance In the
| politics and government of the county.
Yours truly
BOX ELDER REPUBLICAN.
| Brigham City, Sept. 13. 1906.