The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-12

nicipal government. above all man-made
laws,
These excerpts, taken from the testi-
mony, official documents, and public
writings of the leading authorities of
the church, Justify the allegation in the
protest that the hierarchy. of which the
Senator is member, "is vested with
supreme power in all things temporal
and spiritual - and will serve to illumi.
nate the testimony bearing upon the
question of church domination
One Of the most serious charges
urged against the right Of the Senator
to scat in this body is that he is a
member of the governing body Of the
Mormon church, which assumes the
right to exercise and does exercise a
controlling influence over the member.
ship of that organization in secular
as well as spiritual matters and so dom
mates IN civil and political affairs as to
effectuate, in fact, complete union of
church and state, with the church in
the ascendant, in violation of the Con-
stitution of the State of Utah and
that the Senator s election was the re-
suit of such union and such domina-
ton.
Testimony Cited.
AS to the domination of the HE
rarchy in secular affairs, few extracts
from the testimony will suffice The
Deseret News, owned by and the official
organ of the Mormon church, whose
utterances are regarded as expressing
the views of the first presidency and
twelve apostles, In n report OF the
proceedings Of Mormon conference
held IN 1897, only a year after the ad-
mission of the State, declared.
Apostle NJ w. Merrill elaborated upon
tlp danger crIfiriSinp tho ni
the members of the priesthood. He said
that the apostles and presidents of
stakes were placed in their positions over
the church by the Lord, and that they
did not secure these positions themselves.
and that the people should take counsel
of the bishop Of their ward or the presi-
dent of the stake before entering upon
any new enterprise.
Public officers, sworn To enforce the
law, persstently refuse to prosecute
offenders against the law prohibiting
polygamous cohabitation.
Certain members of the church. fail
ing to obey the orders of the church
officials in purely business matter.
are reprImanded because ''they did not
abide by the counsel that was given
them, -
The members of the Mormon church
arc directed by the Mormon priesthood
as to what business institutions they
shall patronize.
ne HlSn council VI inc hOl
church aud the City Council of Brigham
City met in Joint session at the behest
of the Mormon authorities TO determine
whether an electric light plant shall be
owned by the municipality or by pri-
vatc individuals.
a bishop is deposed from his Office in
the church because he promised to obey
the laws against polygamy.
Another official is communicated
for being a member of an organization
for the enforcement of the law and be-
cause he was opposed to the influence
of the church III political affairs
Another is degraded i'll the church for
refusing TO obey his 90 file leader -
In another ease 81 member of firm
doing business in Salt Lake City is eX-
PEELED from the Mormon church because
he persisted in engaging i'll mining op.
| erations contrary to the prohibitions of
the church.
AS recently as the year 1909 two
members Of the Mormon church, having
built d dancing pavilion in opposition to
counsel, were summoned for trial
before the church authorities and only
saved themselves from excommunica-
tion by turning over TO the church Off
cials the management of the pavilion
and % per cent of the net earnings.
A railroad station is located by di-
rection of the church authorities. Four
| members of the church arc excommuni-
Gated for apostasy Gin desiring 10