The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-30
DIFFERENCE IN ELDERS.

When the Mormon church organ or
its auxiliarieS and ilnitators speak Of
the Hon Thomas Weir as a Presby-
terian elder and seek thereby TO draw
| the inference that, as an elder iu his
| church he is seeking votes on the same
basis that the elders in the Mormon
| church do their political work, it en-
| cages IN deliberate and intentional
falsehood Mr.. Weir, as an elder in
the Presbyterian church, does not claim
the least political jurisdiction over the
! actions or consciences of his fellow
! Presbyterians. He would not for one
| moment think that his position as elder
in tho Presbyterian church would give
him any authority over them in the
matter of voting, or as to afIiliation
! with any party, or In the adoption Of
any political principles. Nor would
any Presbyterian consider that be was
in the least degree obligated to follow
any political directions from Mr.. Weir,
| from DR.. Padeu, or any other member
or official in the Presbyterian church
But it is entirely different on the
Mormon side Of the house. There the
| elders not only speak ex eathedra in
politics, but also in business, social, and
every other affair. President Joseph T.
Smith, in his Provo address, denounced
the man as either a fool or a knave
who would coucede his spiritual au-
thority to direct and control, and deny
| that he had the like temporal author
ity IN all matters in the control of the
members of his church. 1t is this mat
ter Of control, this yielding of the Nor
mon people TO the authority OF the
| elders who have been sustained as
prophets, seers, and revelators that
makes the intrusion Of the Mormon
elders in politics 80 obnoxious There
is no way for these prophets, seers, and
revelators to drop their ecclesiastical
dignity when they counsel the brethren
and sisters in their temporal and po-
litical affairs. \ prophet, seer, and
revelator cannot discuss with his subor-
dipates the affairs of the church by
authority and then the next minute
turn TO the same persons and tell them
that what he Is about 10 say to them
is not as an apostle or an elder in the
church, and the counsel he is about to
give to them is not Of authority and
therefore not binding: on the contrary,
he avoids doing anything of tho kind,
holding Oh to his church authority all
the time.
Apostle Smoot, for example, uses the
church ecclesiastical organization to
transmit his political DEGREES and to
set up the pins for primaries. conver-
tions, and the control Of civil affairs
Does any ono pretend, for instance, that
Apostle Smoot s recent visit to Wyo-
ming had, any appreciable measure Of
church affairs in it'll Does not every
one know that even the reason Of his
going to Wyoming, as given out, was
not religious or on church business In
any shape OF form7 It was said he was
going TO look into the sugar interests OF
the brethren out in the Big Horn coun-
try. AS matter OF fact, however, he
did nothing of that kind, either, but
the politics Of that State.
And right here is The great difference
and distinction; In fact, the contrast,
between the political action Of Pres
byterian elder and the political action
of Mormon elder In the case Of the
Presbyterian, nothing is sald or could
possibly be said that would in the
slightest degree obligate any Presby-
teran TO follow his political counsel
or example. In the case Of the Nor
mon there would be no possible way
for the elder 10 divcst himself OF his
official authority or for the Mormon to
divest himself Of his obligation to fol
low the counsel aud direction in poll
tics of his church elder. Nor would
there be any possibility or desire on
the part of the Mormon elder TO divest
himself of his official church privilege
Of giving direction By way of counsel
TO the brethren in political affairs.
As to political advice and counsel IN
the Presbyterian case, there is abso-
iutely nothing to any charge or suc-
gestiou that it is by authority or is
binding upon any one. In The Mormon
case thero is no possible escape from
the binding force Of the counsel given
by the elder, nor is there the slightest
desire to escape from obeying that
counsel and direction. Aud that is the
whole case.
-------------------------
SOME THINGS YOU KNOW.