The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-21

can senator. My success means the over
throw of the SmOot ring 1t means the
and hence, upon the threshold of this
campaign, ] want to make my position
toward Senator SmOOt perfectly plain SO
that there can be no misconceptiOn of my
position So that when l attack his pol
icies and measures. when / condemn his
course politician. il cannot be said
with any truth that ] am attacking the
Mormon church the leaders of til6
Mormon church. l have no fight with
Senator Smoot personally j have no
fight with Senator SmoOt along religious
INES care not at what altar he wor-
ships; that is a matter for his own con-
science. L opposed his election to the
senate and I publicly stated my belief
that 1t would bring serious trouble to
our people. Why? Because there is an
inbred conviction that permeates the en-
tire American people that our spiritual
leaders should be satisfied to preach
Christ and him crucified. and that they
should decline to accept political office.
and that, when they have political ambi-
tions, they should lay aside their eccle-
siastical robes and stand upon equal foot
ing with you and with me-
Politics and Religion Don't Mix.
There is reason and foundation for this
opinion. 1t is the experience of mankind
that politics and religion do not mix well.
1t is the history of the world that high &C.
clesiasts have been ambitious to secure
political power and it is likewise the his
tory of the world that when they have
secured political power. they have so min
gled 1t with their religious offices that
II has been impossible to separate the
two. and they have kept themselves in
public place by playing upon the religious
convictions Of their followers After Mr.
SmOot was elected 10 the senate, I re-
fused to sign the protest that was filed
against him at Washington. l considered
him a typical Republican of Utah. well
qualified to represent the iatter-day Re-
publican party of Utah. 7 was sub
poenaed before the senate committee
gave my testimony, and i told the truth
as | saw the truth. and / have nothing to
retract. / am making no fight against
his retention in his seat in the senate.
What fight l am making against him is
political, and 1 VIII make II, even If in so
doing ne shall be able to use his eccle-
siaSticaI influence to beat me in this
campaign by S0.oe9 majority. j make the
fight openly and boldly and as strong as
I can. because his success means more
of strife. more Of bitterness. more OF woe
for Utah. I know that have an uTi-
equal fight, for my motives are, and they
will be- miscOnstrued, and the Republic
can ringsterS will cause many cOnscien-
tious people to believe that I ought TO be
beaten in the interest of the Mormon
church.
Fight Is for Peace.
That is another reason why 1t is wrong,
and why it is unwise for man 10 be an
apostle at the same time that ne is a
senator. Those who oppose him political
~ DO not nave an equal cndnCe. Men Who
would never vince 1T al If ] attacked
Senator Sutherland viii be cOnvulsed
with cat fits at the mere thought that
denOunce that system or politics. that
eXerescence upon the body polite. so
fifty and SO aptly described by the term
"Smootism." / attack that system, not
because / want office. but because L
want peace here in Utah: because I want
the people to dwell in harmony; because,
I want all the people of the state 70 en-
JOY. in all its fulness. the wonderful
prosperity that God has given US. without
that enjoyment being marred by the quar-
relS and strife that have been enSenSered
by the SmOOt machine.
Some people cannot understand it new
ertheless II is fact, that when Reed
Smoot walks into the political arena, he
is entitled to no reverence by reason OF
the fact that he is an apostle The man
who refrains from just denunciation OF
''Smootisn' because by SO doing be has
hopes of securing the votes of good
church people Of the Mormon faith and
of securing the good will of the Mormon
leaders, is a more TO be despised tOady
for church influence than the man who
walks up TO the Eagle Gate and asks for
it; and for my own part, I prefer to be-
beaten at the polls, and to know that I.
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