The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-21
THE TRIBUNE's INTRUSION"

Our friendly contemporary. the Po-
catello Udaho) Tribune. Is anxious 10
know why The Salt Lake Tribune and
other newspapers are externally chew
on Idaho politics"
The question gives The Tribune an
opportunity TO explain exactly why IL
takes an interest in political affairs
In Idaho
First. then, this Mormon rag" COW
ers a large portion Of the State of
Idaho. the whole southeast corner and
the region generally a considerable
distance west. south Of Snake river
Tapping over at times across that
stream, Inasmuch ms the Mormon
question or the Mormon rag" as our
Pocatello contemporary prefers TO put
II, is a general question, and vital
question In n number Of States. its
discussion from the place where that
question has It's origin and eNerts lts
force is perfectly appropriate, what
can be said about the Mormon
hierarch's intrusion into politics In
Utah can be said with equal force
about the intrusion OF that hierarch
into politics In Idaho, Wyoming, Ari-
Zona. and to some extent also In Mon
tana, Colorado. and Nevada The prln-
Ciple Is precisely the same In every
one of these cases: and where this
Mormon putting In" (to use the ele-
CANT phrase of our Pocatello contem-
porary) occurs. tho objection TO 1t Ia
equally valid. These Mormon ccclc-
siasts butt into" the politics of Utah.
They also butt into the politics of the
states named, and have an especial
strength In Idaho The overwhelming
power OF this "butting in" is OF course
In Utah. Its next strength is in Idaho.
The force for 1t comes always from
headquarters In this city, II is
strange force. an alien force, 1t is
not usually understood at first In the
community where IL makes itself
factor and an evil element. 1t Is the
duty of those OF us in Utah who know
precisely what this force means. who
have felt it's vicious effects and un-
derstand with what paralyzing tcnaci-
ty il holds to It's purpose and enchalns
its victims, and we are entitled, to make
the protest which VIC make here and
make also against that evil wherever
it appears.
Especially Is IT appropriate that Re-
publicans should object to and de-
nounce that allen power whenever
they have the opportunity. The first
National Republican Convention de-
nounced polygamy as a twin evil with
slavery. But II Is not alone polygamy
which is Objectionable in the eCclc-
siastical programme, though the pre-
tense that polygamy has been aban-
doned Is q fraud. The seizure by
the ecclesiasts Of the civil power: the
erection by them Of a temporal gov
ernmcnt TO which all OF their de-
voices arc Obliged TO give allegiance.
the church commercialism and the
hierarchic despotIsm, are the present
great Objectionable features of the &C.
clesiastiCal programme, and upon
these things The Tribune makes war
appears. we oppose it.
1t would have been just as reason
able for the advocates of slavery to
say that the Northern people had no
business TO interfere with their pc
culIar institution" as for any friend
OF the ecclesiastical power in politics
to hold that no one except a resident
OF tho State In which that power mani
tests itself has any business to attack
IT. And we notice that those who OBJ
tect to attacks upon this allen political
force from without. also object to II
from within: IT is the alien force from
without that alone is welcomed by
them. IT might as Dlausibly have been
urged that the people of New England
had no business TO send colonies OF
people to Kansas to break up the pro-
slavery programme ia that State as
To say The Tribune has no right to
fight the ecclesiastical temporal power
In Idaho, We trust that our Pocatello
friend will emerge into the light of
reason In this matter and shake him
self free of the clinglng rags Of eccle-
sasticIsm so that he will be enabled
to stand forth clean. clothed and in
his right mind"