The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-02
THEY ARE COMING.


hero, he added, but he thought ho wonld have
TO movo away TO somo other place, whore
iac,ional foolng is less turbulent,
The foregoing paragraph is part OF
an editorial in the Deseret News, the
Mormon church organ. Assuming that
it states fact, what element In our
population and what principles Of hui
man action and what policies of pro-
cedure may be said to be responsible
for the couditions9 The gentleman
whose views are cited by the News
simply asserts an opinion which is
generalization and which might come
from either side of the great contro-
yersy here.
Inasmuch as the conflict is irreprcs-
sible, there is less public advantage in
dwelling upon the mere fact of Its eN'
istence than there is in providing rem
edy and making fight for redress of
wrong,
The fractional feeling for whcth-
or it be called by that name or another
we all recognize what is meant-which
exists in Utah is the outgrowth of pur-
poses long cherished, sedulously cult.
waited, tyrannically maintained and cal"
culatingly enlarged by the present DOM
inant, but once helpless, element which
rules the Mormon church. 1t will en-
dure until such time rs the hierarchy
shall retire from the offensive practices
and the reasonable teachings of the
present, and until such time as Ameri-
cans in Utah may maintain their dig
nifty of citizenship without resort 10
fractional feeling"
10 bo
hierarchy 10 permit restoration of
honorable peace; they find their profit
and their power in the maintenance of
contention between their own people
and the Nation of which Utah is a
part. There WAS an era OF good feeling
in Utah once, Immediately preceding
and following Statehood; and evidently
the hierarchs found this not to their
liking, The Mormon people were be.
coming as are other people-citizens Of
the Republic in their civic capacity
and devotees of their faith in their re-
ligious relation. The marrying OF many
wives to one man had come TO an end,
and in the particular respect of taking
new conJugal coDsorts the Mormon
prophet had no more rights than any
other citizen. The average Mormon
was thinking and acting for himself in
all the proper domain Of his individual
prerogativc. There was little or no
contention of any serious character be-
tween Gentiles and Mormons. All this
was too happy condition to be accept
ed by the Mormon prophets. They
broke the peace and provoked fac
tional feeling They re-established
the practice of polygamy. Five apostles
took new wives after Statehood; others
continued to live with the plural wives
whom they had formerly married, and
continued to bring children into the
world despite their covenant to the
contrary. The old rule Of absolutism
in politics was reasserted; the tyranny
of church business coterie was re-
created. 1t was again taught to the
Mormon mass that they were a 'pecu-
liar" people and must be separate from
the Gentiles. The chief prophet Of the
cult in public assemblage, declared anew
the old and forbidden idea that the
Nation and its people were Economies -
of the Mormons. Every Gentle criti.
cism Of Iswbreaking by the Mormon
chiefs was called persecution, and
the Saints were told that they could
not have peace with the world, but must
continue their contention with earthly
powers. In disregard of the covenants
a polygamist was sent 10 Congress
and rejected In disregard of the cove
nants an apostle WAS sent TO the Senate
and his seat is being protested.
These are some of the things which
have created the so-called fractional
feeling which the Dcseret News seems
TO depIore. Is there nothing in this
misdoing OF the leaders of the church
TO justify American resistance7 The
best answer 10 that is found in the po.
litical event of last fall Right in this
city of Salt Lake-the center stake of
Zion, where are concentrated the
wealth, the power, the influence of the
hierarchy-the self-respecting citizen
ship uprose in it's American majesty and
overthrow the rule Of the church politi-
cal quorum and established the Ameri-
can party in power, not merely for the
sake of gaining local Office, but for the
sake of demonstrating that American
citizens will not abide under un-Ameri-
can conditions.
The gentleman whom the News quotes
may leave Utah if he will and others
may follow him. The responsibility
for their departure, if they be good
citizens, is with the tyranDous hierarchy
which makes it impossible for such as
these departing ones to remain here in
peace. But those who go arc few COM
pared with those who remain and who
will come in to aid the sturdy hosts
who are fighting here for the peace en-
joyed in other commonwealths The
News will seek in vain to warn away
Americans from Utah. Not all the
tyrannies, not all the insults, not all the
crimes that the Mormon hierarchy can
perpetrate will keep Utah out of the
column of American States. They are
coming, they are coming, hundreds Of
thousands strong-these American citi-
zens who will not be scared OFF by
a fractional feeling but will take
their part therein, will wage their fight
and will win Utah back to her duty
toward the Nation.
Now as TO HfactionaI teeliuev;