The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-03
CHURCH POLITICAL WORK.

| The church pretense that there is
1 genuine party politics in Utah is so
easy of refutation, so absolutely false
to every one who cares to consider the
matter, that 10 an unbiased mind any
demonstration would appear to be
supcrhuous At the same time 1t is
we'll enough occasionally to recall a few
| facts that are notorious and 30 recent
that every one will easily recall them
in support of the proposition that the
church rules at all times without regard
to any political party and through one
party or the other at its pleasure.
When Mr.. Morris WAS elected Mayor
of this city in 1903 there was nominally
Republican Council elected at the
same time; and yet the Mormon mem
bers of that Council did not have the
heart to oppose Brother Morris. They
remodeled the city official list, which
had been Republican, and made it
Democratic to suit him Not that there
was any reason why this should be
done, aside from n purely partisan rea
son, but because the church wanted it
done 80 that the ''brethren' might
have their way. Mr.. Preece, a Council
man from the Second ward, elected on
the Republican ticket, showed superla
tive zeal in support Of Mayor Morris,
and the church Democratic plan to cap
ture the Offices. 1t was clear case of
church rule without any regard what
ever to either party. Mr., Morris was a
church favorite, and the job of putting
the robbing franchise of the Utah
Light and Railway company was brew
ing. 1t was brought TO a contamination
during Mayor Morris s term, and was
dstinctively an administration meas
ure. That it robbed the people and
years, subject to the monopolistic con-
troll OF a reactionary concern which was
over-capitaEzed, which rendered poor
service and which was defiant Of the
public interests. made it all the moro
necessary for the church to exercise its
power and enforce its rule President
Smith of the Mormon church was also
president of the Utah Light and Rail
way company. IT was necessary that
he should have what he wanted from
the church standpoint; and from that
standpoint he gave his orders to his
obedient brethren in the Council and
in the Mayor g chair. And he failed of
nothing save only that he wanted the
franchise 10 run for a hundred years,
but the indignant outcry OF the public
held the aggression and robbery down
to fifty years.
The preceding administration elected
in 1901 as Republican, was supposed to
be a genuine, straightforward Republi-
can administration. All the Republican
city candidates were elected, and they
had eleven members out of total of
fifteen in the Council; but as Republl-
can, it was not a church Council as
much as the hierarch wanted 1T to be;
consequently, four church Republican
members were found to unite with the
four church Democratic members, max
ing the odious "solid eight which was
at best a nuisance and an obstruction
to all city business during the two
years which it held sway. The Mayor
was headed off on every proposition,
nothing could pass that "solid eight"
except what that "solid eight"
Matched up and decided upon. 1t was
the most odious, narrow and contempt
Bile municipal rule that could be i'm
agined in any city, and yet it was the
direct church exponent in city govern
ment here.
These two instances ought to be
enough to convince any reasonable per-
son Of the absolute church sway that
is exercised here. They are not, how
ever, by any means unique or startling;
they are simple exhibits of what is
constantly being done. 1t is done
without friction, without trouble in all
cities except Salt Lake; we are trying
to free ourselves from it.
Because of that potent church sway
exercised against the Democratic party
in 1895, controlling it in 1898, and
bossing the Republican party ever
since, the American party was born and
will remain powerful factor in Utah
politics until the church is compelled
to relax its grasp upon the civil affairs
of the community, release its control
over the two political parties in their
their candidates and the
shaping of their programmes. Church
ism and ecclesiastical rule in politics
has always been blight upon any peo-
pie who permitted that intrusion. It
has been so In Utah, and this rule is not
yet broken off. But the war is on to
put an end to it, and its end is at hand