The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-12
TT CHALLENGES BAPTIsTs.

by the usual methods prevalent in the
editorial columns of the church organ.
Of evasion and--when evasion is not
suficient-direct falsehood
The Baptist State Convention having
reiterated It's protest against the mani
fest interference OF the Mormon church
IN politics and secular affairs, the Des-
eret News pretends to answer in the
following series Of questions and an
swers;
In What way has ths Baptist church, or
my OF its preachers or members been inter
Iered Tith. relisiously or politically. or in
mon church Have any OF them been hin.
dered or obstructed IN the exercise OF the
elective franchise, or OF the freedom OF
the fullest libeaty 10 vots for or oppose
Any candidate measure before tho public,
10 hold their meetings pass thsiT oollec,iGn iI
plautudes. and net in the name OF the Holy
Trinity from whom they do not even claim
they have received any definite authority
the Mormon" church
Can any preacher Of the Baptist conyen.
ton produce n person, Mormon or non
Mormon who has been intorfered with
in his politics or his business by the Nor
mon mon church II not. on whot basis was
Is the excuse for jti Is il not falschood
in essence and fraud in its intentl
Nothing has ever been advanced by the
virulent maligners OF the Mormon church,
even as pretended evidence OF the inter
ference alleged, but trumped.up and shad'
owy stories that wall not bear the least in
vestigation. Where Is there an individual
who has been required to vote for against
anybody or anything contrary to his or her
own will and judgment Who is there, any
whcro in this State, that can truthfully say
he is not froo 10 engage in any lawful bust
ness or other secular pursutl We can al.
to malign tho Mormon church, that drools
along in stereotypcd channels. But whom An
organized body of alleged Christian worship
ers takes up tho slander md gives IL voice
by solemn resolution, We protest ngainst the
outrage. And VIC brand tho authors OF the
accusation adopted by the Baptist conven.
tion common dcfnmers, 10 bo classcd with
those who love as we'll as make n lie.
Every member of the Baptist church
who is citizen Of Utah and seeks to
exercise his elective franchise as citi-
zon in conjunction with other citizens,
acting from motives of political belief
to establish in power the party which
will carry that belief into practice
is seriously interfcred with by the
action Of the Mormon church, which
dominates political affairs in Utah to
suit the pleasure Of the hierarchy, there
by denying to all citizens the rightful
and patriotic rule OF Americans in their
civic capacity. 1t is no more an injury
to Baptists than to any others, but it
is no less an injury to Baptists than to
any others; and therefore they have
right, in the name of our common citi,
zenship, to protest.
Every man is interfcred with in his
politics, whether he be Baptist or
n Methodist, a Catholic or Material
ist, when the Mormon church directs
the political activities of the State to
the extent that the church assumes the
direction of civic affairs.
When the Deseret News challenges
for instance of such political interfer-
ence, let The Tribune renew the charge
repeatedly made in these columns, TO
which the Deseret News has never yet
dared to reply: No bill has ever been
passed by the Utah Legislature which
was opposed by the chief hierarchs; no
bill has ever failed of passage in the
Utah Legislature when the chief HE
rarchs urged its passage; no act has
ever been signed by Governor of Utah
which was opposed by the chief hie-
rarchs; no act has ever been vetoed by
Governor of Utah whose approval
was demanded by the chief hierarchs
of the Mormon church. OF course, we
refer TO the period since Statehood.
The Baptists and all other American
citizens are safe IN making this protest
so long as this condition of facts exists
Indeed, they would be lacking in the
first priciple of patriotism if they did
not voice their sentiment in protest
against the un-Americau practices Of
the dominant ecclesiasts in Utah.
The Deseret News cannot name the
bill which was passed in face OF oppo-
sition by the church. nor the act which
was signed contrary to its pleasure;
nor can the News name the bill which
failed of passage in defiance of the wish
of the church, nor the act which was
vetoed when the hicrarchs demanded its
signature There is the challenge iii
plain English.
This charge has been standing before
the country for long time; but the
church organ fails 10 make answer,
while it is loud in vain protest against
the resolutions of Baptists or other
conventions which declare against Nor
mon church interference in politics.
To say that there is no politics in
Utah is the only way in which the
Mormon church can escape the charge
that 1T dominates the politics of the
State. In that sense its contention may
be true. There is vast social ques-
ton in Utah. The Mormon church aud
it's allies, Republican and Democratic,
are arrayed upon one side to perpetuate
the rule of set of fraudulent eccle-
siasts who can themselves prophets,
seers and revelators; and Americans are
arrayed on the other side III deter.
IL.