The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-14
LAW AS A PARTISAN TOOL.

LAW AS A PARTISAN TOOL.
A Smoot church agency assails the
Owen affidavit against President Joseph
T. Smith az a political matter, and
claims that the American party is back
of IT, We are obliged to that church
agency for its good opinion of the
American party in this matter, for CON
trary to the evident intent of that
church agency. the party which is back
OF the Owen affidavit, provided q party
is back Of it, is the party that neces-
sarily stands for the enforcement of
the law and the impartial execution
thereof without fear on favor.
We had not in any way considered
the Owen affidavit a political matter
or as having any bearing whatever up.
on political parties, platforms, or pro
ceedines. There is, in fact, no room
for any party action with respect TO
a case like that. 1t is simply ques
tion OF whether the law shall be en-
forced impartially without regard to
the standing of the offender, and in the
cool, calm, iudicious way IN which law
to be effectual must be enforced.
If, however, it is true that there is
any cult or any political nucleus here
which considers the enforcement of
il is surely time for the fact to be pub
licly known. The Smoot agency above
referred TO has broken cover on this
matter, and apparently is leading the
way to the declaration by some politl-
cal party or some public force here
that the law is not to be enforced ex"
cept as a matter of party politics, and
whenever the ruling party does not
wish the law TO be enforced it must
be quiescent That ia the only possible
meoning that can attach to the propo-
sition that the Owen affidavit against
Joseph +. Smith is really political
matter.
We DO not quite believe that the
Smoot agency which makes this bad
break from cover viii receive much fol-
lowing in its proposition that the en-
forcement of the law is merely a mat
ter of party politics. To be sure, that
appears TO be the idea in the mind of
U. s. Marshal Spry and Attorney Gen
eral Breeden Their interference with
Judge Howell with respect to a motion
which was pending in his court, and
their pointing out TO him that his de
cisioD in q certain way might have
bad influence upon the Republican
party, would indicate that there is some
following to the idea that the enforce
ment of law is merely partisan mat
ter We do not recall, however, that at
any time heretofore, or from any
source, that idea has been put quite so
boldly as the Smoot agency puts 1T
when it says that the Owen affidavit is
in fact an American party proposition.
We have no disinclination, however, to-
ward the idea, for the American party
is the party Of law, the party of order,
the party of progress, the party of
morality, the party Of civilization. 1t
points the way to enlightenment and
to better things In Utah, and is certainly
the pillar of cloud by day and the pill
lar of fire by night that can safely be
followed by all who wish to escape
from the Egyptian darkness of bar
barous, lecherous, robbing, lawless and
reasonable church dictation in politi-
cal and commercial affairs.
If the Smoot agency desires to make
the issue fairly and squarely on this
proposition, we certainly would not say
nay to it. 1t is as good thing as the
American party could want, to have
the issues here aligned precisely in
that way; that the church agencies and
the church domination and control mean
the enforcement of the law only at the
will and pleasure of q bierarchic politi-
cal autocracy on the one hand, and on
the other that the American party
stands for the enforcement Of law, rs
law. without fear or discrimination, and
without the least favor with respect
TO law breakers because they are dis
tinguished either for assumed holiness
or for wealth or following. Let us have
a clean, aightforward vigorous en-
forcement Of the law, OF all law, as law,
and down with the proposition that law
is merely political plaything to be en-
forced or not according as party ex-
igencies or church inclination may die
tate'