The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-06
WHAT THE REAL FIGHT IS,


/ We arc surprised to find IN 'hc
usually sedotc and reasonable Toocle
+ Transcript, the astonishing perVersions
contained il ihc following paragraph,
which begins An editorial in the latest
/ number of that paper received III this
office.
The Salt Lake Tribune tries to abuse
, tb,. country press and calls them Nor
mons or "Jacl, Mormons whatever that
/ in tho innocence Of George sheets A.
I far as this paper is concerned. we nelthcr
/ believe in the Innocence OF MI, ,Si;s, on;Sets;
/ nor In the blind, bitter abuse The irioohe
| dniIv heaps upon the Mormons and the
! leaders OF the Mormon people
We ere not conscious of any attempt
10 abuse the country press III any
way. Nor do we see why, even
il we had done so, that 'cA!l-
ing thcm Mormons' would be abuse;
nor "Jack Mormons, - either. for that
matter. The first term is certainly no
abuse, because the majority ot the peo-
pln arc Mormons. and do not feel 1t an
I insult 10 he so called; on the contrary,
they opcnlv confess it, many OF them
boast of their Mormonism. AS TO the
slack" part of it, that is a term OF
opprobrium in a way, to be sure, slghr-
/ fyinp about the same with respect TO
I Mormonism when used in that way, that
! IL means when one refers TO some one rs
s. iacll AT all trades and master OF
none. - But. so far as we recall, we
/ have not called the country press either
! Mormon or Jack Mormon: IN fact, have
not IN any way referred 10 them III the
way Of abuse or dcrogatlon. 1T Woaid
not he necessary to say this If the
! Transcript had not slipped cog IN TINS
matter from It's usual steady run
Our Tooele contemporary is IN error
most dccisivcly. in its assumption that
VIC have called on the country press 10
testify to the innocence OF George
Sheets. Naturally, they would not be
called into this, ms they have nothing
especial to DO with it.
Still further is our Toocle ncIghber
! i'll error whom it alleges bitter abuse, or
/ any sort of abuse of ''thc Mormons,
unless it is conceded that by this term
I it meant only the twenty-slX rullhg
hicrarchs If it is meant TO charge any
sort of abuse by The Tribune upon the
masses of the Mormon people, the
charge is so grotesquely untrue that 1T
is ridiculous; the Mormon people who
are unprc mdiced know thus perfectly,
and understand that our objections are
not in the least 10 them, but TO the Sys-
/ ,l, OF hN-y he ihpn-
Gratis: their law-dcfying assumptions
and their lawlcss lives; their insistcncc
upon and revival OF polygamy; their
repudiation OF their own voluntary sol
emn pledges; their insolent disregard OF
American institutions and sentiment;
and their open declaration of their de-
termination to he law unto them
selves.
1t is true that The Tribune opposes
the hierarchy on all these points 1t
insists that the chief priests shall loose
civil affairs from their dominion; that
they shall let politics alone; that they
shall conform their daily lives to tho
law, instead Of triumphantly proclaim
ing their determination to live IN de-
lianre of the laws both of God and OF
man. Tho warfare can stop in day
If these rebclious leaders will in good
faith give III their adherence to the
law: will in fact honor the State Con-
stitution and the law which require the
absolute separation OF church and state;
will release the Republican party, and
the Democratic party from their grasp,
ceasing TO dominate each and both in
the ecclesiastical interest; and will in
fact give up poiygamy rs so many times
they have falsely pretended TO do.
As long as the Utah hierarchy main
tains its law-defying, pledge -spurning
attitude; as long as it assumes and eX
ercises for its own purposes the control
of both political parties, and retains the
control of public affairs, being terror
of the darkness, dragon in waiting, fol
any official in any department of civil
government who will fearlessly do his
duty in enforcing the law, the irrcpress
ible conflict between law and priestly
. lawlcssness must go on III Utah. OF The
ultimate triumph of law and Of right
ana the routing Oh Vue la"lcss, pllestlS
oIigarchy, there can be not the leas
doubt. Nor can there be any intelli
, gent difference Of opinion as to the gooC
effect that would follow upon the tri
umph of the law and of civil rule. W,
' argue, therefore, that it is the duty o.
the ruling priesthood to submit now
and so give peace to their mucl
5 harassed people, who TOO long have
t suffered for the sins Of their autocrati
i leaders.