The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-24
THEY ARE FREE TO OBEY.

THEY ARG EREiG TO OBEY.
In its issue of last Saturday, the Des
eret News editorially processes to show
that The Tribune is in error when it
says that the officers (uuder the presi
dent) and the members of the Mormon
church are not free politically. We
had taken occasion TO mention the case
of Hon. Moses Thatcher as being one
in point. Now the News quotes some
testimony given by Mr.. Thatcher at
Washington, with which it pretends to
dissipate the contention Of The Tri-
buue, The whole matter Of fealty to
country, as presented by this paper,
rests upon ones recognition of supreme
llegiance-whetber it be toward the
Government Of the United States or TO
some other power. So the real meat of
the Thatcher answer, which is repro
duced by the News, is in this: FWhile
my allegiance TO God is very high, [
hold that a man must give his allie
glance as well TO his country
But there is some other testimony
concerning this case which is not quite
so non-committal as this. The witness
here seems 10 have left the question
open as TO whether his allegiance to
the one was higher than that which
he paid to the other. Leaving the alb
stracts, let us quote something prscti-
cal and more significantly enlightening.
Questioning the witness upon the par
ticular matters involved in his defeat
for the United States Senatorship, the
following appears;
The Chairman.-What were the other
! influences that you believed at that time
contributed to your defeat?
Mr.. Thatcher.--It was believed that a
strong current of influence exerted by
influential Official Latter day Saints af-
tected the matter.
However, there can be no doubt about
the accuracy of The Tribune s position
in this matter if the facts be taken as
proof. Theorizing upon the written
rule of the church does not tend to es~
tablish anything; for it has been shown
in the past, and is evident day by day
now, that the written word is set aside
or taken up, at the pleasure of the
hierarchs and as the need of the mo-
ment may require. To make brief
presentation; The church leaders pro-
mulgated a political manifesto which
was interpreted by Mr., Thatcher (and
by Mr.. Brigham r. Roberts also) to be
an abrogation of the political rights of
individuals. They objected to it-Mr
Thatcher standing out for a long pc
riod, and Mr.. Roberts bowling his neck
to the yoke at very early time-and
both of them accepted nominations for
political Office under the ban of the
church They were both defeated.
Later, Mr.. Roberts was again a can
didate, with the church appreciation
this time. and he was elected. Unfor-
tupately for him, he was not permitted
to take his seat in Congress, for the
reason that he was too numerously we'd
ded. But the intent of the church, and
its good offices III his behalf were ap-
parent, nevertheless.
Then came Mr.. Reed Smoot, as apos-
tie Of the Mormon church Mr.. Thatch-
er was an apostle, too; and if that posi-
tion carries the influence which iB at
ll1putcu W ~, dHu MS party UeluS SuC-
cessful, he naturally would have met
with success-but for one thing. That
one thing was the tyrannical political
dictum of the Mormon church, which
exerted itself to his undoing. Then, as
said before, came Mr.. Smoot, But
this man was wise in his generation. He
knew how the ruin of Hon. Moses
Thatcher had been worked: so he plead
ed for the benign benediction of the
prophet, who gave it to him and bade
him go forth and conquer. He went
forth-and he is a member Of the Unit
ed States Senate today.
So what is the use of either pointing
TO the "word of the Lord or Of re-
ferring to men IS calculations of .theo
retic conditions within the Mormon
church7 Why not look to the accom-
plished facts9 They are much more
reliable, The News ought to remember
that an attorney once told son of
Erin that he could not be imprisoned
for a certain act. "Rut | am here
was the reply. And that is where this
question is-it is here.