The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-16
REJECTING THE LORDS WORD.

I
Terms may be misunderstood. They
may mean one thing To one side and an
other To the other side, and any argu-
ment based upon such a miscouceptlon
! becomes useless.
That is from the Dcserct News of
last Tuesday, when it exertcd itself to
make objection TO the fact that some
people, who question the motives and
ethics of the leaders III Israel, feel in
clined To quote from the inspired pro-
phets who occupied the rostrum in Utah
before it was necessary TO exploit the
personal purity of Apostle Smoot IN
order to have 4 representative Of the
chief Utah polygamists in the Senate
of the United States. The same class
of logic would also seem to have
fathercd this other wisdom, as contained
in this same Tuesday editorial of the
organ of the Mormon lord:
on the other hand II they (the Nor
mon people,. are right. as they believe
world to KNOW IT. for there is saliva
ton in a living KNOWLEDGE of the
TRUTH
Whatever discussion these two pre-
sentations may have reference to, they
seem TO offer two largely divergent
bases The world has come TO the habit
that may also he discountenanced by
the organ of the hierarcbs-of accept
ing established definitions for words;
and in any controversy which might oc.
eur, these meanings are allowed 10 stand
AS between the coutroversialists. But
in presenting its own side the News
has forcstalled any decision but its own
IN the case by its second quoted deter
mination that It's clients KNOW that
they are right. The Tribune, however,
being entirely uninspired, will further
quote the Mormon ecclesiasts, IN the
suppositien that possibly-and possibly
not--''all the world will come to
KNOW what the News declares 1t does.
There was a time in the history of the
Mormon church in Utah when the IN
spired scers were more free IN their
utterances than they are today. Never
theless, they were accorded the credit
Of inspiration then, Just as their sue
cessors are today, and for that reason
the News should make no objection
TO any reference which may be made to
the written word concerning them. The
church organ will be asked to submit
TO that rule which has been laid down
by photographers, and must not adhere
TO any preiudiccd Interpretation of
its own; because in the latter case It's
cause will be hopelessly lost in the eyes
of 'all tho world - The Journal Of
Discourses says that on September %,
1857. the late President Wilford Wood
ruff preached a sermon, IN which be
used the following language:
All we have to do is to live our rcl-
sion; ard when the presidency say
come mere or Go thore: let us be
on hand 10 obey and all will be right.
That seems to he sufficiently plain in
exposition of the Mormon doctrine, ''Do
as you are told, and mind your own
business. The church organ may see
ii in a different light. IT might go so
far as to say that what Mr. Woodruff
really meant was: "You have your
own free agency. You arc not required
TO do as you are asked by the authori-
ties, if your conscience tells you that
it would not be right for you to do so. -
But it does not read that way, and The
Tribune will take the letter, and not
the News Esprit, Again, on July %.
1897, President Heber c, Kimball
preached to the Saints like this, accord
ing to the Journal of Discourses:
God Almighty helping me, / Will fight
until there Is not drop Of blood in my
veins. Good Cod l have wives enough
to whip out the United States.
To the Descret News, that expression
means something like: "The first man
who attempts to haul down that flag
shall die in his tracks. The United
States is the protector of my wife and
my. children. and in return for its
guardianship over my loved ones / will
contend for it as long as life remains
in my body. | love my country, and
| intend TO defend it to the last drop
of my blood But, again, Mr.. Deseret
News, il does not read just that way,
and we must take the words, unfair
nished by the prcsent-day esprit" of
Mormon pricstcraft.
III may nc, lhouPn1 rhat inc organ or
the Mormon lord will object to having
these old utterances brought up, be-
cause they are not authoritative for this
time. But it Will remain for the News
to say that the men who uttered these
words were not inspired OF God Al
mighty, or to admit that they were thus
enlightcncd-aud remain in a cul-de-sac
in either instance.
So what IL the use of arguing with
the Ncwsl First, it says that "if the
Saints are in error in any respect; if
they hold erroneous views. they want
No know it. aud thnY want The wnrld