The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-25
r. CHURCH ORGAN DENIES.

new editorial writer, and this appears
to occur frequently in the anguished
search OF the polygamous prophet after
an able defender, the neophyte apollo
! gist for crime tries his hand at de-
| NAL of the existence of 4 Mormon HE
rarchy-
The range OF contradictions covered
| by the News during the past two years
has run from an assertion that The
! Tribune invented the word HE
rarchy" TO a solemn asseveration, un-
der divine authority, that no such thing
is known on the earth, or in the waters
that cover the earth, or in heaven or
hell
The very eagerness of the denial,
with its frequent repetition. proves that
this is the vulnerable point Of the po-
lygamous cult. It is quite clear that
they recognize the existence of some
thing within their church which is
equivalent to hierarchy, and that the
something is evil in its operations.
Speaking in the sense in which I" HE
rarchy" is defined by Webster. there
is nothing necessarily evil in the word
or the fact which it represents. and 1T
must be the evil conduct OF the HE
rarchs which lends an evil significance
to the title which they deny-otherwisc
they would not be so solicitous to
obliteratc from the public conscious
ness the designation hierarchy and
the offensive memories which that
designation arouses.
Tho highest boast of the priests has
been that through them God has estab-
lished once more his kingdom on
earth; that he has entrusted the gov
ernment thereof to sacred body of
rulers; that their dominion as his rep
resentatives extends TO all things,
temporal as we'll as spiritual. Such has
been their claim; such has been then
boast; and such has been their enforce
meut upon their followers. Even in
this day, when they are vacillatlng be-
tween, their old claims of divinity and
their pretense of regard for earthly
government, it is still the objectionable
sin for a follower to question the right
Of the priests TO dictate to him IN all
things. A contention, therefore, that
the form Of government in the Mormon
church is not hierarchy is denied by
the history and teachings of the cult;
from the day when the first prophet
claimed his divine right to rule, down
to the present hour, when his nephew
and arrogant successor assumes the
privilege of overturning all law and all
rules Of relation among civilized beings,
in behalf Of his own selfish and sensual
purpose.
1t is only to affect the outside world
that the Deseret News denies the eX-
istence of the hierarchy; and the de
NAL, frequent as it is, relates only to
the word State all the propositions
which Webster gives as making up the
definition, and they appeal at once to
tho Mormon consciousness and to the
priestly opinion of its own powers.
The reason for these ignorant and
repeated denials is apparent. Learned
and careful men of the Nation, in their
speeches and articles defending the
claim of Reed Smoot to a scat in the
Senate, have been careful to disasso-
ciate themselves from all appearance
Of sympathy with both "polygamy and
hierarchy''-to quote the grouping
made by Senator Cullom in the North
American Review. The priests foresee
danger. By general falsehood and
evasion they hope to continue to mis-
lead the general mind of the United
States from full knowledge of the
recrudesccnce of polygamy; but, even
with that obliterated, if the real char
aeter of their government shall be
known of men, reform thereof will
be compelled by the law and the senti-
ment Of this country, Therefore the
supersensitiveness of the News, and
therefore its iterated and reiterated de-
mails of the most significant fact of
Mormon church claim-namely, the eX-
:stence of a governing hierarchy.
If the political and venal allies Of the
church in Utah would tell what they
know to be the truth, instead of evad-
ing or denying that truth, there would
be no longer any contention in the Ma
tion on this subject; and throughout
the land there would be explicit de-
! mand for such constitutional amend
ment and such law as may be necessary
to utterly eradicate any semblanco Of
rule in public affairs by priests claiming
divine authority to govern mankind.
| These selfish allies, for their own pur-
poses, are giving aid to the church
press in its denial Of the palpahle fact.
But the very agony OF the News in its
falsehood keeps the subject alive in the
| public mind; and the knowledge is
spreading throughout the Nation, Set.
ting aside polygamy, as Senator Cullom
does, the rule Of hierarchy is SO often
sive to the American mind that such
rule cannot continue when known TO
the people. They will overthrow it, be.
cause in this Nation is no room for a
! church exercising the powers of the
]