The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-04
ENFORCE LAW AT HOME.

The Deseret News continues its loud
iusistence that the law should be en-
forced--in Virginia 1t has a good
deal Of complaint to make about the
acquittal of Loving, the slayer of
Estes, and claims that this acquittal
was subversive of justice and ga gross
misapplication Of these legal justi6ca
tions for homicide" that are often
urged in extenuation of such acts as
Loving committed.
Now, we have no objection TO the on
forcement of the laws in Virginia, nor
do We make any particular criticism
upon the way the Virginians enforce
their laws, and particularly as to this
case we do not feel called upon to make
any remonstrance against the result
And The Tribune Is a law~abidiug news
paper, too. Its insistence is that the
laws shall be obeyed and enforced all
over the Republic; but our particular
insistence and demand is that the laws
shall be enforced in Utah That is pre-
cisely where The Tribune appears to
be at odds with the News. The News
is fierce and vigorous for the enforce
ment of the laws in Virginia. but c1-
tremely lax, not TO say scaudalously
opposed, TO the enforcement of the laws
IN Utah. Until the News can come
TO the front with demand for the en-
forcement Of theelaws in Utah, we do
not see how it has very firm founda-
10 IL 10
that the News in this, AS in q good
many other matters, sees the mote IN
the other mans eye, and ignores the
beam in its own eye. A paper which
demands immunity from punishment for
criminals ia its own neighborhood is
in no condition 30 lecture the people in
other communities because they do not
enforce the law of their State in it's
fullness and rigor.
The Tribune il willing TO take the
enforcement of the Virginia laws as
the Virginia courts eonstrue them and
enforce them. 1t is not particularly
concerned that some Virginia man shall
be hanged because he shot the ravish-
er of his daughter. There is a whole
sale ravishment going on in Utah by
lecherous priesthood which calls for
punishment far more loudly than could
possibly be in the Virginia case under
consideration, in any way il may be
looked upon. The courts in Utah, how
ever, are so inundated by the power
of the chief criminals here who are
also in control Of the masses Of the
people who belong to a certain church
organization, that they are paralyzed
when il comes to the enforcement of
the law against those who commit the
favorite offenses that are enjoined by
thaCs church s leaders, and that arc
practiccd by them so shamelessly.
These leaders, besides being the cx-
emplars in this law breaking, claim TO
be exemplars also in holiness They
not only paraly2c the law so far as they
themselves are concerned by the no.
litical advantage their control over the
majority of the population here gives
them, but they connive at the violation
Of law by others, and protect others IN
that violation, while all the time pre-
tending that the church is not in any
way blam eworthy for the violations
which they commit At the same time
the so-called revelation of the church,
the church doctrine. the church com
mandmcnts, and the church practice,
form the only basis upon which these
lnwbrcakcrs proceed. 1t is quite i'm
possible that this law. breaking should
and in furtherance Of its alleged creed
and revelations To say that the church
is not responsible for such breaches of