The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-07
JUDGED BY THEIR ACTS,

The Mormon leaders profess desire
to be Judged by their acts. But that
is precisely what we have been doing
and they are still dissatisfied AS Il
matter of fact, they don t want to be
Judged by their acts at all; Uney want
TO be Judged by their professions. They
want the world to take the word for
the deed, and let them do something else
and no questions asked.
1t is noteworthy in all the waste and
flood Of words that make up this latest
mousey deliverance from the mountain,
the stress is always upon what has been
said by them, not on what they have
done. 1t is mouth, mouth, lip, lip, all
through. And yet the contradiction be-
tween word and deed is clear
1t is not denied that Joseph F. Smith
is faith-breakcr; that he has rcpudi-
ated his pledged word to the American
people He has broken the law and de-
fed God. And many others have done
the same, not 10 mention President Ly-
man of the Twelve. Yet this statement
has the effrontery to deny the prac tice
loyalty TO the Government its leaders
have thus betrayed.
This declaration claims as TO its doc
trine that it believes In "obeying,
honoring, and sustaining the law" And
yet, its President, Joseph +. Smith
sworc that he was disobeying the law,
intended to contiue disobcying il, and
lately appeared in court pleading guilty
TO law.breaking, and paid the fine for
his transgression
The declaration quotes approvingly
the revelation that all must obey
and observe the law of the church; and
yet President Joseph f. Smith and Pres
dcnt Francis NJ. Lyman swore distinct
ly in Washington that they were liv-
ing, and were resolved 10 live, i'm dc
hancc of the law of God. And Presi-
dent Joseph +, Smith deGantly swore
that he would obey or disobey the com
mands of Almighty God at his own
pleasure.
And that is the way in which prac-
tice gets away from prccept IN the
whole management of the Mormon
church. There is no need to multiply
instances. though they could be multi
piled indefinitely; but nothing worse
than their deiances of command and
rule could be found anywhere. But it
all proves how absolutely worthless is
the citation of commands and doctrines
as a proof of what is done by the
church and its leaders.
OF what avail. in the face of this. is
1t to quote the precept that there shall
he an absolute separation of church and
state? Such quotation, In the light OF
the evidence, does not even raise the
presumption of such separation. And in
view of the determination, expressed
under oath, of the highest church lead
ers TO diSobey at their own pleasure.
the laws of God and of man, and of
the we'll known facts in Utah IS church
controlled civil government, what does
the quotation of a text amount to7 The
evidence is sure that if this precept
is known To the chief church leaders, il
is known only TO be repudiated and
scorncd
And what does il count for to quote
declarations that there shall be no in.
reference in or control of politics by
the church authority, when that is a
mere theory, not a working fact7 What
evidence is there that these chief lead
ers of the church regard this precept
as any more binding upon them than
other precept, laws. ordinances, and di-
vine commands which they have sworn
to disobeyS
1t might be argued that this con-