The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-05-23
Bishop Parkinson.

the resolutions passed by the democrats OF bingham
county, in their recent committee meeting. Very
properly Bishop Parkinson has his communication,
in which he states his objections to this American
action printed in the Boise edition of the Deseret
News.
Parkinson says he is democrat and has been for
twenty years. and that he is also a member of the
Mormon church and that he has been associated with
Mormon politicians of this state for years. and with
this equipment he denies that the Mormons exercise
any political control their followers. He says
that he is not in sympathy with the resolutions of
the democratic party of Bingham county and is op-
posed to the anti-Mormon plank in the last demo-
cratic state platform. He advocates harmony in
political work.
Altogether the letter of Parkinson character
este Mormon effusion, in which sort of attention
is paid to truth.
What objection Bishop Parkinson have to the
last democratic state platform? Why does Bishop
Parkinson, being a democrat, vote the republican
ticket? Can the Bishop take the Idaho test oath?
If he cannot, what right has he to vote?
Bishop Parkinson will take the Idaho test oath at
the next election if the authorities at Salt Lake order
him to take it; and he would instruct the Mormons
of his ward over whom he has jurisdiction, to take
the Idaho test oath if the authorities at Salt Lake
so Decree though the taking of it should result
in him and his people going to the pen1tentary IN
less the authorities Salt Lake instruct him to take
the test oath he will not take it. He belongs to an
organization which encourages polygamy, and con-
tributes to the support OF an organization which
teaches encourages and practices plural patrarchal
and celestial marriage If he should swear that he
does not belong to such organization he Will COM
NIT perjury Mr.. Parkinson will not hesitate an IN
slant to commit perjury if he is so instructed from
Salt Lake If our recollection serves right Bish-
I'M r6e 70 vote
once under instructions from the Mormon author
tiles At the election of 1888 he caused himself to be
cut off from the church on Saturday and the fol-
lowing Tuesday he voted. He took the Idaho test
OATH swearing that he did not belong to organlza
ton which taught and practiced and encouraged
povgamy or which put the eccesiast1c above the civil
law He had the certificate of the bishop OF his
ward that he had been cut off from the church
On Wednesday after the election he reolned the
church.
We will qualify this statement and say that we are
not positive that Bishop Parkinson one of those
who perured himself in order to vote by resortng to
this subterfuge and trick We not certain that
he was one of those who did this therefore we do
not state positively that he resorted to this fraud
There were about three thousand Mormons who did,
however perpetrate this identical, transparent trick
at that election. A great many of them did this IN
Oneida county where Bishop Parkinson then lived
Some of the Mormons promptly arrested IN
Oneida county, and it due to one of these arrests
that the constitutonay of Our Idaho test oath was
passed upon by the Supreme court of the United
States.
Several hundred Mormons committed perjury IN
Bingham county by being cut off from the church
in order that they might vote and then returned
TO the church The courts held, however, that the
whole thing was a fraud, and the Mormons them
.1-.s a1.,,;++ed fraud and Bishop Park