The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-30
THE SORT OF "PERsECUTIoN!"

The Descret News claims that it is
persecution for The Tribune "to
| SHOW up publicly the treason, the law
lessness, and the adulterous, robbine
Ives of the church leaders. 1t claims
also that il is falsehood of the blacklist
dye. aud that s'the evil one himself
could make it no blaeker." Clearly,
however, if it is falsehood il is not per
sccu,ion, because nobody is prosecuted
in that way. Neither does persecution
consist in publishing from the record
the truth about anybody. But what
hurts is that it is all true.
And right there is where tic point
of hthe whole matter comes in. The
Tribune, in showing UP the treason
OF the Mormon leaders, shows their op-
position to the Government, their de-
fance OF the law. and their keeping OF
their people under the rack of eccle~
siasticism, whereas those people are en-
titled TO lead free, independent lives,
politically and civically, without being
under the yoke of anybody.
The Tribune shows up the lawless
ness aud adulterous lives of the Mormon
leaders from their own testimony III the
Smoot case. Joseph L. Smith testified
explicitly in that case TO his adultcries
and lawlessness. 10 his pledge breaking
and his defiance of the Nation.
The Tribune has shown the diversion
of the titbc money collected by the
church leaders from their devoted peo~
pie TO uses not in the least contem-
plated by the givers, and not in any
way connected with church work. These
funds 90 TO the establishment of col
onies, business enterprises in Utah and
foreign countries. and, as we are in.
formed, TO the relief and advancement
of Republican political campaigns. II
this is not robbing the people, then we
do not know what word to use 10 char
actcrizc it, and we hold that it is per-
fectly proper TO say of people who do
this that they are living robbing lives.
The trouble with the News is that
it copfuees the whole matter. 1t is
such "A devotce of the church oppres-
sion and tyranny, 80 much is expected
of it in the way OF excuse. adulntion,
and defense OF that church usurpation
and tyranny, that it has got iu the
habit Of assuming that what ii puts
forth as the truth is the truth, with
out regard 10 the fact or tho record.
The Tribune deals III no assumptions in
these matters, but on the official record
for the most part, and on what it re-
CARDS as absolutely truthworthy infor-
nation for the remainder.
II will not be denied that the tith-
ings TO the general authorities of the
church average about SO, 100000 a year.
1t Will not be claimed that this money
is spent for the benefit of the church,
either in Utah or elsewhere There is
not the least evidence of it. If apy
ward wants to build a meeting house.
il has TO build it itself. II it wants TO
repair meeting house. il has to do its
repairs independent OF the tithes. If
the poor have 10 be taken care Of, this
bas TO be done by G special effort and
through special means aside from the
tithes. And so it goes all along the
line. There IS no accounting for the
tithes. There-is no evidence that the
tithes are used anywhere for the bene
st OF the church or TO meet the church
obligations, save only IN paying the
church bonds issued by President
Snow. On the contrary, the evidence
goes TO show that the tithes are used
for the personal benefit Of the leaders
of the church (see the increase of
$4,000 year in President Smith IS
personal wealth., and for the carrying
out Of the church leaders huge business
projects in Mexico and Canada.
II is not Eabuse' nor the .sfalse.
hood" that any one can tell that in