Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-13
THE MURRAY DEBATE.

The people In Murray have been
treated. recently to debate on the
question OF succession to the leader
ship of the Church, Needless to say,
the discussion was arranged on the
urgent request OF some representatives
OF the "Reorgani2ed church. whose
forte is wrangltng.
We do not as q rule approve of such
disputes. for the simple reason that
they very seldom are productive Of
any good The purpose of such dis
| cussiors ought to be to arrive at
| knowledge through an impartial COM
parison of arguments. But our Re
organize friends never enter into a de-
bate for the purpose of establishing
truth. They appear in the arena AS
champions OF their own cause, right or
wrong. They are combatants. instead
of reasoners, sometimes badly beaten
In argument and sometimes. perhaps,
getting the best of It. like any slugger
who happens to meet less skilfull
antagonist.
A true thinker doesn't argue In sup
port OF a preconceived idea. but looks
upon debate as a method Of discover
ing truth. If you prove to him that
he Is wrong. he accepts that as fay-
or. for which he Is grateful, because it
is truth he is after and not dogma.
An argument with a true philosopher
would be of benefit to the participants
and the audience but there are, as far
as we know, no men among the Re-
organizes of the type OF Socrates,
Montaigne. or Herbert Spencer
Their champions are special fpleaders
and nothing else. They are not open to
conviction
The question of succession is ques
ton OF an historical fact principally.
And for the establishment of the
fact We must now rely on witnesses.
The Reorgantes rely on the state
ments OF their president, OF Lyman
Wight, James Whitehead. John l..
Carter, and William Smith. But
against these witnesses stand Brigham
Young. MILFORD Woodruff. Bathsheba
w. Smith BENJAMIN +. johnson, and
many others, We refer the reader to
Origin of the Reorganlzed Church."
by Elder Joseph f. Smith. Jr. No one
who is capable of Weighing testimony
and is willing to know the truth. will
have any difficulty In recognizing on
which side the truth Is.
There would have been no difficulty
on the question OF succession, but for
the unfortunate fact that the Reorgan-
lite leaders have fallen into the error
that the Church could be transmitted
by Inheritance, like a flock of cattle.
But the Church never was the pro-
perry OF any man 1t is the Lords,
and He appoints the leaders and shep-
own mind and will If our Reorgan-
lite brethren could divest themselves of |
the delusion that the Church can be |
by mortal man, they would |
not find the question of succession |
difficult OF solution.
There was some excuse for differ |
ing opinions on that question al the |
time of the martyrdom of the Prophet.
At that time 1t was perfectly legitim- |
ate to discuss the question from every |
point of view. and to urge the accep-
lance OF available candidates for lead
ership, But when the mind and will |
of the Lord had been made manifest |
through the action of the majority, |
the question was settled forever. To !
illustrate; When a political campaign |
Is on, 1t Is legitimate TO work for diff |
ferent candidates. but when the mat
ter Is settled, loyalty demands obedi-
ence to the viii of the majority. When |
the people have elected President,
the minority must accept him, or be |
branded as traitors. There IL whore
the Rsorganltes err. They refuse to
accept the mind and will OF tho Lord, |
as expressed through the action taken
by His people, and they are. therefore,
in rebellion against the Lord