The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-27
PRIESTS IN POLITICS.

The church organ on Saturday even
ing quoted Mr.. Collier, of Collier e
Weekly, as not favoring any attempt
by Catholic ecclesiastical officers "to
! influence politics unless, indeed. politics
were attacking the church, And
| from that the Deseret News proceeds
to excuse the activity Of the Mormon
ecclesiasts in politics.
The fallacy, however, is obvious, for
though the Catholic clergy receive from
their focks their due respect and rev.
erence in spiritual matters, they do not
in this country in the least look to
them for political advice, much less In
struction. On the other hand, the Nor
mon ecclesiasts claim not only the right
to Counsel their followers 10 politi-
cal and other temporal matters, but en-
join IL upon them as their absolute duty
TO follow such counsel' because these
Mormon leaders claim To speak as from
God in temporal matters. as well as
spiritual. This COUNSEL therefore
purports to be q direction from God.
For proof sec President Joseph L.
Smith = notable address in Provo, where
he said that the man who admits bis
right to govern him spiritually and de-
nies his right to govern him temporal
ly, Lies in the presence OF God"
But the News avails itself of the lat,
ter portion OF Mr.. Golfers remarks as
to the possibility of the Catholic clergy
uniting III case their church was at
tackled, and under this attempts to take
refuge. The News puts it thus:
All along, the fight has been nlade upon
the Church. II Is directed against the
Church today. II is war OF revenge be-
cause the leaders OF the Church refused
TO enter the field OF politics In favor OF
an unscrupulous politician. II. therefore,
Church leaders actually have. al any time.
met the denagogucs in their own arena
they have only oDeyed one OF the strong
est laws of the universe. the law OF self
preservation, and their doing so can Only
merit the appreciation OF thinking men and
women
Which is plain, uDvarnished, aoso-
lutte falsehood. There is no fight what
ever being made upon the church TO.
day, Let all of the past go in which
the falsities of the church writer's as
TO fight on the church are spparent
bring the thing right down TO the pres
ent day; there is absolutely 10 fight be.
ing made upon the Mormon people nor
the Mormon church, The idea of any
such light is explicitly, repeatedly,
earnestly, aud cmphatically repudiated
and denied IN every American platform
and by every American speaker, and by
The Tribune every time that this mat
ter comes up. And IL, as the News says,
the church leaders have met the dema-
gogucs as demagogues, that is their own |
affair, That the church leaders can be |
demagogues is apparent from their pitt. |
ful, false, craven. and puerile claims !
that the church is attacked. There is !
no attack upon the church; there is no !
occasion Tor the church ecclesiasts 10 !
get down With anybody into the arena .
OF tie denagoeGe, az they are con !
stantly doing. Their doing SO is simply |
their attempt 10 shield themselves in
their lawlessness and robberies behind |
their innocent followers. {
The American fight is on q higher
pjape, has nothing to do with this false
issue that the church is trying TO raise
the straw man that the church writer's
aud speakers are knocking the stuffing
out Of every once in a while. The
American contention here is for law.
for order. and for individual freedom
in political and temporal affairs. The
church leaders are striving 10 retain 4
their grasp upon their followers in poll.
tics and other temporal affairs That is
the plain, straight issue there is here.
and there is none other, The beg. the
question, eyasive, and false tactics OF
The church leaders IN trying to make it
appear that the church is attacked by
the American party is so scendalously
false. so completely without basis in
truth or candor. thai the constant iteya~
hon OF 1t by the church falsitIers is
osina ITS force. Nobody OF any sense
Who keeps Up with the current events