The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-09
B. H. ROBERTS
GIVES LIE TO
HIS ENEMIES
Report of BaniShment CirCu-
lated by SmOOt Crowd Is
Vigorously Denied.
EXPECTS TO CONTINUE
A FACTOR IN POLITICS
WILL KEEP ON FIGHTING AS
LONG AS HIS REPUBLICAN
FELLOW cHURcHMEN.

so .
= So far as l know | will remain =
: in Salt Lake Indefinitely. :.
:" L have heard of no decision on :.
Z the part of the church to appoint :
:: me for duty in Mexico, England :
= or elsewhere. :.
d: l was not ordered to go TO Al =
= berta; it was my desire, expressed =
= weeks before l went that l go ::
= there in pursuance Of that por- =
= ton of the church work with which :.
= l have more particularly to do. =
= The talk of discipline is as the =
= cackling of geese. :.
" 1 have taken an active part in :.
" politics as a Democrat since the =
:: first separation along political =
= lines, and l maintain that it is my :.
= right to continue to do so as an =
= American citizen. :,
= I believe in the Democratic prin- :,
= ciples and / deny the right of any =
= man that I shall not speak, write =
: or act in advocacy of those prin- =
= ciples. :.
= 1t has been asserted that the =
= higher officers in the church shall :.
- take no active part in politics. l =
y believe that SO long as the Repub- =
= licans are active in politics, Dem :.
tNAeNt7 nav q AAEAAN ~ BE dlcUa 1
y cannot see the justice OF a situa- :,
= ton which permits Republicans :.
= to do certain things, while the :.
- same privileges are denied Demo- :.
= Gratis. ..
Z: During all Of the time that / :.
: have been interested in politics l -
= have cOntended for the complete :.
= separation of church and state :.
." The church says that there shall -
= be absolute freedom of the indi- :,
y Vidual from the domination Of ec- :,
= clesiasucal authority in political =
:: affairs. :.
= The church is greater than any =
&: man, and if / were appointed To =
= carry on the work OF the church =
= l would respond to the call. =
- The quorum of the twelve is our :.
= ranking officers. =
= 1t is my sincere hope that one =
= day this state VIII be Democratic =
-: :: s.-.-..'
Brigham Fl. Roberts, one Of the prom
inent Democrats of Utah and one of
the higher officials in the Mormon
church, has returned from a trip to
southern Canada and a visit to the
Big Horn country, in Wyoming, where
he attended to important business con-
nected with the colonization plans Of
the church Mr.. Roberts was accom-
panied by Apostle George F. Richards,
who went 10 look after general church
work
In his Office yesterday Mr.. Roberts
briefly stated his position in a political
way. He denied emphatically that he
had been sent on a mission at the be-
hest of the SmOOt crowd" as has been
suggested. in order to get him out Of
the way during the coming campaign.
Mr.. Roberts says that. so far as he
knows, the church authorities have not
decided to appoint him to service in
any foreign country or elsewhere. and.
furthermore, ne knows of nothing that
will interfere with his plans TO remain
in Salt Lake indefinitely and continue
the work which it is for him to do as
one of the seven presidents Of the sew
euties.
Mr.. Roberts reiteTates his repeated
announcement that he is d Democrat,
an American citizen. and as such he
will express his views in a manner
which he believes VIII be most likely to
help the realization Of Democratic prin-
ciples. Mr.. Roberts also says that the
church has declared, without qualificA-
ton, that il believes in the separation
of church and state, in the absolute
independence Of the individual in pO-
litical matters and he quotes from the
address TO the world issued by the first
presidency, in April. 1907. and adopted
by the general conference on the 5th
of that month.
Believing that it would be as we'll
for the higher church officers to keep
out Of politics. MIR. Roberts still most
emphatically maintains that so long
as the Republicans are active in pOlit-
ical affairs, the Democrats have a right
TO the same privilege. and that, until
limitations are fixed, he denies the right
of any man to say that q Republican
shall have the power or the right 10
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