The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-09-12
Bishop Flenner Is rIistaken.

SC1ntar: Bishop Flenner states only q nalf-trutn
in his criticism Gin the Lewiston Tribune) of the
election figures of 1906 in Ada, Canyon and Elmore
counties as recently quoted by myself have before
stated that shortly after the election of 1906
Bishop Flenner and his Jack Mormon associates
pointed to the fact that Stockslager had carried Ada
county, while the republican legislative ticket
elected by about 1900 majority and they gleefully
pointed to this as evidence of the unpopularity of
Dubois in Ada county AS matter OF fact, the
democratic legislative candidates in Ada county ran
ahead of the rest of the democratic ticket in that
county, although it the home of candidate
Borah A comparison of the vote for Stockslager
with the vote for the rest of the democratic ticket
is therefore very misleading Boise city the
storm center of the revolt against Gooding- Brady
Republican, Mormon combine, and a bitter fight
made against it by the politicians in Ada county The
Ada county vote shows that the democratic can
didates for the legislature received from 200 to 500
votes more than the other candidates the demo
cratic county ticket, which was a good showing for
Dubois in Borah's home county This matter is
not important except as showing that the Jack-Mor
hostility to enforcing the test oath clause of
state constitution is based more upon personal
hatred of Dubois than to any other reason.
But what is the matter with Bishop Flenner? Two
years ago in common with Stocksager, Payne,
Perky, Fogg ct al, he heart and soul with us
for the enforcement of the test oath clause of the
state constitution What great shining light has he
and they seen in the short interval since 1906? Were
they sincere? Are they sincere now? The test
oath clause is still in the organic law of the state
The democratic contention of two years ago has
been still further strengthened by the decision of the
republican state supreme court that the test oath
clause of the constitution self-operative and that
no legislation is required to enforce it. Then why
;c md bic
allies fight vciously against the application of the
constitutional test oath? Mr. Flenner used to take
that oath at every election. He can take it again.
Any law-abding citizen take it We ask for
its enforcement and told that per-
scouting the Mormons account of their religion"
Mr. Flenner advises to abandon my anti Nor
mon" position because it is "a losing political game
Possibly it may be "a losing political game" but two
wrongs will never make right The Mormon
issue affects the perpetuation and supremacy of mod
civilization based upon Christianity and the doc
trine of monogamy Two inconsistent movements
cannot long continue side by side. One or the other
must in the long prevail. Either Christianity
and monogamy will prevail Mormonism and
poygamy, Mormonism and polygamy will con-
tinue, they have done i'll the last fifty years to
encroach upon Christianity and monogamy to the
point of extinction Bishop Flenner unconscious adj
mtS the growing power and strength OF the Mormon
influence in his admission that anti Mormonism is "a
losing political game" | have considered the
Mormonism as political game" consider it
a vital living issue in the politics of these Rocky
states, and a moral issue than
political And there Others
On May 8, 1908, (only last spring. at Baltimore
he assembled bishops Of the great Methodist church,
representing three millions of devout Cchristian citi-
enship, declared:
"We believe from the best evidence we can obtain
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