The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-31
THE SALT MORNING. OCTOBER 81

1t is they who, in fact, help the Amcri-
i can campaign by proving to the public
that it's contention is true, and that the
| church is in fact in politics, dominating
! the votes OF the church members and
! shaping civil control under the direction
of the church officials The silly sub.
| tcrfuge nnder which this is dono is
found in the church declaration in its
=" Address to the World that sin
the event of the church being attacked
by political party, that it should call
upon its children TO defend ii" was
| ridiculed out of court by Mr.. Roberts.
| The fact that this plea is made always
against the Democrats and always in ia
vor of the Republicans shows that there
is no sincerity in it, that il is merely u
political dodge and evasion, which puts
the church as whole, and especially
the leaders of the church. in q most
unfavorable light, And no claimed that
those who are doing this work are max
ing sad mistake and going beyond tho
limits of their legitimate province
Mr.. Roberts next referred TO his
services TO the church, TO the reason
why he took such deep interest in
its welfare and its observance OF its
declarations. He showed the claim that
he has on his church, the work that nc
has done for it, and denied the right
of any man 10 assail him as a church
man because OF bis action in politics.
Ga this Mr. Roberts evidently feels
very strongly. His statement on thia
point gave him emphatically the sym
patty of his audience when he put tho
case in these words.
Tho men who go gum -shociug in tltls
political campaign represent me as un-
true 10 my people and my church, and a
highway TO aDOatasy, and not TO be
trusted. II is about time that some man
hood would stir In me and urge those
whom | can influence TO stand against
such damnable lnfamy as this, And for
what? pishonorabic conduct? No. but
because under the rule OF my church |
insist that there shall be honest admin
istratton of the publicly announced policy
Of that church.
Surely Mr.. Roberts had the right 10
make this vindication of himself and
to appeal to the justice of his aud
ience in his own behalf,
And when Mr.. Roberts declared fur.
ther that the gum shoers and the whis~
perers, and the virtual denial Of the
ability Of the people for self-govcrn-
men; ''when they thought that ems
saries must be sent out into the homes
of the people 20 tell them how to vote,
they made war upon the very funda.
mental principles OF free government
that God established in this land he
certainly was on solid ground. And
point was unanswernble when he said,
''Note your ticket for the truth and
God will take care of the rest Now,
all this is at once good, patriotic doc
trine, II is the sort of talk that Nor
mon people ought TO be- glad to listen
to. 1t is the sort OF doctrine that, when
it thoroughly permcates the body of
the Mormon church, will be the re-
demption Of that church and will put
it az body before the people of this
country entirely eXoncrated from the
charge of intrusion into and dominating
And, more important than all else
Just now, it is complete and un-
answerable proof of the charge which
the American party has made for the
past four years that the church is in
politics, that its leaders do dominate
the church vote, and that the church |
unrebuked and uuafraid, do |
lrag the sacred things Of their church |
nto political strife, and show with abb |
'olute and convincing proof that the |
,barge of church intrusion therein is
true. And this is the basic |
OF the American position,
he substantial groundwork upon which
he American party was formed, and |
he pith of the reason for its separation
rom the old parties, and of the war.
are upon which it is engaged. Mr..
Roberts completely vindicates the
American position by showing that un-
il those methods are stopped the church
Fill be untrue to itself, and those who
% prostitute its power to their political
md personal advantage are infamous
nemies to the best interests of the
hurcb itself, whose welfare they pro-
ess to have so much at heart, but
which in their ignorant malignity they
re sacrificing day by day.
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SOL KTMpAT.Y QpPv,s MAN