The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-29
WHAT SMITH DID FOR SMOOT.

with regard to the charge. continually
and persistently made, that Apostle Reed
sm9ot was the Ghureh can19at nS tSroe5 geb
domina ton in politics, he was elected to
the United States Senate. want to say
to you, In the presence OF these three
gentlemen, who had full knowledge OF all
the circumstances, that had no more TO
do with his election, nor had they, than
you. living In Pennsylvanl la, had, except
that at the polls ! may nave , VoIed Gp iop
supported him In the Joint legislative con-
ventlon for that office.-Presldent Joseph
+. Smith to P!ttsburg Times, April 3.
1907
There is some truth. and some false
hood in that statement, and there will
be no difficulty experienced in the mat.
ter of segregating the two.
The truth is confessed in the latter
portion of this prophetic outgiving,
wherein Mr.. Smith announces that be
"may'' have voted for legislative
candidates who would support Smoot.
Why the president of the Mormon
church should have introduced any ele-
ment of doubt as to his action at the
polls can be best accounted for, per-
haps, in his inescapable disposition to-
wards evasion; so that even the truth
full portion of his statement is tinged
with his wonted pharisaism. Smoot was
Smith IS candidate, because it was
Smith who granted Smoot permission
to become such. This permission was
given by reason of the authority which
Smith claims to control the political
actions of Smoot or any other ecclesi-
astical understrapper, The president
of the Mormon church, pretending to be
prophet and seer, is the supreme
head Of the entire cult. Whatever
minor freedoms may be enjoyed by the
membership and the priesthood of the
church are finally traceable to the IL
cense which is the gift emanating from
the fountain head. There is no other
reasonable way in which this matter
can be viewed, because the final arbi-
tration Of any question whatsoever,
whether respecting the Individual or
concerning the entire body, rests in
the hands Of the president. Beyond
| his decision no man can 90. His only
recourse, if there be any at all, is to
await that eternal Justice which is sup
posed to be meted out after death and
the resurrection.
Under these circumstances, 1T must
be simple proposition to arrive at the
incontrovertible conclusion that in eff
feet Joseph F, Smith is the Mormon
church, since everything finally CEN
ters in the office filed by his personal
ity. Proceeding with this train Of
thought, it must be admitted that when
Smith granted Smoot permission TO be-
come a candidate for the Senatorship
it was as if the church spoke; and
therefore Smoot was the church candi-
date, as he was the candidate of Smith
personally. Ii Mr., Smith shall protest
that in giving his consent he only
spoke as a citizen, then Smoot is
wrongfully neglecting his apostolic du-
ties, so far as the church is concerned.
No private citizen, speaking as such,
can relieve an apostle of his duties
temporarily or permanently-it must
be done by proper authority. II, in
| order to escape this dilemma, Mr., Smith
shall admit that he spoke by the au-
thority vested in him as the head of
| the church, then it necessarily follows
| that it was the church that gave the
consent. 1t must be remembered that
| no other. member OF high official ap-