Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-29

The following Is clipped from the A. A.
lance News and Temperance Refornler,
of Dec. 10, the organ Of the Unlted
Kingdom Alliance, published In Londoh
{ in the cause of temperance. There are
some Inaccuracies, as when 1t says tfi 's
the members OF the Church vote IN ~ sl
solid block; &. or. that they are almost
a dominating force in Arizona and Ida
no. But 1t is nevertheless interesting
reading:
Until very recently the Church oil the
Latter day Saints--comInonly cailed
Mor1nons--have been content 70 adVo-
cate total abstinence, without any at
tempt on their part to support laWs
for the suppression OF the liquor tI It'll, =.
They have stood as q Church firmly
against the drink, but silent on the
great political issue Of Prohibition.
Years ago. Il when Utah and Its great
capital, Salt Lake City, We're dlfflculr
OF access by the great brewery CORPORA
lions OF the United States, and tho
population consisted chiefly OF members
Of this one denomination, the president.
| auostles and council of the Church mad
much greater control over the personal
habits and conduct OF the members. The
opening up OF the Union Pacific rail-
| way the silver mines, and other IN
| dustries throughout the State, has re-
suited in a great increase of the popl-
lation, whose rush for wealth to pc op-
| tanned from the mines, etc, FOR @ tlHle
| seemed to obllterate the higher moral
| duties Of citizenship and humanity 80
necessary to the upbuilding and main
| tenance OF every progressive comnunl-
| ty. The leaders Of the Mormon Church
| have slowly learned the lesson that as
| in total abstinence Is to be FOUND IN
| dividuaI sobriety, SO in Prohibition IS
| to be found national safety. Among
| the first steps taken against the evil
| was that OF an endeavor to prevent the
l tied house system, and a. law WiLs ell
| acted that no brewery or single cor
| poratton should control more than three
| saloons. Yet in Salt Lake City, the
! very center OF Mormon power, fully
4 half of the 125 saloons are stated 70 be
/ owned by one brewery company. Other
1 laws adopted with a view of curtaillng
i thu evils of the liquor traffic have been
| passed by the State Legislature and
/ City Council, and swept aside by the
j great brewers with as little ceremony
4 as the good housewife brushes cob
| webs from a welI-regulated home. Per
/ sonal pleadings by the leaders OF the
1 Church have been ignored; dIunken-
! ness. immortality, crime, ana other evils
Il
! as a body has awakened and declared
l itself upon this great question in line
1 with every other denomination in the
/ United States. ii.
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH
q. SMITH.
The nasterfuI spirit exhibited by the
i liquor tralflckers was considered ny the
l Church officials and it was determined
to bring the whole question before the
4 seventy-ninth semi annual Conference
/ This gathering was held in the great
,raberna.cIe Salt Lake City, on October
/ 4. 1905, and was attended by nearly l2,-
600 people. So large was tho attend
4 ance that overflow meetings had to be
4 held in the large Assembly Hall and
4 other buildings. President Smith, al
4 ter congratulating the assembly upon
Il tho large attendance of officers and
4 members, went on to refer to the drink
evil in their midst. in many local
4 ities,'' he said, we find saloons anu
4 other places OF i'll repnte, and there are
evidences which show that Latter-day'
saints are supporting these places. This
is all wrong. No member of the Church
4 of Jesus Christ can afford to cross the
4 threshold of saloon or other disre-
4 putable place 1t would be a disgrace
i to him. and God will call him to ac-
count "A true Iatter-day Saint will
mot bring such disgrace upon nlInseit
or upon the Church.. A wave of Toni
4 perance is sweeping through this State,
as we'll as elsewhere. We are heartily
in favor of the movement. and en-
4 dorse it fully. Drunkenness means the
loss of manhood and the breaking up
of family ties; 1t means degradation
4 and poverty. Latter-d day Saints should
have no connection with such things.
s We endorse every movement In favor
( Of Temperance, in favor of everything
I! for the betterment OF mankind. and for
the establishment of righteousness upon
4 the earth. The Latter day Saints should
be God-Like, Christ-like. manly, hon
Lest, sober. and virtueus. that M man
may truthully say aught against them Z
4 RESOLUTION AGAINST THE LIe-
uOR TRAFFIC..
After several earnest addresses upon
the drink evil ana the growing power
/ of the liquor traffic had been delivered