The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-06
IT'S AMAZING EFFRoNTERY.


ITS AMAZING EFFRONTERY.
We note the astonishing gall of the
Deseret News last night in denying that
the church had anything to do with
exercising undue influence upon the
voters in the recent election. 1t says
that "neither the church organization
as whole or any part OF it has been
used in any effort to further any par
tvs principles as against another. :"
Which, Of course, is the sneakiest kind
OF sneak and evasion, 1t is no ques-
ton of party principles involved at all.
1t was question Of votes, and there is
not the least use in undertaking to deny
the palpable fact that the stake organ
izations of the church in this city and
county were absolutely used in the in
terest Of the Republican party here and
against the Democratic party, as well
as against the American party.
"There is absolutely no truth in the
allegation that the church or church
authorities have exercised any undue
influence on the voters,' says the
News. It must be. then, that it con-
siders what was done to be quite proper
and the usual thing. 1T admits, how.
ever, that "leading churchmen in Salt
Lake county, it is true, have taken
more interest in the election Just held
than they generally do Just so; but
all this is probably the key to the way
the church officials have been doing
right along, while they were protesting
that "the church was not In politics, -
So hot was the fight by the presidents
of the six stakes in behalf of their
church and of tho Republican party
that the Mormon Democrats were couu-
seled-in effect ordered-to vote the
Republican ticket And it was openly
stated by President Morris that the six
presidents of the stakes in this county
conferred together, and all in the spirit
Of complete assumption that they
could sway the votes of their church as
they chose. One of those six presidents
actually proposed to swing those votes
to the Democratic party, but this was
negatived by tho other five. And Presi"
dent Morris, at that same meeting in
The Sixteenth ward meeting house on
Monday evening Of this week. openly
said that "the Mormon Democrats will
vote the Republican county and judicial
ticket or be traitors to their church. y
No compulsion OF "unduo influence"
here, to be sure!
Elders Taylor Iverson. Woolley, Nc
Lachlan, Morris, and others, were out in
full cry, backed by their official church
position, openly using their church Of
fees without reserve, without qualilica-
ton, In this same direction, absolutely
enjoining upon their followers that they
must vote the Republican ticket. Tho
whole effort was open, was uuqucs-
toned, was patent to everybody
And still the Deseret News now, just
two days after election, has the i'm
measurable gall to come out and say
nothing of the kind was done; that no
ones standing in the church was
menaced; that neither the church organ
has made any effort to further ono par
tvs principles as against another. We
suppose its refuge from conviction of
absolute aud intentional falsehood in
this would be the bubble under the
word "principles. - And probably that
will be the refuge in the future. But
it Will not avail The fact is that these
church officials, using their church posi-
ton, openly and above board, in their
church meetings, in their meeting
houses, and even in the temple, prose
cuted political partisan campaign for
the Republican party, and against the
Democratic party, advising, counseling,
insisting and requiring that all Of their
voting followers, men and women, must
voto the Republican ticket.
1t is a little early for the News to
come out with that kind Of miserable,
false, evasive, denial, OF course, it was
inevitable that the News would do this
sooner or later. But it takes such stu
pendous gall to come out with such
denial so soon after the election, while
the whole miserable business is fresh in
cverybody's memory. But surely no
one would have believed that even the
Deseret News would have the temerity
to do it so soon. But it has, and there
YOU are And IN that one thing the
public has fair gauge of the News S
idea of honor and truth.