Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-30
WHEN INTERFERENCE is RIGHT

b SALT LAKE cry. OCT. 50, 1908.
WHEN INTERFERENCE IS RIGHT.
80 y Naturally. the News has paid
some attention tp3tho{ effort of Method I.
ist bishops 70 use t9cif #ecclesiastieal
X. drgaEiaation in politics. to defeat
Speaker Cannon The reason for the
& opposition was that he had prevented
certain Prohibition measure from
bning voted upon BY the House. This
4 assertion has been proved to be an
cilprss The committee to which the
bill was referred failed to report be-.
cause it WAS, as drafted, thought To
be Unconstitutional, Speaker Cannon
Y hadtnothinB 70 do Whit The intention
OF. the committee was TO present IL Iii
fBsome amniendod form free from the
constitutional objections raised. 50 Tie
+ bishops arc in error inStllis attack up
4 on. The Speakersor tho House. But tha
point OF local interest Is that this use
Of the ecclesiastical organization for
political purposes, is commended by
religious papers that haye bitterly de-
noEnced Senator Smoot and the
& Church of which he is o member, for
alleged church Interference in politics,
within proves that what is right In II
iinois is wrong In Utah. Queer logic
The Westminster. Ii Presbyterian
paper. has this To say Of Methodist
interference in politics.:
8 MrlieE action OF the bishops is right,
x iG&pnly ecclesiastical authority4iif otil-
Is er religions StleU6minatons would fol-
low the lcadof this body of mon
WHICH In this particular is fearless "
: sN3 ID be a. great hing for this couLi-
ttsS{t,fs ol,rs IF the Church as a who'll
Il soGld only aawake to- Its opportunity,
$s oatld #only forget that there is any
sneM thing AS partisan politics, Gould
Giiiy5tsay. we viii stand by the man
who is right, and who means to he
right insall the things that pertain to
" the best moral interests of the ittl-
tiprbt itwould be a great thing for the
nation and the world. 1t Is pitiful L.
y see Christian men trailing along after
a party because it Is u party, without
sufficient salf-masterYStto say, We Will
4 not be led lby men, no matter what
I their ;partE.sSlvhos Whole purpose Is
\ saetifice an 1yS' moral interest that may
-
A tontribut0r to the lions Herald, u
Methodist paper I refers to a criticism
that appeared in the Springfield Re-
publican, and says:
iys,rle Republican. saws on the pros
atel iseons or Mr. Gannon's tactics:
.But.Siio.. the%otherS hand, no body of
citizens Is depri VIII ss,f the right to att
tack the Speikenssa s.tl! his committee Il
IL measure they are Interested In is
subjected to the strapgling process III
q tie dark cl6aet OF IN extraconstitution-
az tribunal that nsurps judicial pow
erssT Very well! The Bishops, as a
body lof citizens. exercise their right
i And We maintain that II my prccon-E
eaiIetl, theory of the relation or Churci.
s. aht.SState denies this body The right,
& which, would be conceded them Il not
members OF some church or churches,
then the prcconceptton needs revision.
Does history, as some fancy con-
tain a warning against such entering
z of a. church into spolitics?8 Not the
2 slightest. Only note cha / the Church
in this instance ~ doing sand what she
4 isEnot. She Is not seeking any fnvors
. fot Methodisn1. She is not asking for
s legislation because Methodists desire
Z its She is not attacking Mr.. Cannon
7 because he is Methoaistic but be-
cause he Is un-American and hostile
to liberties dear To every citizen. And
= tifeEs do this, not because they are
Isthodists, but because they are
y Christian men and American citizens
n the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. church
p helps toward such action. alt5tha moro
Z praise To the Church But let no one
obscure the matter by calling II a
scctayian movement, 1t is a movement
ofMcnlightened citizenship.
Does this not show up the incerity OF
the attack upon our Church on the
plea of church interference In politics?
Citizens here are confronted by q
problem far more serious than any
Involved in the controversy of the
Methodists With Speaker Cannon. They
are 'Honfronted With the same un-
American forces OF bgotry and per-
+secution that resulted in the awful
tragedy Of Carthage and the exodus
from Nauvoo. They arc face TO face
with unscrupulous. selfish demagogues
who would be wiling to sacrifice the
liberty, the property, the lives. OF the
citizens who dare to oppose their plots
Z and schemes for observation-disclosures
Under the prevailing conditions any
one who can aid IN the defense of
z the principles that are threatened
here as in Missouri and Illinois, should
do 50. And "let no one obscure tho
matter by calling il a sectarian move
tment 1t Is a movement OF enIignten-
ed citizenship" No one asks for any
special tavors or privileges for a
church or for church members. No
one asks for the predominnnce OF il
church in civil affairs All We insist
upon is the equality before the law of
every American citizen. be he Mormon.
Jew or Gentle.
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UNCONVENTIONAL COLLEGES.