The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-18
JUDGE Street
MAKES CHARGES
In Address 10 Young MOrmonS
He Accuses Church Lead
erS of Bad Faith.
INTERFERENCE IN POLITICS
CANDIDATE DECLARES PLEDGES
TO NATION WERE BROKEN.

> A
governor OF Utah on the American"
ticket, has issued an address To Mormon
Voters Under 81 Years of Age" in which
Judge Street reviews carefully the con-
ditioEs In Utah politics that led to the
formation and continuation Of the Amer
lean party In the address Judge Street
does not attack the Mormon religion. but
assails the leaders for breaking pledges to
the people OF the nation la interfering in
political affairs.
With particular reference To the charge
that the Mormon church Is in politics,
Judge Street says IN his address:
Charges Open interference.
4 need only revert TO the semi-annual
conference OF the Mormon church held
this montn 10 establish beyond question
that the president Of your church a
relieionis' endeavored 10 use his great
power with your people 10 unite the
church and It's people in affairs Of state
he took occasion 20 officially endorse
the candidacy Of Joseph Howell for con-
sress and Of Reed SmoOt for the United
states senate. Mormons and Gentiles
alike interpreted his words.
1T was bad faith with the nation and
a breach of the constitution OF the state
OF Titan.
But il is not the first time he has
dragged his people down into the gulf
% dishonor. Two YEAR, ago as president
or the church In the Improvement Era.
an official church magazine. he boldly
diahonored the pledges of the Mormon
people that affairs Of church and state
should forever be disunited In Utah. by in
structins tbs Mormon people 10 vote the
Republican ticket. I have n copy of Jhe
magazine and the Instruction is beyond
oavii
The result was that In every voting
precinct in Salt Lake county Mormons
who Tor years mad voted the Democratic
tickets dishonOred themselves. their
church and the state constitution by
#
had faith 10 our nation and towards the
American citizens who live in Utah who
are not Of your religious faith?
IF yoL are SO blinded with religious
fanaucism as 10 approve of sch acts,
have no controversy with YOU
The American party wars not on your
religion 1t simply demands that the civic
pledges OF your own people be kept.
Ordered Votes Both Ways.
"a assert with definite knowledge of
the truth OF what say. that again and
again and yet again in Salt Lake City
and county land I am Crediby informed
IN many other places in the state) church
bishops, bishops councillors and ward
teachers as church representatives. and
using their authority as subordinate off
GERS under the head Of the church. have
ordered the large number Of nstructi-
bic MornOnS TO vote first one ticket,
then another For Mormon Democratic
Morris for mayor against Gentle Repub-
lican Knox i'm 1865 for Republican Roose-
Welt Tor president in 1904 because through
absolutely Incomplete and biased infOr-
nation he favored the retention of Smoot
Ia the senate Again for Democratic Nor
ris for mayor i'm 1885. 10 ny To defeat
Ezra Thompson. stalwart American.
In passing il is well To note the Re
publican vote IN Salt Lake City in 1898
was scarcely one-half of the vote of 1904.
and the Democratic vote largely in
creased. Again in 1906. when Joseph f.
Smith used the Improvement Era for the
Republican ticket. we find a complete
reversal OF 1875 the Democratic vote of
1875 Is cut in two and the party looks
Ike q disintegrated political entity while
the Republican vote almost doubled.
In 1897, when the American party
triumphantly polled H.7i votes in Salt
Lake City against 6.265 Republican and
that no general voting instruction was
given because 5he church leaders feared
rebellion of many of you young Mormons
The returns of each of these elections
show that in the districts where the vote
IL strongly Mormon the pendulum be-
tween Republican and Democratic MAORI
ties swung just as the church leaders
dictated
81 say unqualifiedly that every time a
Mormon voter dishOnors his franchise by
taking counsel from any church off
cial he breaks the pledges of the Nor
mon people contained I'm the state con
slttution and every time A Mormon church
official 'cOunsels' a voter how to vote. he
is using the influence of his church to
dominate in the affairs of state and he
is betraying the good faith OF the Nor
mon people