The sun., 1908-11-24

A Dsseass. ~ 'eeaflIv, sf he latter
/ Day saints In Utah.

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A Dseeaea. ~ ; 'oeatiiv, sf TIE LATTER
4 nay saints IN Utah.
To THE ED1Toa on TIE sun Sir: Some
or the Eastern newspaper have published
despatohes from Utah to the eject that the
Mormon Church dictated the manner IN
| which members OF that organization should
vote at the recent election and that az q
consequence the will OF the people was
defeated and the Republican candidates
elected. The statement 10 serious enough
to warrant every citizen Of the Union,
everywhere. In making inquiry. II any
Church is controlling the political action OF
It's members. every citizen of the republic
has right and duty to protest.
| In the first place, we VI Utah have three
parties: The Republican, the Democratic
and the American. The two former are not
very strong except In Salt Lake City and
county. Here they have elected Mayor
and q majority Of the City Council. Both
the old parties are established In every
other part Of the State: and they run about
~ the two parties do In every other State.
Certain counties are usually 'counted as
Republican and certain others as Demo-
cratic: and yet there are occasional rever-
sails. as there are In Indiana and In Ohio
and In Pennsylvania. / notioo In looking
over the political almanacs Tor the past
| ten years that any number Of counties
In the States mentioned have switched from
one party to the other They do the same
here. There the result is considered due
to legitimate causes. Here the Mormon
Church. 10 accused Of every move-whether
remarkable or commonplace.
In Lafayette, Indiana, / notice the city
has been Republican as far back as can
find records. and yet 1t elected Demo-
Ato L.. .,xl tn1
him two years later by l,100: and In 1908
II gave Taft a majority Of hundreds
Utah went Democratic by $1,000 in 1906
and Republican by 2loo in 1900. In the
East that was said to be the result OF Mormon
Church dictation. Yet New York elected
Cornell, Republican. in 1879. and three years
later went Democratic. Minnesota elects
Democratic Governor three times while
remaining true to the Republican national
ticket every time There are no Mormons
there.
The Mormons are here In Utah. but their
Church does not dictate what they shall
do in politics. don't believe the members
Of that Church would obey the command
IL 1t were given under the seal of the first
presidency. These Mormon Dem ocrats are
about as set" in their political way as any
people ever knew.
In the recent campaign leaders Of the
American party-which Is the anti-Mormon
party-made q direct onslaught on the
Mormon people. The chairman OF their
convention declared in his keynote"
speech that II his party was successful
at the. polls, and he believed 1t would be.
the Mormons would be driven into prison
or out Of the nation. One of the nosiest
exponents Of that political faith juaccurately
called American declared that when his
party won the gold figure OF Maroni which
stands at the pinnacle Of the Temple would
be pulled down and they would turn the
Tabernacle into a skating rink Still an
other openly boasted that Mormons would
either recant their faith or leave in the
night. and their property would be divided
among the men who had expelled them.
Now, 1 am a gentle and always have
been. am native OF Indiana. and have
no notion OF joining the Mormon Church
partly because / do not accept its doc
trines as true. But II / belonged to any
Church and any party attacked that
Church. threatened the destruction Of
its holy places. menaced its members with
prison and confscation OF their property.
l certainly would not vote for the can
didates Of that party.
Here 1t was evident that the American
party would have to be defeated in the in
terest Of justice to the Mormons, and the
Mormons. entirely without either oicta-
tion or the need OF 1t, cast their votes with
the Republicans. and the American party |
was defeated.
But IL is curious fact that the Demo-
Gratis polled bigger vote this year than |
they did last year or two years ago. That
party was not depleted TO insure a fsepub-
lican victory. The Republican party evil |
IDENTIFY won all the new voters. the first |
voters. held its own strength and gained |
had previously been Republicans but who |
had Joined that aueerly named party on
local issues.
Considering the fight that was made on |
the Mormons. it is strange only that they !
did not all vote with the strong party-the |
their best way for self
protection. II the Democrats should at
tack the Catholics so in Maryland the Re-
publcans would certainly get every once in |
the State.
1t is true a number of Mormon leaders
did advocate the casting OF Mormon votes
for the Republican ticket. and other Nor
mon Church leaders did with equal direct
ness urge their followers from the same
platform, though at other meetings, to
vote the Democratic ticket
There was no more dictation in the inter-
est Of the Republican than the Democratic
party; and the head Of the Church kept
absolutely out OF IL. The apostles uttered
no counsel or direction. No authorita-
tive promulgation was made from the
Church. Members and officers OF that
Church are found in both the old parties.
Both the old parties exercised without
the right to address their
audiences. Some advocated the Repub-
ican cause. some the Democratic. and
hey both seemed effective, for as I say
he Democrats actually polled bigger
1ote than In the previous election.
So that i do not think the nation need
ear church influence in Utah. The Nor
mons have dropped their supervision of /
hat matter. merely advising as an elder /
n the Methodist Church. or a deacon In
he Presbyterian. back in the older States,
night urge his favorite political action on
my audience and IL his Church were
Ittacked Wy candidates Of any party / :
hink you would expect him to give his
influence and his voice to the defeat of ,
hose candidates