Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-17
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.


ON the ground of religious persccu~
tor, the Jewish people of Salt Lake
have q great many things in common
with the Mormons who are being per-
secuted by the so-called American par
ty which Is parading under the ban
ner OF purity Of the homes and few
other trumped-up catches that are ms
leading
Tho Jewish people have suffered from
the persecution on account of politics
too, not only in Russia, but in the
United States as well. Politicians,
when they have an end to serve, have
utilized the persecution of the jewish
race To their own advantage, and have
made this persecution an asset
III Utah, the Jewish people sympa-
thize with the Mormons who are suffer-
ing the same trials and trihulations
| that tie Russian Jews and others have
suffered The Jewish people in Salt
| Lake county--and they are many--be-
| lieve that a citizen is entitled to all
| of the privileges and benefits of re-
| ligiurs liberty. They do not think that
! any religious class should be attacked
! BECAUSE of its religious belief, and they
! are even now lending their sympathy
to the Mormon people In the hope that
| soma day it will bear fruit
To use this religious persecution as
! the chief asset of an organization that
| calls itself political party, IS re-
| gart,ed as dastardly, as a harmful at
! tack upon the very foundation of So
| cicty
The American party in Salt Lake IS
| the last organization on earth thai
| .t,., ooJl nnlitiral has
! more claim TO being o party OF politics
4 thar itgissof being an organized society
/! fo, tie upiift of the State Of Titan;
/ Religious persecution Is the chief tenet
/ Of tile American party, This form OF
i persecution has been marked ON the
\ pa gcs of history in the past, but in
4 modern times thisESiias more or less
4 die,E ant. Religious persecution is not
! one Of the favorite pastimes OF COM
| rnunities which are more fortunate
tnan Salt Lake in being rid Of pest
= like the Kearns movement. 1t Is not SO
| rnlIch throwing an aspersion upon the
| state IL say that this is a community
| which tOlerates an organization ike
! thar Invented by Tom Kearns. as 1t is
| to say a word of compliment for the
| pertillacity of the managers Of the
| IIearns party. If the American party
would admit the truth Of the situation,
| the structure upon which the party Is
! founded would necessarily fall of its
| own weight. To admit in this modern
/! age that the persecution or a re-
ligious class carried on solely for the
| purpose of furthering the political aims
| for office would be to speak the truth,
/! it would blast the hopes of the Ameri-
/ can PARTY and would scatter its fol-
lowing among the other parties which
| arc trying to gain prestige upon the
! legitimate merits of a political organ
| ;5aticn Hatred, prejudice, persecu.
| tf,> nd nv a he morbid SEN
| timent of enthusiasts are the sole as
| sets of this society for the cultiva-
ton and incubation of native poison.
A good politician usually decides up
on something that will attract the at
| tention of the people, something that
/ will bring the voter who is open to ar
| gument into the line of march to carry
| on his own political views. but Ii a
\ politician Is good as politicians go, he
i will not take a course that will event
| ually result In disaster to his state, or
| one that will be a calamity before the
! coming OF the next generation. In
! Utah a religious sect has been singled
| out by politicians who appeal to all
| new Corners. and who misrepIssent and
| misstate the true conditions here. The
| defiling methods are great and
!! jrrepairable injury not only to the
| class which they are attacking, but to
| the whole state in general and they
| intend to continue until the very fabric
| of economic life is warped aud fraycd
! by the onslaught. Every one Is entitled
| to his opinion; every one has a right
| to worship: every one has the right TO
! think and live as he secs fiji, so long as
| that living does not come in contact
I! With the civi laws. But religious lib
! erty is just az sacred a possession of
| American manhood as the right TO Vote
| Is sacred; as the right 10 life ana hap
| piness. in q manner after ones own
| choice.
The American party in SAT- Lake
| county is doing everything in it's power
| To make the name of Mormon odious;
il, doing everything in the wide range of
: thought to poison the minds OF nom