The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-10
Separation of Church and State.

During the contest ever the right Of
Hon. Reed Smoot to retain his seat in the
| senate of the United States ] was secre-
\ tary to the senator. There was burned
| into my soul during those days the con-
| seriousness that there Is and ought to be q
| separation between church and state, and
that the people of the state of Utah are
In special need OF observing that eternal
| distinction.
"The constitution of the state of Utah
\ has among its first provisions the fun0l-
mental one that there shall be no union
/ Of church and state, nor shall any church
dominate the state or interfere with its
/ functions. We are under solemn oath To
| uphold this constitution.
| "I may be wrong, but in my Judgment
/ there has been a serious attempt on the
part of certain churchmcn to interfere
with and to dominate the state in this
matter Of prohibition. I do not think Ibis
| interference is recognized such and IS
| consciously attempted. out ] belie"e II
| nevertheless exists.
| mon church has always been in favor OF
| prohibition and that the M io-1Jv Of inc
| people of this state have therefore had
| settled convictions on this question for a
| long time. Nothing could be further from
| the facts. The Mormon people have nat
absolute political control IF the state g /
| Utah for more than sixty years, and We
/ have never aad prohibition Ire Nor
mon people are personal pTohibitionists,
/ hut have never been political prohibition
/ lists Political prohibition fits in easily
with personal prohibition. but for sixty
years in Utah they have been separate.
Actions speak louder than words
! IF If be true that the october confer
ence decided this question for the mem
/ bers Of the Mormon church. since the
members OF the dominant church hold the
| political power IF the state, ard II the
declaratiOR means prohibition and nothing
| else. was it not u1wise for the leaders CT
! the league voluntarily and consciously. 10
| choose the lesser rather than the greater
measure Of reform and to fly fu the face
of 3 church declaration for prohibition
1.-The truth is. and il ought TO be frank
| ~ so stated. that the church IS for the
wisest. most timely. most ODpOrtuue meJn-
cd of closing the saloon and promoting
the cause of temperance. county DrOniOi-
ton or statewide prohibition or anything
else.
The Record of the New"
The record of the News on this CUES
tiUn proves my contention beyO = con
troversv. The conference declaration was
| adopted Oct. /. 1905. From that date to
Jan. 8. 1893. hurried search OF the files
of the News shows that there appeared
on its editorial pages bout 5ft separatc
editorials. 1t discussed everything from
babies TO bananas, but never once az o.
nOunced itself for prohibition for I tab
OF intimated That the church had adopted
a declaration in favor Of prohibition for
Utah The subject Of temperance ii all
Of its phases-cOntrol. local ortio1 and
prohibition, is. I believe, referred TO only
eight times in all 341 editorials.
THE first move by the leaders Of tire
Anti-SaloOn lea que WIS the securing OF an
ex-pOst facto Interpretation of the con-
ference declaration. It was pronounced
a pledge of the church and its members iIl
favor of statewide prohibition Surprise
is even expressed that there should b.
any doubt to the unalterable meaning
of the declaration. Without batting M
eye the league, which had toiled on from
October to January for local option now
saws that the church pledged its MEM
bCrs to Drol ibtiOn in October. This dis
covery of the meaning of the October dec
laration marks the parting Of he ways
"a terrific agitation was immedi- =
y ately commenced by churchman as y
= churchmen. and a powerful church y
, mao hine is At once set in operation y
r to accomplish d political result. A =
= committee of leading chuIchmeu OF y
y the dominant church IS placed at the y
y head of the mOvem snt. The non y
= Mormon members of the league tor >
= the most part retire in dismay. The y
y church organ paper that occupies y
y d unique position in journalism. since
y to thousands it speaks with ne au- y
= thority Of the churcb-is apparently y
y commissioned with the duty of driv- y
y ing into oblivion and destroying the ,
= reputation of all who differ from il y
y as 10 the advisa bility Of examining a y
+ half-baked statewide prohibition law y
= down the throats OF the people before ,
y they have time to consider whether y
y that is the best kind of temperance
y diet for them at she present time OF p
= not.