Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-02
ron CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS.

CITY, expressed some truths that vot
ers all over the country arc beglnnln
to realize as never before. He said. 10
instance. that the question to answe
i'm Boston is not whether this or tina
sci of men should be at the helm
the city government, but whether tn
forces that work for civic righteous
ness should triumph over the force
that work for civic corruption, This
it is obvious. is the great question be
fore the voters of most o. the large
cities OF this country, and not onl,
Boston.
The speaker suggested a radica
change in municipal politics. Politics
he said. used TO mean the art OF get
ting something out Of the city, l.
Should mean the duty of giving oui
best. indeed of giving ourselves, to the
city. Many a good man refrains frou
taking an active interest In civic az
fairs, and excuses his course by saying
I am not a politician. and VIC can
hardly blame him, remembering the
stigma attached TO that word
Then he pointed out the place of the
churches in the work for civic right
eousness He said:
"Anothor old notion must be changed
The bugbear OF the church mixing in
state affairs. that SO many people
dread, must be banishcd. The church
rs a mighty force for Righteousness, as
the school of ethics must be. an inn
portant factor In the salvation of the
city. There is no nobler theme for pull
pit than civic righteousness. Why
speak constantly of saving souls and
calmly allow a city OF half million
souls TO go to pcrdition2"
The speaker was alive to the ncccs-
sity of union effort for the accom-
plishmcnt of the desired result. On
this point he said. in part:
"AIl the varied clements must unite
and should be given a chance to help
save the city No particular group is
good enough to be the exclusive ruling
class; no group is SO bad as not to be
able to help in this crisis.
-.labbl Elchler. though referring par
ticularly TO Boston. gave utterance to
some thoughts of general application,
There is not large city in the Union
in (which the forces of evil are not
striving for supremacy over the op-
pcsite forces. and sometimes with ten-
ways due to the failure OF too many
citizens to do their duty They do
not realize that the ship is theirs, and
that they float. or sink. with it. and
so they permit the most flagrant frauds
to go unchecked, as if they were not
concerned in the result
An illustration OF the influence of
churches brought to bear for the es-
tabiishment of civic righteousness
comes in a recent newspaper re-
port from Winnipeg, Canada. There
several pastors. one Sunday. dealt with
what has been called the social evil,
and one of them. Rev. DR.. C. W. Cor
don, expressed the view that IL the
names os those who had placed a Seq
regated district in North Winnipeg
were known and were published, which
he believed would be likely In the near
future, they would not be able to re-.
main in the city. If this is so. Winni-
peg is. indeed to be congratulated.
AT meeting OF the men of the First
Baptist church. the following rcsolu-
tlons were adopted;
That all candidates Gor Office at the
coming municipal elections should be
asked whether they promise. il elected
- 10 take such action as is In their
power 10 secure tho enforcement OF
the laws now on the statute books
against immortality. and more particu-
lariy against immoral houses. (2) To
vote only for such persons~as members
OF the police commission who VIII en-
force tho existing laws against immor-
ality, and bring immediately to an end,
the immoral traffic on Rachel street,
and III its vicinity. That in the judg-
ment OF this meeting, the chief OF po-
lice should be called on either 10 en-
forco. the law against immoral houses
impartially. or tender his resignation
That in the opinion OF this meeting the
nature of the duties of the police mag
istrate is such that it is inexpedIent
that ne should be a member of the police
commission. and that legislation to this
effect should be promoted by the city
at the next session of the Legislature
That,thc police authorities should pro-
cccd inipartially against rrcquentcrs as
welleas inmates of bawdy houses. Civ
Ing the same publicity to their names
and Imposing like fines as in the case
Of women"
IT is evident that the ministers and
church people OF our Canadian sister
city are less afraid of being accused of
mcddling in politics than are the min
tsters of Amerian cities also that they
believe in fighting "stockades, and
their promoters. at the ballot box,