The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-23
CHURCH ORGAN sUBTERFUGEs.

respect to church influence used in the
see a great distinction between the
claim that the church had exercised
political influence and the claim that
church authorities had exercised such
influence. This, however, is mere
guibble; because in view Of the claim,
of The church authorities to temporal
Jurisdiction over their people, this ella i'm
being derived from the church and from
the church alone, IT is impossible to
deny that the influence exercised is
exercised as of the church and that the
church authorities depend upon the
church sustanmcnt" for such infln-
ence, 1t being altogether church
throughout. This claim of complete
temporal as we'll as spiritual iurisdlc.
ton over the faithful in the church
by the authorities, by virtue of the
church power and authority, is based
upon the traditional claim of the church
leaders from the first. Ii was put into
form and effect by Joseph +. Smith
when he said in his Provo address:
''The fact of the matter is, when a
man says YOU can direct me spiritually,
but not temporarily, he lies in the pres
encc OF God-that is if he has got in
tellIgence enough TO know what he is
talking about" This, of course, puts
concisely the foundation Of it all; the
claim from the church that the church
authorities have this right of temporal
rule.
That this right of temporal rule by
ecclcsiasts was exercised in the cam
paign here last fall does not admit Of
| the least doubt or question. Indeed,
the Descrct News admits that "prom.
nent churchmen took an active part
IN the fall campaign, because sAmeri-
cam leaders threatened to prostitute
the county Offices, if they could capture
them, and make them serve the ends
of fanaticjsm,' Which, of course, is
rubbish. There was no threat by any
body no intlmatlon on the part of any
body that the county offices would be
prostituted for any purpose whatever
Nor was there any intimation that any
body intended to make the Of
fees Of the county serve ''the
ends of fanticism, nor any other
purpose save the legitimate func-
tions of such Offices. One of the speak
ers of the American party, TO be sure.
spoke Of the deslrability Of enforcing
the laws against criminals, no matter
whether those criminals were in high
places or in low But to construe this
and the way the News construed it
last fall was simply the acme of dema.
gogy.
The News denies that the stake
presidents who met here to determine
the course of their people assumed |
that they were able to control the |
votes of the Mormon masses That |
denial, of course, is folly; they clearly |
did so assume and so announced. One
of them even, not doubling the power
to control, suggested the dcsirability
OF throwing the church vote 10 the
Democratic ticket, but the other stake
presidents overruled him, And when |
the News undertakes TO say, further. |
that the advice was given freely TO |
all voters, its plea falls to the gtound |
at once when the open denunciation is
remembered, given out in one of the |
Morris meetings Just prior 10 election,
that the voter who refused to conform,
to what was required by the stake pres
ldenfs was a ''traitor to his church -
1t is idle for the News TO deny that
this denunciation was made, because
1T was part of the news Of the day.
printed right along with the other plo-
ceedings of the meeting, and has ncver
been denied by anybody.
Illustrating its position that il is
wrong TO claim church action because
leading ccclesiasts Of the church make
themselves prominent in political af-
fairs, the News cites the case Of the
president of the Commercial club at
tending an American love-fcast. preei.
dents Of banks making themselves
active in political nfairs aud 50 on
But the analogy utterly fails, because
the president G: the Commercial ciub
does not claim. ind never has clameJ
any authority, divine or otherwise ,o
control the temporal afrlirs of The
members of the club No presidcns
of bank has ever claimed ut any
time the authority from God or from
any other source, 10 control the TEN.
poral actions of his fellow. officials or
of the employees of the bank Of which
he is the head. And since this is So
and since the contrary is true Of the
Mormon ccc!esiasts, it is idle TO under
take to make such comparisons, or to
make things ft that do not ct.
1t has been the constant claim Of the
Mormon church that unity in all things
was desired of the members; this unity
always to be had by guidance from
the priesthood, The one who DISAGREED
was on the high road to apostasy. and
must be disciplined in order TO bring
MN back 10 Snbscryicnce Whom Ia