The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-20
1.-THE PIONEER SPIRIT"

Not long ago the Deseret News cried
out for the destruction of the Ameri-
can party and The Tribune, promising
that in such AN event "the spirit of
the pioneers should prevail in the com
munity. At that time we pointed to
several instances where the ''pioneer
spirit" had been exhibited. Here is
another, as touching the matter of re-
ligious belief and free speech. 1t is to
be found on pages 50 and So Of volume
l, Journal of Discourses:
When i went from meeting. last Sab
bath. my ears were saluted with an
apostatc crying In the streets here. !
want TO know If any one OF you who
has got the spirit OF Mormonsm In you.
the spirit that Joseph and Hyrum had.
or that we have here would say Let
us hear both Sides OF the question let
MS listen and prove all things.
/ heard that certain gentleman, pic
ture maker In this city. when the boys
would have moved away the wagon in
came violent with them, saying. Let
this man alone. these are saints that
are prosecuting tsncerinSly). We want
such men TO go to California. or any
where they choose. / say TO those per-
sons. you must not court persecution
here. lest you get SO much OF IT you VIII
not know what to do with 1t. Do not
court persecution. | say again.
YOU Gladdenites. do not court persccu-
tion or you Will get more than you want,
and II Will come quicker than you want
It, say 10 you bishops. do not allow
them to preach in your wards
To certain extent, this particular
turn Of the esprit of the pioneers
is characteristic Of the Mormon people
today, and it would be more extensively
exhibited did the News and the men
for whom it speaks have their unre-
stricted way. II is gratifying to note,
however, that this spirit of intolerance
is by degrees disappearing as the sway
of Americanism extends. There is n
class among the older members of the
church, though, who still adhere to the
admonition of Brigham Young to re-
fuse to listen to both sides of the ques-
tion The younger Mormons have large
" broken away from this rock-ribbed
exclusiveness, and they are willing to
hear what others have to say, even If
not Of the same religious or political be-
lief. AS result, there is more broad
mindedness than formerly, II is now
safe for even an apostate Mormon 10
preach upon the streets without being
molested. An intimation of the treat
ment accorded TO all who opposed the
Mormon leaders in the old days is given
out in the statement Of Brigham Young
that "thc boys' attempted to drag
away wagon from which an apostate
was speaking; as we'll as in the de-
nunciation Of the picture maker who
defended the man There was distinct
threat too, and one which the saints
of those days we'll knew how to exc"
cute. in the warning that these apos~
tates must not "court persecution, !"
or they would get more than they
looked for or wanted, and sooner than
expected To "court persecution at
that time was merely to oppose the
alleged prophets, In connection with
this threat, Brigham knew how to work
his followers up TO determination to
take drastic measures, if considered
necessary, by the sly reference to
Joseph and Hyrum, the martyrs -
whose death was fresh in the Mormon
memory.
Sectarian ministers who endeavored
to promote their faiths in tins COM
munity in those days were most vicious
lily prosecuted. They wero denounced