The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-23
THE MORMON MENACE.

The Smoot Mouth - yesterday morn
ing, had Il two-column editorial ob
Jccting to the American party, through
whose asccndancy this tremendous ad
vantage for Salt Lake City has been
brought about Its plea. however
was moro political than business, and
was sort of begging to Americans
who are Republicans on National lines
TO come back into the church party
! Republicans in the American party
were to work heartily within the Re
publican organization, city. county
State. and Nation, The Mormon menace
which hc seems 10 fear would he help.
less 10 injure him. and ursblc 10 con.
tration. -
This is a distinct recognition Of that
"Mormon menace. But it forgets
! that This "Mormon menace. which it
| confesses to he the troublesome factor,
is not alone a threat to the Kcpubli-
can party, but 10 the community at
large. This "Mormon menace which
| the "Mouthn presents AS the chief
trouble in the case is we'll illustrated
| by the incident which we have quoted
heretofore in this discussion. where. in
| the Republican administration of 1901
to 1908. four "Repubican Council
men united with four Democratic -
Councilmen, forming the ''soid eight =
which blocked progress and thwarted
all efforts of the administration to do
anything for the benefit of the city.
If 1t were a question simply of the
control of the Republican party, then
the reasoning Of the "Mouth' might
have some force. In fact, that sort Of
reasoning has been heard before here
in the past, and it was effective in
holding both the Republican and the
Democratic party men in line in their
parties for a number Of years in this
State after the more discerning of each
party had seen the futility of relying
upon that means for relief In the
case referred to Mr.. Thompson was
elected as Republican Mayor of this
city Along with him were elected
eleven supposed members Of the Repub
lican party to the Council. Every
thing Indicated, from party standpoint,
that the Republicans would have con-
troll Of the city for the ensuing term of
two years. Immediately upon the in
coming of the new administration,
however, four "Republican Council
ny lpsprind Ibeir f,- SoInnI
with four Democratic Councilmen,
blocking all propositions of the ad
ministration, stopping progress, and
utterly belying all pretcnsions Of any
real division on party lines. The
four Republicans and the four
Democrats forming this "solid
eight were all Mormons Their juno
tion was undoubtedly counseledN -
by the dominant priesthood, and it was
held together by ecclesiastical pressure
That is a fact in the history of the
city, and it is fact which answers all
such pleas as that made by the
Mouth" 1t is idle to talk about
political fealty and about controlling
one party or the other in spite of
the mormon menace" 1t is the
Mormon solidity, under the counsel and
sway of the priesthood that is the real
menace and that sweeps all party lines
away at will, When one party is not
subservient, the other is used, or
ioinder Of portions of each, as in the
case cited, which is by no means alone.
Another instance of the effectiveness
of that "Mormon menace' in invading
and breaking up party lines, was last
fall, where the priesthood openly, ac-
lively, blatautly, defantly, not only
counseled, but practically commanded
the men and women of the Mormon
church to vote the Republican local
ticket, under penalty of being de-
nounced as "traitors to their church -
At that time the "Mouth' enioyed
and gloried in this "Mormou menacen
which it now eonfesses to be so formi-
dable an obstacle to the union Of
good men on political lines and in the
furtherance of party interests. But
any one who realizes this "Mormon
hitpd'c, oO liCcjN Wy Iue
Mouth must know that it is Just
as dangerous to accept help from that
source as it is TO be betrayed and de-
feated by that same menace. Wherever
one party receives the benefit of that
" Mormon menace" the other party is
betrayed and outraged by that act,
And the party so receiving and glory
ing in the advantage so conferred,
betrays its own Interest and helps TO
fasten on the community an intoerable,
outrageous state Of affairs, merely for
a temporary advantage which can in a
moment be turned against itself. The
only true rule is to frown upon that
" Mormon menace" in politics all the
time, to denounee it, to refuse to re-
ceive benefit from it, Just as much as
to denouncp if 1ndipnant1v whom "a &c