The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-25
Mormons ard a Capitol Building

/ Word has gone out TO all of tho sister
states that the people of Utah have re-
/ lected by their votes a proposition TO
build a capitol building; and to many
people in other states it is news that
Utah has no such building. They are
uninformed of the fact that the Utah
state officers are tenants at Will OF
salt Lake county. and that the lcgis-
| lature of Utah has no home, but is from
time to time a tenant of Salt Lake City
corporation.
AS the proposition TO submit the ques.
tion to the voters was passed upon and
approved By a legislature composed al
most wholly of Mormon elders. one may
feel mystfied as TO the causes Of the
overwhelming rejection of the PROPOSE
tion. 1t is true that while tho gentle
(Amccican) voter generally favored the
proposition, yet many did not vote on
the question for the reason that a po
lygamous gang seemed to be managing
the enterprise for their own "terres-
trial glory hut what American (gen.
tile) votes cast were generally in ia
Vor of a capitol
Some of the reasons given for the
defeat of capitol are absurd, other
reasons given may have n bearing on
some voters; but the main reason is
that canse that has obtained in Utah
and has gained so much obloquy from
the nation, and from Christian civiliza.
tion in general-the derision of civil
government through the supremacy of
the Mormon church. supremacy to
Mormons which has displaced conscience
for the laws of the land or respect fer
civil government. The foreign convert
never has n chance to learn what true
American citizenship is, for the Mormon
sultan is his chief, an outlaw chief, and
is to be obeyed. Quoting well known
editor. n good authority on all kinds Of
Mormon doings, "Tho reasons for vot
ing against 1t are all pointing TO some
underlying motive, which has not yet
been made public = 8" When will
Utah nave a capitol7" Mormon pride
has no trend to American institutions,
but is away from those institutions and
principles necessary for the mainte
nance Of republics. a capitol is a sym
hol of civil government, Of law, of
order; and who would expect to see
building erected and dedicated TO the
obedience to the laws of the land, to
Justice. to government, by a people who
worship a breaker of those very laws,
defier of that government, and per.
verter of the moral laws of the ma
tion7 Polygamous bigotry has its many
edifices in the state. Had the PROPOSE
tion been TO build n temple to the pas
sions of the Mormon sultan, both the
anu 11dTOulC NOIc "DuIu
have been heavy.
Utah possesses the granite, tie mar
BILE, the onyx, the cement and tho en-
ergy to construct capitol that would
be credit to the state. By careful
management the cost could be kept
within reasonable bounds. The fault lis
not in the resources. Objection cannot
be morally made that such a building
90 Ga. IL, II 4
not come from moral source, as it
must flow from those whom respect for
the institutions Of American govern,
ment has little or no hold. That seems
TO be the main trouble. Mormons look
to their sultan. to their polygamous out
law chief, as their ruler: the Bee Hive
house is the Yildiz; the temple and
tabernacle are the legislative halls in
which semi annual sessions are held;
star chamber where most of the
political and polygamous concocting is
done. This is Mormon government, and
they want no other; and no other has a
place in the forum of the Mormon con-
science. These tribal buildings over
the state (HLand of Israel') repre-.
sent approximately an expenditure Of
$4,000, 900; and all of them dedicated
to an ideal contrary to republican in
stitutions, and often in open defiance
to them. Then why should Mormon
be expected to vote to tax himself TO
erect a building dedicated to ideals
which are so contrary to his training
and to his very conscience? Symbols
of law have no delight for polygamists,
whether 1T be prison or a capitol.
So it is plain that the Mormon ideal
has caused the expenditure Of a good
many millions to the Moloch of polyg-
amly. blood atonement, and other SINH
lar things of the Melchisedec variety
How much has been done in Utah to
represent the American ideals7 The
City and County building in Salt Lake
City is monument to the struggle and
triumph for a time Of the American
ideal, and it is Liberal party monu
ment.
''When will Utah have capitol
building7' The answer is. when the
temporal rule of the Mormon sultan is
worshiped or tolerated.; when the in
sdious polygamy of the "federal
bunch is exposed, and when the law.
defying, lecherous adulteries and forui-
cations practiced as Mormon religion
are exposed and meted with proper
and exact justice. And these things
must come to pass by and through the
forces of those American ideals which
already have a small hold in Salt Lake
City; by those forces that will finally
triumph to the betterment Of the people
in almost every way-the subjection of
the criminal and lawbreaking class and
healthy moral sentiment regarding
them, the Mormon ideal overcome and
Satan bound, the American ideal of
obedience to law and republican insti-
tutions having wagcd a victorious bat
a. ho 20
tan. Let every American be alive to
the issue that posterity is not to be
contaminated nor cursed by the lawless,
lecherous element. which is the essen.