The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-06
THE TiTHE TAX
Is lMPOVERlSHiNG

Editor Tri5une:-A clipping from the
Deerrct News OF November y. reacnt1
me at Kansas city this morning. BUS
ness called me To independence. MI. ~
fore | had time To open nay mail no"
SIT In the hotel at Independence IN th'
Zion OF Joseph. pcnnins these lines
Tho clipping mailed me contains an ar
tIclc by an rcclcsiast. evidently OF hlGl
standing in the Mormon church.; com
mcnting upon my FORMER letters. louvh-
ing the same | write from Zion 10 zion.
III IL he assumed that IL is the plan nnG
purpose OF the priesthood TO reduce ih'
Mormon people 10 n state OF compRratN'
serfdom and II IT he assumed that th'
the argument OF Mr.. Howard is sound.
The hyst OF Mr.. lIoward's assumptions
VIZ hat II Is according TO the doctTln,
and Is the aim of the Mormon church ~
deprive the Mormon people OF aii ihcii
surplus capital TO keep them poor II
worldly things. but rich In the reward
Of Heaven" and To keep the WorldlA
profits OF the people moving towards tnt
Golfers of the priesthood. Is undoubtedly
true.
But as Go tho second assumptlou-thc
assumption that IL is conducive to thc
material and spiritual welfare ot the MOT
mon people, as n class. TO lmPoN'ilsh
the pTestbood-all thinking men repu-
dIate such a proposition. This PROPOSE
ton is not only unsound when tested by
economic and sociological aNioms, out ~
Is not SOuhb rs Il lll'plDEl'di VI hN''
doctrine. The absurdlty OF this PROPOSE
tion as AN economic principle Is so appar-
cnt that nothing further need bc SAID Oh
that point. Let us consider II from
moral. OF. il YOU choose, from theol"g-
ical viewpoint.
In former correspondence I demon
strated the fact that the constant drain
OF the tithine tax for period Of sixty
years (amounting 20 a total fund OF So
O0O. .OoO) has seriously lowered the econo.
mic potential and prcJudiced the present
economic status of tho Mormon people as
a class AS instances of this truth ]
pointed To the fact that vast majority
OF the productive lands and buildings.
business. industry and productive ogencics
OF Salt Lake CITY. and all the mines. taii
roads and smeltcrs Of Utah arc in Gentle
control and that the small farms ana
! farmers OF Utah. the special victims Of
church avaricc and greed, had suffered
moro than other saints In proportion.
! that the small farms OF utah, IN com
parison with the small farms OF DINER
| places such as Fort Collins. Greeley ana
| Rocky Ford, show the utmost degree OF
| impoVerishment. dllapidation and failing
returns that the small farms OF other
places show the accumnia'ea emeo.S i,3..'oI oI
| the application Of surplus To improve,
mont OF soiI and premises that the small
| farms Of Utah show the accunuldtcd eI :
tects of robbng the soil ol Improvement
! and fertility 10 enrich the hierarchy.
/ These conditions arc observed and real
izcd by tho Mormon people themselves.
as is shown by the various euphemlsms
| nv which Mormons themselves express
these IDEAS We constantly hear from
! Mormon sources such expressions as
'The Mormon people arc contentcd.
"Thc Mormon people are nor as ProeiSs-
slve as some communities. and othei
soft expressions Of kindred import
The constant drain OF the tithing taN
upon the Mormon people is what fieroert
| Spcncar would call "a fructnNing cause
OF many evils" To pay this continuous
ItaN. the man OF moderate means must
| economiZe among other things. upon edu-
cation Of children. As a result. atter one
| generation the Mormon children. as .
| class enter life with less capital. less
education and therefore less intellectual
| energy :hau tho Gcntses as class
! Here at this point. We have the Mormon
people at a disadvantage In two points
| i'm their competition with the GcntilcS
| TIE lead OF the Gcntiles VIII become more
pronounced from this time on
Thus VIC see that the Mormon peopl'
as a class arc SeinE gradually pressed
down iniol condition OF practieal Scrt'
tithinc tax. They are falling behind tho
| Gontils IN agriculture. trade, manutac-
tnrc, and all other enterprises. The Gen
dies are fast becoming the GapltAIiStl.
| class and the Moynons the toilinS class
The logical end and result of the ulhlne
! system Is that II will reduce the Nor
mon people. as class, TO tho position o.
'hewers of wood and drawers Of water
Now. yilI the illogical apoIogist fo
priesthood graft kindly point out how
ibc inpoVeVlshment OF a class OF people
Is justified on any mora! or thepioSiEa
ground? He cannot
From moral standpoint. from the so,
ciological standpoint and as matter o.
common sense. everybody knows that poN'
crtv does not mako men better To IN
contrary. IL exposes man or woman l'
more tcnptationS and at the same time
lessons tho power TO resist them. Pow
crtv operates against morality. The mos
disgusting and appalling of all vice i
found among the slumS in the cltlcs.
! AS To the theological aspect OF the case
| I cannot see that theology has much Il
saw on the point or course. the rcHeia
ton 10 the prophet commands the peopi'
To nav a tenth 10 support the priesthood
Considerable feurativc Language is usec
i'm the revelations OF Joseph. But in thos
davs there were only about seven thou
sand saints and they were all poor:
fcnth of their surplus would be only
few thousand dollars at most Their
were as many in tho priesthood then a
now.
ono per cent of the annual profit q
the Mormon people OF this day would h
tenfold more i'm amount than a tenth q
, that day Considered In the light o
| surrounding facts. and using common
sense in the Interpretation, the revela
tion merely means and intends that tn
people shall contribute sufficient 10 main
tain the priesthood and that the amoun
OF that contribution should vary with cir
cumstances No other sensible intcrpre
tation can be put upon IT,.
Very Truly Yours.
NEPHI Il. WILLIAMS.
Independence. Mo, December .