Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-03-10

cure Though there fig doubt as 20 some
of Tho ,1uuuesl the following counties
had declared for prohibition Boo their
county Republican platforms last fall.
EuXclicr Sauusto Emery Pluto.
Wayne and Garfield Those counties
contained, according to the report uf
the state auditor am estimated p.uu-
latiOu of 46551.
The following counties had declared
Tor local option. Cache. Davis. Utah.
Grand, SEWER Washington. Uuuu.
These counties have an estimated pop
ulation OF 94331.
The Republican platforms in the fol-
lowing counties were silent. KiDn We
her Morgan, Toclo, salt Lake, summit
WasatCh san Juan Iuab. Carbon.
Willard Beaver Iron and Kane The
foregoing counties contained am este
mated population of 23s. 635
Summarizing six counties containing
less than l3 per cent OF the uouuid-
ton of the state had declared flr pros
hibition; seven counties containing
less than 25 per cent had declared for
local option and "a counties contain
Ing over 81 per cent of the population
of the state had said nothing on the
question.
! have referred only 20 Republican
county platforms, but do NOT believe
that am inspection of the county plat
forms of the Democratic party would
change the result except in the case of
Weber county which is highly signih-
cant Iu Weber county the Democratic
platform declared iu favor of local OPP
ton while the Republican platform
was silent. The Republican ticket was
Overwhelmingly elected, which means
if 10 means anything that the temper
anco question was not an issue In
the last campaign in Weber county OF
that the people OF Weber county exc
pressed themselves AS opposed tD amy
reform legislation on the temperance
question. The former suggestion { bee
ueve. is the true onc-the temperance
question was not an issue. The oon-
clusIou ls irresistible that the people m
their political capacity as citizens mad
not spoken on the question Of prohl-
biuon when the legislature assembled
CHURCH AND PROHIBITION.
But some people viii say that the
Mormon Church has always been m
favor OF prohibition and that the ma
jorty OF the people of this state nave
therefore, had settled convictions ou
this Question FOR a long time Nothing
could Doe farther from the facts The
Mormon people have had absolute p0-
Hucll control Of the state OF Utah for
over go years. and we have never had
prohibition. The Mormon people arc
personal prohbitionists but have never
been political prOhibitiouists. Poilcll
prohibition fits in easily with personal
prohibition, but for co years in Utah
they have been separate. Actions
speak louder than words.
Look at these facts
declaration IN favor Of closing the sl-
looms ana otherwise decreasing the sale
of liquor This was at the October con-
ference. 1908. All political parties had
al that time, 7 believe. nominated their
candidates and promulgated their party
platforms. The unpreiudiced reader OF
the Church declaration will, ] venture.
md great difficulty i'm determining
whether the Church declares In favor
Of closing the saloon by county pro-
hlbitiou local option) or by statewide
prohibition. The Anti-Salo0n league
resolved the uncertainty in favor OF
county prohibition on local option
say that the league thought the de-
claraton meant. or at least Included.
closing the saloons by county prob BIZ
ton This seems To- arise logically from
the new dovtrine being promulgated,
and % which I shall refer again, that
the declaration bound the members Of
the Church 90 work Tor whatever IL
mcauss
OCTOBER RESOLUTIONS.
II IL be true that the October con-
ference decided this question Tor The
members OF the Mormon Church. since
the members of tho dominant Church
hold the political power Of the state.
#|H# % 10 D.