The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-24
WHERE THE REAL TROUBLE IS.

The Dcseret News complains that
consumers pay famine prices for food,
clothing, fuel, and everything, at d
time of plenty. There is general
agreement with that statement, but not
with the church organ s imbecilo effort
10 brand the American party as the
cause for it all.
We imagine that there is another
cause that may he more reasonably
any local cause may he blamed at all.
The Mormon church becds its member
ship of approximately thirty per cent
of their individual earnings, provided
they meet all the requirements of the
titbe grabbers. The men who are thus
mulcted seek in every way to recoup
their losses from this source. They
raise rents, if landlords; they increase
the prices Of commodities which they
have for sale. if merchants. If they
be bankers, UP goes the rate of interest
on borrowed money. and down goes tho
bulk as the increased value of money
thus appears. II they he farmers,
something is added to the price of their
products 10 The consumer wherever pos
sible. Mechanics are compelled TO de
mand greater pay for their work be-
cause the 1.-THE grabbers make il more
costly for them to live
And then there is the worst factor
of all in the tthos proper-the ten per
cent that the hierarchs take away
from the people. IT IS a well-known
fact that these are not encroached upon
for purposes Of maintaining the vari-
Gus institutions and auxiliary organiza-
tions of the church. The demand is that
they be left intact to the use of the
first presidency. For the sustepauce of
the numerous religious, educational and
charitable activities of the organization,
special donations are required; and, as
we have said, if all demands are met
they amount TO about thirty per cent
of the Mormon wage earner's income
The tlthc fund proper varies between
one and one-half to two million dollars
annually. Of this sum tho productive.
ness of the State of Utah is robbed and
sapped, The bulk Of it is sent away to
foreign countries OF outside States. An
immense sum has gone into Canada for
the purpose of establishing colonies.
The hicrarchs and their favorites buy
these lands in immense lots and AT ex-
tremely low figures. Then they ask
people TO 60 from Utah 10 settle up
these ands-charging them price far
in advance of the cost to themselves.
The original cost price came out of the
financial drain on Utah through the
tithe fund, and the advance over the
original cost comes out of Utah through
the mjgrator from this State, where he
accumulated his money, to tho church
colony. The same is true Of the new
polygamous colony established in Mex
leo. 1t is one continual drain upon the
resources and productiveness of the
State. And what tends, In this way,
to bleed the Mormon people has siml-
lar effect upon their GENTLE nelghbors.
The business of the two is so closely
related, as is natural in community af-
fairs, that what affects the one yuust
also be felt by the other,
Now. we submit that if there is any
local cause whatever that has anything
to do with the high cost of living, it IS
more reasonable TO suppose that the
drain of tithc moneys out Of the State
would have far more to do with 1t than
would the local distribution of money
in city improvements by the American
uistration-wherein the money is
kent at home