The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-21
A FUTILE DEFENSE

the Deseret News editorially came to
the supposed defense of President Brig
ham II Roberts as against The Trib
une's criticism Of his statement, made
in his tabernacle sermon last Sunday
TO the effect that the Mormon church
held womanhood in the utmost rever-
ence, respect. and esteem. The main
portion Of the News article was devoted
TO a quotation from the chronological
Journal Of November, 1870. out of which
we select the following approved
presentations:
Utah is land OF maryels. She gives
us. first, polygamy. which seems to ne
an outrage on womans rights, and then
| offers the Nation a female sunrage Dill:
at this time In full force within her own
| borders. Was there ever n greater
| anomaly known In the history of society :
The News took that statement to be
tribute to the Justice of the Mormon
church in recognizing The political
rights of women, and proceeded to argue
that this recognition was full evidence
of the respect in which women were
held by the Mormon church, officially.
And this, mind you, as a supposed de-
fense of Mr.. Roberts, polygamist
In our criticism of this particular
part OF the sermon of Mr.. Roberts we
showed by authoritative and official ex-
preston of the church leaders and by
the law of the Mormon church itself,
that women were and are held to be
practically slaves to the passions of
the Mormon priesthood-mere contrib
utors to the satisfaction of priestly
lechcry We showed, as finish to our
complete presentation, that Mr.. Rob
erts had ignored his first and second
wives when he took his unlawful third
that he had altogether dlsdained to
consult with them upon this matter
that was TO have such large part IN
their future lives, or even to let them
know what was coming.
Now. with respect to the granting of
woman IS suffrage in Utah. In the first
place the News incidentally admits,
in giving credit to the Mormon church
for that recognition, that the leaders of
that organization dominated political
movements and acts in the Territory
of Utah-a thing that otherwise the
church organ would fain deny, Then
it must be remembered that in the
polygamous Mormon church there was
a mighty force in the franchise OF
women, because on the average there
were three polygamous women to one
polygamous man; and the granting of
the franchise to women was merely to
enable one man TO east four votes. 1T was
the Mormon polygamous mans selfish
ness, and not his regard for woman,
that guided even in that movement. 1t
was the desire of the church to main
tain political domination in Utah, and
this was one of the methods employed
to retain that domination.
So far as the suffrage is concerned
at the present time, it will be recog
nized that the great majority of vot-
ers in Utah arc Mormons. Calculat
ing even upon an assumption that the
marriage state applies in equal proper
ton between Mormons and non Nor
mons, the advantage of woman S suf-
frage is with the Mormons; and that
Is tne only reason why tne privilege Is
retained to women in Utah today-the
greed of the Mormon church officials |
for political power.
In so far as the matter may he made |
to apply to Mr.. Roberts himself, it is
only necessary to go to history. The |
record shows that in the constitutional
held in this city in the year
1895. the year before Statehood was
granted, Mr., Roberts was one of the |
leaders of the opposition to including
a provision for equal suffrage in the
of the State Of Utah, The |
speeches made by Mr., Roberts upon this
matter would now make interesting
reading, but just at present we have
not the space to spare in which to re-
produce them,
We have no doubt that Elder Rob.
crts was not consulted by the News
with reference to the defense of him
that it attempted to make, else the mat
ter would not have been left in charge
Of such pitiable incompetence.