The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-06
IT'S DBPRAvED UNTRUTHEULNEss

The church organ last night, in at
tempting to controvert DR.. Short S plea
for decrease of crime in Utah, under
took TO score 4 political point against
the American party by saying that "it
is not Utah that is overruu with crime
but Utah s capital aud il continued
What is needed Is police force that
| has the authority to enforce the laws
| as they arc, aud city government that
| does not believe In irstiiutionalzcd vice.
| The force is big enough rs II is TO close
| every gambling house and house OF Ill
| rcpute; to enforce the SUNDAY laws TO
drive the criminal element into hiding.
| But this is. evidently. not wanted, And
| therefore the conditions arc AS they arc,
Salt Lake needs government that
Is willing TO clean up the moral ccss-
| pools In which the germs OF crime are
breeding. If II could be proclaimed
abroad that the people of the city are
is no more strife between citizens be-
cause some are church members and
some are not. the criminals would de-
part as bats and owls before the rising
sun. II is the reputation the city has
acquired the last few years that has
attracted the criminal element
God forbid that brutality should be
added to in any progressive American
of unity and harmony may prevail, for
that is what this city needs.
Utah has always been ovcr-ruu with
crime. tho scandalous community crime
of polvgamy-opcn, defiant, vile.
With respect TO its police Salt Lake has
far nearer approach to an ideal force
than il ever had in the old days of
church rule, when the police were the
thugs. and when they officially opened
houses of prostitution for the purpose
of entrapping the unwary, with peep
holes in walls and ceilings where lech-
erous cagcrness could gloat over the
scenes enacted. In the days of church
rule open gambling houses ran without
the least attempt to suppress them, and
houses of Ill.repute were allowed, as
many as desired, if only they would pay
the regular tax on infamy. In the
strictly Mormon liquor ordinance there
was not even mention of Sunday, and
no attempt at Sunday closing.
If Salt Lake needs government will
ing to clean up the moral cesspools, it
can be said truly that it has nearer
approach to such government now
than il ever had under church rule And
it can be said with absolute truth that
the chief "moral cesspool' here is the
headquarters where the polygamy pro-
pa ganda is carried on Also, that the
chief cause of depraved public senti-
ment here in the failure to enforce the
law in the courts is the law-defying
counsel which has prevailed in Utah
for two generations, which counsel was
put forth and cujoined upon all the peo-
pie for the sole purpose of protecting
the defers of the law in their polyCa-
nous relations. If the officers of the |
law want 10 get at the great breeding.
place of crime, they must strike straight |
at the heads of the Mormon church. who
are the chief offenders in contempt of |
both moral and statutory law.
We Join the News in the sentiment of |
its final paragraph of the quotation. And
we call pointed attention to the incon-
sistency it shows when it prints a glar-
ng, contentious falsehood about the DO. |
ice force of this city, and then cries |
out for harmony. The true basis for |
harmony is obedience 10 the law, and |
is strict enforcement without fear or |
'svor, the rendering of perfect obedience |
to 1T by all, and the prevalence in the |
community of the spirit Of manly candor
and truth, which is so scaudaIously |
wanting in the acts and uttcrances of |
The church leaders and their organ Of |
1epravity and vice.