The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-16
FOLLOWING HIS LEADER.

In The Tribune of Tuesday morning
Idaho. stating that Elder George G.
Parkinson has been assisting IN the
operation of "blind pig since he is
ono of the largest stockholders IN the
Coop drug store, which was fined one
hundred and seventy-five dollars for
illictly selling liquor,
Elder Parkinson is president of the
Oneida stake of Zion, and as such high
official in that Mormon princIpality III
Idaho he doubtless felt il to be his duty
TO follow instructions issued by his
monarch in Utah. These instructions
and suggestions from headquarters are
illuminative of the real attitude Of the
Mormon monarchy upon the liquor ques'
ton. The Tribune has heretofore
printed the matter subIoined, but it If
so eloquent in possible explanation 7f
the Parkinson Coop stores infractlon
of the law, that we deem it Of sufficient
importance to Justify repetition. In a
sermon delivered at tho sixty-elghtl
annual conference of the Church oi
Jesus Christ of Latter.day Saints, held
in the big tabernacle April 8, 1898
President Joseph +, Smith said;
Some Of our pretendedly pious people. q
few years ago. were shocked and horrined
by seeing the symbol OF the An-Seelns
Eye and the words holiness TO the
Lord" in gilt letters over the 'front.' ol
Zions Cooperative Mercantile ln5titu-
ton. Especially was, this the case with
of hyrtb ~
these letters over the drug department. oi
Il. c. NJ I. Why was II? Why, some oi
these pious co Mormons found that N
G. A. l., under the symbol Of the All
Seeing Eve and the sacred words. "tloli-
ness 10 the Lord" sold Tea and coiiee
and tobacco, and other things, possibly
that Latter-day Saints ought not 10 use
and at the drug store, z. 9. NJ. ], kepi
liquors of various kinds for medicinal
purposes IL was terribly shocking 10
some OF the Latter-day saints that nnuci
these holy words liquors should pG keep
for sale; Has II ever injured me, in any
sense OF the word. because u. {. M
drug store kept liquor for saleE Have
been under the necessity OF guzzinl
LIQUID poison? Have ! made mysel n sol
because liquor was kept for salo by u G
MI? | am not tho worse for II. thanR
the Lord, And who else is2 NO one
except the pious Mormons 60 who iL
would go into the. drug store and onE
liquor TO drink. II he coulo
not get II there he would not patroniG'
H. C NJ I. at all, but would go some
where else TO deal,
The foregoing matter may be oo
tanned from the official report of th'
April conference Of 1895 (page ~, al
the same is on file at the Mormon
church historian s Office in this city.
Oneida county, Idaho, is ostenslbll
"dry." The good people there voted
it. "dry.' anyway. But in castlns
their ballots TO bring about dry
condition the citizens of Oneida county
appear not to have counted Presl
dent George G., Parkinson of the Oneld;
stake and other stockholders Of hi
Coop drug store in the reckoning
Brother Parkinson doubtless remem
bercd the statement of his prophet
seer, and reyelator to the effect that th'
condition in Zion was that If the higl
priests. seventies, and elders could no
purchase booze at Z. G. NJ. /. drnj
store they would not patronize u. {
NJ. |. at all, but would take thel
patronage elsewhere. 1t is reasonable
to suppose that the members OF tn
Melchizodek priesthood residing in TIL
Oneida stake are not different from
those whose abode is in the center stalk
of Zion-the good old boys will hav
their booze. Brother Parkinson, wit
an eve single to the main chance
such as is possessed by his prophet
chief here-concluded that if th
Melchizedeks were determined to hay
"red lickcr,p then cred lickerP the.
would procure by hook or by crook. In
asmuch as Oneida county is "dry,
the brethren would be unable to get tn
booze they craved and would have ex
cept through thc "blind pig" An
if there was to be n Hblind pig,
President Parkinson concluded, then h
might as we'll run that "blind pig
and rake in the profits from the illici
traffic.
Not a whit different, you see, fror
President Joseph r, Smith and his
! C. NJ. /. booze joint. And inasmuch n
it is the rule of the church that tn
chiefs of the Melchizedeks must b
obeyed in all things, let tho public re
frain from being too unkind to th
obedient and example following Georg