The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-20
BISHOP sPALDING's ADDRESS.

power The Bishop spoke strongly on
the supremacy Of law, and in condem'
nation Of the violations Of law, holding
that the question Of personal liberty
depends upon obedience to the law. The
Bishop said that the man who holds 1t
10 be within his personal rights to defy
the law. no matter how much he may
assert has sincere belief in his right
TO oppose the law, brings forward no
argument as to his rights, 1t is the
duty of every citizen to yield obedience
to the law, and it is the right Of every
citizen, and also the duty Of every citi-
zen, to deny that any one is privileged
to disobey the law under plea that
his personal rights entitle him to 90
so. And when the Bishop stated fur
tber that the threat to disobey the
law in the operation of "blind tigers,
"hHnd pigs or otherwise, is lawless
threat which is not entitled to the least
considera tion. but rather to the con-
demnation of all good citizens, whose
business 1t is to see that the laws are
not defied. his ground was absolutely
unassailable. For, the Ignoring OF the
law, the disregard Of the statutes, is
the foundation of anarchy, and must in
cvitably. if pursued, lead to the disso'
luton OF society,
The Bishop enforced strongly the
idea that no one has right to be the
Judge Of the law for himself by way
of defving it, and that those who insist
upon doing this are enemies TO good
citizenship. and are not entitled to be
heard, as they bring forward argn'
ments that arc alike destructive to
order and the welfare of society. and
to the moral well being of the commun-
ity, as we'll as tending TO supersede law
bv lawlessness, condition intolerable
IN republic.
All these points Bishop Spalding pre-
sented with a force, a kecnness, and
logical conference and ability alto
gerher admirable. To have these ideas
brought forward in the Mormon taber
nacle was Of especial value to this com
muuity and should have been a health
full tonic TO those assembled there, and
TO those who habitually attend services
there to the end at times of hearing
quite the contrary doctrine preached.
Bishop Spaiding spoke expressly as
TO the liquor traffic, and applied all
of his force of logic, of reasoning, pat
riotism, and Of moral inculcation in the
direction of opposition to the hquor
traffic, and especially in condemnation
of threatened Illicit liquor traffic IN
case the city should vote dry. At the
same time. his maxms of law and OBJ
legation were of general application,
and their force is equally great as ap-
Piled to those who defy the law against
polygamy and polygamous living as
against those who would run 'tblind
pigs and ''blind tigers. The Bishop 5
address was distinct and strong on the
supremacy Of the law as against all
offenders and OF the duty of rightful
lawabidingness on the part of all good
citizens We commend his address
without reserve as being of peculiar
appropriateness and timeliness, and as
being Of sound quality and moral need.
In speaking against the lawess liquor
ira ffic. Bishop Spalding spoke also
against other lawlessness and other
forms of bad citizenship with crush
ing force that must he realized later on
when the full effect of his deliverance
is comprehended and sssimilated.
As applied TO certain conditions here.
the Bistop' s address was of immediate
Importance, and of 2 character that
ought 10 aid in the helpful building up
Of good citizenship, and of a senti-
ment Of obedience 10 law because il is
the law As to the immediate effect OF
the vote to be had in this city a week
from today, the address, while we'll in
tended. did not seem to MS TO meet the
conditions as presented. The assump-
tion all through the address was, that
if we vote Against Sale, then we
shall have prohibition. AS we have
shown heretofore, however, this is far
from the case. section or the new
liquor law, which we have reproduced
several times, absolutely guarantees the
right Of the brewers, distillers, and
wine makers to sell their product in
packages of not less than five gal
Ions at a time. There is no restriction
for instance, on a party going to a
brewery, buying keg of beer, and
drinking the beer then and there. There
is no restriction on a man going to Muir
ray. buying a fivegaIlon demiJohn OF
whisky from the distillery there. and
either drinking it there with a party
of friends, or bringing it home and con
suning it at his leisure. The real eff
feet of the law is TO make a man who
wants drink Of whisky buy five gal
Ions of whisky; the man who wants Z
glass of beer to buy keg of beer
Whether this would tend TO the pro
motion of temperance or not is ques
tion yet 10 be decided practically II
case we should vote Against Sale. ,