The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-12
NOT FOR POLITICS.


NOT FOR POLITICS.
The Descret News thinks il sees a
chance to make political strike by
insisting that the move for progress,
advancement, and boosting, must serve
its political purposes. 1t has been ex-
trcmely anxious for a long time to get
help from the business interests 10 aid
the church in keeping its grip on the
politics and civil affairs of the State,
and on the different communities there
in. Heretofore. its efforts in this di-
rection have been absolutely barren OF
results, and they will unqucstionably
continue to be barren, because moth
ing could possibly give the progressive
moement black eye so quickly as
for that movement to switch itself over
10 politics. This is so we'll understood
that there is not the least likelihood
Of any swerving in that direction. The
movement for progress is along busi-
ness lines, not political. And there is
no reason to suppose that anyone iden-
tilted with il has any political pur
pose in connection herewith.
As to the contentionp here and
the desire for harmony, that contention
can be eliminated by those chiefly re-
sponsible for it, and harmony restored,
at the Will of those who are now out
of harmony with American institutions
and with the basic ideas Of inc Re-
public. There is no fight upon the
Mormon church as a church, nor upon
MormonIsm as religion. The friction
that is caused in connection with the
activities of leaders of that church is
the result of those leaders insisting
upon taking charge of and debating in
political and civil affairs All that is
necessary to restore amicable condi-
tions here is for them to cease those
efforts and confne their activities as
churchmen to religious affairs and mat
ters relating to their religious organ
ization as such. But as fong as they
insist that they have a literal "king
dom Of God, and that they are en-
titled to rule in temporal as well as
religious affairs, it viii be impossible to
avoid contention; because the Amcri-
can people are not used to that sort
a thing, and will not stand it, And So,
the way to restore harmony and to al
lay contention. is for the things that
make for inharmony, and that neces
sarilY arouse contention TO be with
drawn. Let the claim of right to tenn
poral rule be given up, the monopols-
H..
equal enforcement of the law prevail,
and all will be peace.
The News in this connection brings
forward again its stupid and evidently
nonscnsical proposition that the Ameri
can success and the American cam
paIgns here have arrested progress
and kept out population and wealth. 1t
is dIflicnt TO understand how writer
would be so utterly stupid as to bring
forward a proposition of this kind, cs
pecially since It's absolute nonsense has
been so fully disproved, and since the
evidence is easy 10 cite. That evidence
in brief is that it is only in this city,
and it's immediate vicinity, where the
American activities have been greatest
and where the release from church con
troll has been the most complete, that
the striking progress in Utah in the
ten years between 1900 and 1910 is
shown Last decade throughout the
State. where the church has been in
absolute control, the progress has been
slow. and conditions torpid But in
this municipality. where the Americans
have been in control, there has been
such vast progress, such miraculous
advancement, that this city is the mar
vel of the whole West in its forward
steps, its increased wealth, its public
improvements, and its striking increase
IN population. And when we consider
the fact that the increase shown in
the ten years was in fact an increase
of but five, since the American vic.
tory of 1905, and that since prior to
that time the city was actually retro
grading, losing population and capi.
tai, how anyone who has knowledge Of
the facts cited. and is able to write
at all, could have the cheek to bring
forward the proposition that Ameri-
canism has had deletcrious effect
upon progress and business is one Of
the marvels OF the time. IL can only
be explained by the utter dishonesty Of
mind that could produce such a view.
absolutely the reverse of the teachings
of the plain facts in the case.