The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-29
DIFFERENCE IN oHuRcHMEN,


selves positively and dctermincd'y
against tbe initiative, the referendum
and tho recall And vet il is note
worthy that their voices had no per
ceptibe influence upon The California
election where those innovations were
carried by tremendous majoritles.
Thcsc facts excmplify two plain
propositions; first, that Cardinal Glib
bons and Archbishop ireland exercised
properly and in way above crItl-
cism their undouhted rights rs Amcri-
can citizens to express their opinions
upon the question involved; second,
that their religious followers recog-
nizcd fully this individual right of cit
izenship on the part Of those eminent
divines. and also recognized that their
expressions were simply the express
sious OF fellow citizens. respected and
revercd III their religious calling, but
having 70 binding force upon their fol
lowers IN matters outside Of religion.
The Catholic voters of California rem
dor all due respect and fcaltv TO the
distinguished chnrchmon within the
lines of their acknowledged authority:
but when il comes TO political action,
they consider themselves Just as free
to act for themselves rs the Cardinal
and Archbishop arc to act for them
selves. As citizcus they are all on
level, each one acting for himself, and
the high churchmcn neither asserting
any civic right To dominate or iDflu'
cuce their fellow citizens, nor
those fellow citizens recognizing any
obligation TO follow the churchmcn III
politics or civil affairs. while fully con
scnting TO their duty 10 follow them IN
religious matters,
Here is a proper division Of authority
~hich it would he Il blessing TO Utah
if VIC could have it put into practical
effect and force in this State, But here
the leaders of the reigning sect claim
the right TO rule in temporal as well
as in religious. affairs. As President
speech. The man who acknowledges his
right to rule spiritually and denies hts
right TO rule temporarily ''lies in the
face of God; that is, If he has sense
enough 10 know what he is talking
about Ii Is the clear and we'll
marked distinction between religious
and political and civil affairs SO we'll
recognized in the Catholic church that
allows the perfect freedom Of Catho
lies in their politics and temporal citi
zcnship, while recognizing to the full
The religious authority of the hier-
archy of the Catholic church. and
which permits the religious obligation
TO rest with full force upon the soul
and the conscience. while freeing the
mind absolutely from temporal control.
That allows the freedom of Catholic
political action in this country as dis.
tineuished from the religious oDliga
| tion to the church and to the ecclesias.
| teal administration.
But in Utah the two are compli-
| Gated. The Mormon hierarchy here
claim absolute allegiance from their
| followers, not only in religious but in
temporal affairs, including politics,
business and their social relations.
And the voice Of the priesthood Is
claimed to be the voice Of God in all
matters for which it is heard, aud 1T
counscls' in all.
When the ecclcsiasts COUNSEL their
| followers that it is their duty TO vore
a certain ticket, there arc numbers
| enough In the Mormon church TO rec
| ognize that temporal obligation on
| them toward the priesthood TO sway the
elections. When The church authorities
| give COUNSEL with respect to busi.
ness, they expect their religious FOL.
| lowers to act on that counsel. When
| they counsel' against assoclating
| with and marrying outsiders they
| expect that counSel'' TO be obcyed
literally. TO be sure, il is NOT lit.
orally obcyed as to the latter AS &C.
clesiasts would like; but still it is
obeycd sufficiently TO Indicate that the
| general rule Is obedience. aud this
| obedience is expected in all things.
| We would that the same ruie might
apply in Utah as elsewhere, that the
ecclesiasts would attend to spiritual
| affairs and let temporal affairs alone;
and IT is that which we hope TO see
brought about. Until IT is brought
about, 1t will be vain for the occlcsiasts
or their writer's aud speakers TO deny
the political and civil controi of the
| followers of the Mormon church by
the hierarchy of that church. and il
viii be equally vain for Mormon writ
ers and speakers TO cite the poiifica!
utteFances of church officials elsewhere
as an excuse for their own political
activity; for the cases are in no way
alike