The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-21
STATE SERVES CHURCH.

IL is VOlIc Ill atcOlu with tHc"'y
precedent. usage, and expectation. tina
in Utah whatever civil government
there is, should lie at the service o,
the church whenever needed Accord
ingly those who have been used tc
that sort of thing here were merely
reminded ci the usual thing by the
support which Governor Spry gives tt
the church in endorsing President
Smith e denial Of any of the charges
made Just now in England in the hos
| tile movement there against the Nor
mon missionaries Those not used tc
| This sort of thing, however, would nc
| doubt he astonish1d TO soc a State
thus brought to the support of re-
!igious sect.
How this sort of thing accords with
the complete separation of church and
state MS dccrecd in the State constltu-
tion. and as the theory of American
government requires, we leave for ex'
planation to those who are supporters
OF this kind OF commingling of church
and state. and the putting of the state
civil government at the service of the
church at call,
There is evidently a very strong
movement in England against the Nor
mon missionary work. This opposition
taxes the specific form of denounclng
The cuticing away from England OF
girls and wOIncn. as understood there,
for the purpose of getting those SO en-
ticed away H. go into polygamy' Inc
,all of he Governor as to names and
particulars is, of course. of the usual
order that we are so familiar with
here. Whenever there is charge OF
any wrougdoing. the particulars are
immc cdiately demanded, especially WIN
regard TO the entering into polygamy'
IL is known TO all concerned, OF course
that whatever evidence there is OF TINS,
is wholly IN tho possession of those
VINO make the demand. Those VINO
made the charge make it on the gen
eral proposition OF appearance, com
mmtv understanding, and the idea
that appearances support the commun'
ity understanding Of the ottense. III
is exactlv as IN communities every
" here The neighbors form their I'M
crcss.ons as 10 con ,ugal relations upon
the actions of the persons under view
bv those who cone IN contact with the
observed. Usually this understanding is
mirr true Still here as elsewhere, IL
a ueighbor couciudcs tEat family reia-
ticns are maintained by certain Indl'
vidaalS, thnt is a conclusion drawn
from observation 2nd inference; 1t ls
not matter that ihe observer could
pro,e in Il court; aud yet the observa'
tiou IS almost certain IL he correct, and
the conclusion drawn thercfrom to be
sound.
With regard H. the specific cases
calico for, u Viii probably not be dlt-
icult for the English accusers to give
names If converts WHO have emigrated
10 Utah. or to Mormon communities
somewhere in The West, or in Canada,
or in Mexico. As to the status of those
woricn after coming here. it is doubt
less true tndl LOT inc lnosl P"ib ~
could bc shown that there is nothing
Illegal or immoral in their lives or re-
iutions. The few who might be III po-
!ygamy would be hard to locate, and
the,r polygamous relations still harder
to discover. Here, as in the usual
case of new polygamy, the record is
Inaccessible to those who would wish
10 make an inquiry, and, as has been
80 frequently shown. Judicial inquiry
is useless because all concerned would
denv any polygamous relation or mar
riage. il they were put on the witness
siapd liz an investigation as to the
facts The records of Utah courts show
corclusively that this would be the
case We do not see, therefore, but
that the willing service which Cover
nor Spry lends in this matter leaves
everything just about as before. save
only that the State is once more used
as the shield and protector of the
church, and is thus wrenched alto
gether out of its proper sphere.