The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-16
THE WAY TO PEACE.

way and near by.
But IT is impossible to see any rea
plea for harmony in the sort of editc
rial that the organ prints. 1t start
with congratulation 10 Governor Spr
on the prospects of harmony, and the
Mt once passes on To recrimination am
strife, 10 false accusations against Utal
citizens, 10 misrepresentation and scan
dalous lies about what has been dom
by the American party, alleging ''cru
sade that is entirely unnecessary an'
unprovoked,' the rekindling of the
fires of persecution, and all that sor
of rubbish, which every one knows j.
absolutely untruthful throughout. L
revives its claim that Salt Lake CITY
has suffered in its business, prosperity
and progress by reason of the falsely
alleged crusade" when the fact is
that Salt Lake City has shown more
than twice over the progress, vitality
and advancement that is shown in the
State at large. 1t revives its slandel
that the city is overrun with the Grim
inal element brought here by the Amer
ican party, when the fact is that this
criminal element is brought here by it's
own invitations, assuring that element
OF immunity in crime if they would but
come to Salt Lake. 1t rails at the mu-
| nicipal debt increase, when it is fully
| aware that this increase has been by
vote Of the taxpayers of the city rs the
law provides, and is not the act of any
party. 1t falsely arraigns what it calls
''the crusade leaders," and, is bitter
throughout with vicious antagonism
towards the progressive leaders here
that is alike discreditable to its own
intelligence, and an insult to the
truth. And then, after all this bitter
arralgnment, this false accusation, this
vinegary assault, it closes with a para
graph which claims that the Mormons
have to-day "no quarrel with any
body" And yet the whole article is a
quarrel with its neighbors, and false
representation Of the American posi-.
tion, twisting of historical fact, and
prostitution of it to false and big
oted purpose.
Any real movement for peace and
harmony here will have to start from
a different basis than a rascally and
mendacious arraignment of the pro.
gressive portion of this community
All such arraignments as that simply
falsify the position, undertake to make
wrong right, and to subordinate the
general prosperity to sectarian inter
est.
The Tribune has many times pointed
out the easy road to entire peace and
harmony in this State. All that is nee
essary is for the Mormon church lead
ers to keep the pledges that they
themselves voluntarily made, nay, that
they were eager to make in their dis
tress, The manifesto of 1890 was put
forth, and was taken TO mean the end
of polygamy. The Mormons themselves
SO understood it, and those who were
honest so acted upon it for FIVE years.
The petition for amnesty pledged the
leaders of the Mormon people to full
obedience to the laws. The Presiden.
tial proclamations Of amnesty extended
that amnesty on condition that the laws
be completely obeyed The showing
made by the church leaders to Congress,
in order to get restoration Of the es-
cheated property, convinced Congress
that all resistance to the law had been
abandoned, and that from thenceforth
there would be no unlawful use made of
the property escheated, and therefore
its return was ordered. Every success
sive church president from the time the
manifesto was issued, including the
president through whom it was re.
ceived, and the present president of
the church, testified under oath that
the true Interpretation of the manifesto
was the abandonment Of polygamous
relations called In the law unlawful
cohabitation, as well as the incurring
of new polygamous relations. And vet
IN neither particular has the manifesto
been obeyed
1t was fully agreed by the Mormon
church leaders that they would abap-
don their political claims of supremacy.
leaving the people alone in their DO.
lltieal relations to do as thew chose
atilliate with one party or another as
they might see 6t. And yet at the very
time that this was put forth, it was
later admitted that the church leaders
went into the different settlements
counseling their people to divide about
evenly upon politics, this regardless of
what their political opinions might be.
And ever since the influence of the
church leaders in politics, exercised by
virtue of their church positions. has
been supreme. We have seen the ranks
OF one party or the other absolutely de-
pleted in order to serve the purpose of
the church politicians, and the vote of
that party swept bodily into the ranks
of the other party. We have seen cleo
tions decided. not on any question of
morality, on politics, or Of public ad.
vantage, but merely to serve narrow
sectariau ends. We have seen a party
which made prohibition its chief crv