The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-22
RELIGION IN POLITICS.

Judge Alfred Bulge was candidate
for Justice of the Supreme Bench in
the State of Idaho at the recent prI.
marics of the Republican party in that
state, 1t had been taken for granted,
evidently, by the church organ here that
Mr.. Bulge was to receive the Republi.
can nomination. and when he was de-
feated it voiced its chagrin in the fol
lowing terms:
Judge Alfred Bulge was defeated for
nominattion 10 the supreme bench of
sentiment In his favor and his undis-
puted qualifications for the place. And,
as we understand II, he was defeated
because Of his memberships In the church.
Some OF his opponents, We are told, did
not disdain the old tactics OF arousing
The slumbering fires of religious preJu
dices They whispered false insinua
the Judge is a polygamist, and they init
mated that his relations with a certain
trust We're not strictly correct and SO
who are but too glad to have Mormon"
support for themselves, were instrumental
In creating an anti-"Mormon" sentiment
against an otherwise acceptable candi-
date. This is Inconsistent. We hope the
time will come In this country when 1t
shall be as impossible for politicians to
use the religious sentiment for political
purposes, as II is for ecclesia stlcal digni-
tarIes to use political means for the fur
therance OF church interests. Not till
then can II he said that American prin-
ciples OF government prevail.
The Idaho Statesman copies that edi-
torlal, disclaiming any knowledge Of the
use Of religious prejudice in the prl-
mary, but endorsing the conclusions
reached by the organ of the Mormon
church, the Statesman closing its re-
marks in these words: "Religion has
no place in politics and politics have no
place i'll religion. The man or party
who undertakes to mix them is certain
to come to grief sooner or later
That is the true view to take of it..
Idaho has been afflicted very much as
Utah has been by the intrusion and
dominance of the church in political
affairs. 1t is all plain sailing and very
pleasant for those who make use of this
mixing Of religion and politics as long
as they win, but when they lose, as In
cvitably they will lose in the long run,
they set up a wall that might we'll dis
tract the public attention from the sub.
stance OF the case.
1t is quite true that there ought not
TO be any mixing Of religion and poll
tics; but that mixing has caused the
chief political trouble here; and the
church organ admits that the Mormon
church is in politics when it says that
"some who are but too glad to nave
Mormon support for themselves were
instrumental in creating an anti Nor
mon sentiment against an otherwise
acceptable candidate" The News ap-
pears TO overlook the fact that it ad-
mits herein that Mormon support has
been rendered in the past, as such, and
was gladly received. That is the great
trouble in the whole situation Nor
mon support has been had in the past
in politics to most obnoxious extent; !;
it has been most exasperatine iutru.
sion. 1T is clearly the position Of the
church organ here that those who have
received that Mormon support in the
past ought to have reciprocated by Civ.
ing their support to a Mormon caudi
date. That is unquestionably its true
meaning, and the language it uses is
susceptible of no other Interpretation.
Men in Idaho have been receiving Nor
mon support, the News claims, and now
when the Mormons asked reciprocal
support for a Mormon it was not given.
Hence its wall.
We trust fervently whenever such uu.
holy alliances and vile bargains as
the News so clearly indicates are put
through by designing and rascally poll.
ticians, either in Idaho or Utah, that
the sneaks who thus mix their politics
with religion will get precisely the same
sort of dose as this about which the
church organ now makes such discor-
dant uproar.