The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-21
ITS BRAZEN DENIAL.

| lis bkAEEN DENIAL,
The Boston Herald, having stated in
connection with its review of the Pres
identiaI candidates in the Rocky Noun
tain belt that "the Mormon church is
doubtless factor the church organ
last night made disclaimer with re-
spect to the church in the following
words:
The Church is not a political factor In
any State. much less In belt OF States,
any more than is any other church. The
Latter-day Saints, as citizens. have their
the Church does not Interfere in any
way with them. Tt Is time for the press
| of the United States to cease talking nom
sense about Church Influence in poll
| tics.
In view OF the diamond cinch which
the church authorities have upon the
politics of Utah and the controlling
voice which they have in the politics
Of Idaho, Wyoming and Arizona, and
their strong political influence in Colo,
RADIO. Nevada, Oregon and Montana,
(all Of which gives Smoot his stand
ing and prestige in Washington it
takes a good deal of affrontery in the
church organ to make denial like
that.
IT is not vet four years since the
presidents of the stakes of the Nor
mon church in this county not only
controlled the votes Of their Demo-
cratic followers here for the local Re-
publican ticket, but denounced as trai-
tors to their church any Democrats
who would refuse to vote tho Republic.
can county ticket. At the time that
those presidents were indulging through
their church authority in this rigorous
control of the votes of their followers,
there was no question in the mind of
authority and right thus TO control the
votes of the members of their church.
1t is true, however. that one of those
presidents weakly suggested that the
Republican members should be coun
seled (that is, in effect, commanded
to vote the Democratic ticket. But
this found no favor with the other four
presidents. who were Republicans in
their way. and the Democratic presi-
dent was incontncutly sat down upon.
And the church Democrats gave their
votes to the Republican ticket
1t will be remembered that when the
prohibition war; was on hardest in
this State, President Joseph i. Smith,
who was understood TO be pledged to
prohibition, had to leave the State and
60 to the Sandwich Islands to get away
from the opportunities. He did not
dare TO counsel the legislators to vote
prohibition because Of letter which
he had received from Apostle Smoot,
his cmiSsary in the u. S. Senate, dc.
claring that "the interests had sus-
tanned him in his scat, and that it
would not do for Utah to 90 back on
those interests, among which the liquor
interests had to be counted. And Smoot
being an apostle, the special agent of
the church in the Senate, President
Smith was obliged to go into hiding
and refrain in Smoot s interest from
carrying out the political programme
that he had in mind No one has ever
doubted his ability to put through that
programme, but the trade Of the Fed
eral bunch with the liquor interests,
and the Smoot bargain with the liquor
interests, shut of what was under
stood to be President Smith s prohibi
tIon programme. Thus the action of
Utah was made shuttlecock between
church interests.
1t will also be remembered that in
the campaign Of 1904 when the Ameri-
can party was organized, the then
chairman Of the State Republican Com
mittee, announced that for every Re
publican that left the party to Join the
American ranks he would get four
Democratic Mormons to vote the Re
publican ticket; and he did it.
The control Of the votes OF the Nor
mon church membership by the &C.
clcsiasts of that church is so we'll
known and so thoroughly demonstrate
ed. that 1T is astonishing to see such
brazen denial made as that quoted
above.