The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-19
SMITH IS TOO MODEST.

President Joseph Z. Smith is entirely
too modest. He undcrestimates his in
flucnce. In his Boise interview pub.
lished yesterday, he denies that he had
anything to do with Utah s going Re-
publican, or with Governor Hawley s
defeat in Idaho. And he makes the
same old futile contradiction, asserting
the same old dcteitful and mischicvous
sophistrics.
But the fact remains that President
Smith, in the exercise Of his "rights
as citizcn,'i did that which NO other
citizen Of Utah or Idaho has q right
to do; he. inserted an article in a
strictly ecclesiastical publication set
ting forth his views as Republican,
endorsing President Taft and his ad
ministration, and expressing decided
preference for the Republican ticket
And when we recall his emphatic claim
in bis noted Provo address Of the right
to rule his people temporarily as we'll
as spiritually. his true meaning and
intent in that editorial is not subject
10 doubt
1t mag be said that the Deseret
News made an editorial explanation Of
the matter, which intimated that the
people were still free to exercise their
own judgment, notwithstanding what
they read in the Improvement Era. But
it will be remembered that the Era
article was signed by the President of
the Mormon church, and that the pub
lication which carried it to the Lat.
ter-day Saints in all the world, was
official. strictly sectarian, and is &c.
Realistically recommended as breath
ing the spirit Of the gospel of Jesus
Christ on every page;' two OF which
pages were occupied by the signed art,
icle endorsing the Republican National
administration aud commencing Prcsi
dent Taft for reelection.
Between this signed article in the
Era and the unsigned explanation in
the News, the brethren and sisters
knew which to follow; they knew which
was meant for the world and which
for the elect: and the politicians knew
which 10 circulate in all Mormon
as the vote IN Utah, Idaho,
and Wyoming conclusively demon
strates, 1T is said that hundreds Of cop |
les of the Era were worn out during the !
Just ended, by Jealous gum
shoers, anxious to do the viii of those |
over them by explaining thatkthis edi-
torial was God 8 political oracle from
constituted authority.
There is every reason TO believe the
Era article was written and published |
ut the request Of Apostle Smoot, whose
false political prophecies will continue
TO embarrass the church. The editorial
in the Era was undoubtedly written
aud printed for the express purpose OF
influencing the recent election 1t
was no idle production of a thought
less man trying TO fill space at the
call of an impatient printer. lt was
4 political document, designed for po-
itical effect, prepared 10y clever poll
.icians, re-read and revised by the
First Presidency, and published for no
other purpose than to cause Mormon
leaders to vote the Republican ticket.
Any denial Of these facts is essentially
nsincere, and any disclaimer of re,
'ponsibility for their natural effect is
lbsurdly over-modest.
AS one citizen Of Utah recently re-
with the Improvement Era
the State and the voting machines
the city, any party ought to win,
and any set Of candidates ought to
secure election, regardless of campaign
ssuesr party organization. canvass fig.
lres, or anything else. And the only
way to remove such suspicious is TO
slVer the people the right to mark
and deposit their own ballots and TO
ave them chance TO vote without ec
;ICSlaStlcal counsel Or intnrfaro,.