The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-08
UNJUSTIFIABLE INFLUENCES.

Il again VIC ildFH lne question EulSBt
/ in this State whether it is well to bring
D TO bear undcrhand and sectariau in
: fluencc for the enactment by tho Leg
= islatnre Of measures supposed in them
! selves to be good. The separation Of
church and State is nominally complete
in Utah. but no such separation iS com
pletc IL the State undertakes 10 invade
the domain of the church, or the church
r undertakes to invade the domain of the
, State; and no matter how worthy OF
how well.approved proposition may
be, 1t is clearly opposed to the inde.
pendcuce Of The State for the church
as church through its organizations
to bring its influence to bear upon the
Legislature in tho interest Of pending
measures.
To show that this intrusion of the
church is being brought to bear, we
present the following circular from the
Parents Class committee OF the Nor
mon church addressed to the Stake
Supervisors of Parents Classes in the
State Of Utah, these organizations be-
church machinery being thus used for
the purpose OF influencing the Legis'
lature. Not only so. the Parents Glass
committee informs the Stake Super
visors of the Parents Glasses that this
Parents Glass committee E'sought and
obtained permission from the First
Presidency of the General Board to call
the attention Of Parents Glasses to
these important moral measures now
pending before the Legislature and to
request State Parents Glasses 10
promptly communicate their desires to
the various State Senators and Repre-
sentatives, The circular is as for
lows.
General Board Descret s. S Union, Par
ents Glass Committee. February .,
1913.
To the Stake Supervisors OF Parents
| Classes. In the State OF Utah:
Two OF the bills now pending before the
| Legislature of Utah are of special inter
est to the parents OF this State. One OF
these bills, known as tho Mabey bill, in
| tends to prohibit gambling In some of its
most hldeous forms; and hopes thereby
| TO protect the youth OF the community
against being tempted and robbed by a
!
temporary presence In the State makes
our beautiful commonwealth less desir,
able.
The purpose of the other bin. known
as the Eckersley bill, is to maintain the
sacredness OF the Christian Sabbath.
Both OF these bills have popular approval
and deserve to become laws. But an at
tempt is being made to destroy the ef-
iectiveness OF these measures by loading
them down with ridiculous and cXces-
sively restrictive amendments, hoping
- otyr fhny,, l,.nv, ~ ~
non enforceable
These conditions and these Improper
methods should be Immediately called to
the special attention of the parents OF
the State, with view TO having them
express. in unnllstakable tones their
dfispleasure at thus hazarding the moral
in inteFeSss ye1 9F our y99th With the idea
OF the General Board of the Deseret
Sunday School Union. sought and OH
tained permission from the First Presi-
dency and the General Board TO call the
attention OF Parents Glasses TO these i'm
portant moral measures now pending be-
fore pa the legislature, and to request such
cate their desires to the various State
Senators and Representatives.
AS supervisor of Parents Glasses in
your stake will you kindly take imme-
diate steps TO have the contents OF this
letter transmitted TO the various ward
classes. so that effective action may be
quickly taken.
PARENTS CLASS COMMITTEE.
tS'sned) HENRY II. RoLAPp.
Chairman.
HOWARD R. briggs.
NATHAN T. PORTER.
HYRUM G. SMITH
CTAS. TT. HART
The intent Of this is clear The hint
that the First Presidency aud the Gen
eral Board Of the Church is sustaining
this movement will not be lost upon the
Stake Supervisors, nor will they be
likely to fail to call the attention of
the legislators from their various To-
calities to the fact that they are
backed by the Presidency and the Gen
eral Board Of the Church in sustaining
these measures, and making their will
known as church officials to the mem
bers Of the Legislature. We do not
here oppose in the least the measures
thus supported, So far as gambling
Gin some Of its most hideous forms,''
or otherwise, is concerned. we denource
it as freely. as fully as any one. We
are opposed to pool rooms, book lsmakinr
and betting at horse races, and we de- /.
sire to see all rascalities and swindles |
drastically suppressed,
But that is not the point, The ques.
ton is the intrusion Of the church au |
thorities and its organizations. as such,
speaking for the church and Counsel |
ing (Which would mean commanding, |
as from the First Presidency and Gen. |
eral Board of the church, the support
Of members Of the Legislature for these
measures. This is An intrusion which
in no wise parallels a petition that
might be presented nv the Methodists.
the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, or the
Catholics: for the difference is wide.
If any OF the orthodox sects named
should present their petition. that petit
tion would simply be accorded the
weight Of the individual citizenship
signing It; but in this case. with the
backing of the First Presidency Of the
y A 4