The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-20
GOOD, SOUND DOCTRINE.

In its issue of Saturday evening last
the Deseret News very properly con
demned the sentiment expressed by
dent Wilson has been derelict in his
duty in not appointing a Catholic III
his Cabinet. 1t rightly condemns any
sentiment that may be entertained By
any portion Of the American people
which would suggest that religious
bodies, as such, are to be represented
in public station. The News very prop
erly says;
No church, as such, has any right to
representation IN q political council, or
| assembly. which has no jurisdiction
| cal questions. Representative govern
| mcnt does not provide for representation
| OF either the Methodist. Baptist Catholic,
| or any other religious body in either the
| ment OF the state. 1t provides for the
representa- ation OF citizens. as citizens,
not as church members.
With that sentiment there can be no
quarrel. 1t is undoubtedly the true
American doctrine. Would that we
might have it extended to Utah in
absolute candor and good faith, in
place of mere pro forma pretense and
evasive and tricky mouthings.
Pursuing its parable further, the
News proceeds to say:
Many find It difficult to keep the two
great institutions. the church and the
state. separate, IN their own minds. And
American government, In daily life they
find no difficulty in separating the vari-
Gus business associations In which they
may be Interested. If a man is a di
lent society. and the manager OF a fac
Tory. he does not mix the affairs OF these
institutions. but keeps them separate.
Only so can he make success Of either
OF them. But when It comes TO sepa-
rating the interests OF church and state.
he finds 1t more difficult. The tradi-
tions OF many centuries during which the
union OF church and state was the very
foundation Of national life still linger
among the people, and although they
are discarded in theory they are fire.
quently retained in practice,
All of which is such good doctrine
that we cannot refrain from expressing
regret that it is not more regarded by
the News itself and by those for whom
it speaks, who indeed are among those
who hold to the tradition condemned,
and who, though discarding this theory,
frequently retain the practice.
Of the further exposition of the News,
to the effect that the Latter-day Saints
have been taught these true relations
all the time, it is due to say that in
this matter, as doubtless in many others,
the Latter-day Saints have tremendous
ly fallen from grace. To read this e1-
position in the News, one might sup
pose that the practice Of church inter
ference in politics and in the control |
Of the votes Of its members was some
thing wholly unknown in Utah, in |
place of its being, as the fact is. the
ordinary rule; it is quite usual for the
church practically to dictate to largo
numbers Of its membership not only
their politics, but the specific votes that
they may cast at any particular cleo
ton. In saying "the church" in this
we mean, of course. the
officers OF the church, whose word is
accepted by the membership as the
authoritative rule for their guidance
aud practically the word Of God in
their activities of all kinds