OCR Text |
Show o MEASURE UP BE FAIR. Gentilo residents of Utah let us measure up. For several months past the Knockers' Knock-ers' gang in Salt Lako City, headed by Tom Kearns, Joe Llppman and Frank Cannon, havo been publishing gross misrepresentations of this stnto and its people. Their special efforts have been directed to maligning, villi-fying villi-fying and abusing tho Mormon people, but the injurious effects of their campaign cam-paign of slander have como upon all classes of people, and all classes or business, until now the business and Industrial classes east and west are coming to shun this stnto. Those classes havo been wrongfully led to believe that Utah's business and Industrial Indus-trial affairs are under an oligarchy more cruel and tyrannical than that which holds Russia In serfdom; they havo been wrongfully led to bollovo that social conditions hero nro viler than In tho ghetto of Now York or tho slums of Chicago; they havo boon wrongfully led to bollovo that neither lifo nor property Is as safe in Utah, and especially Salt Lako City, as It Is In tho illy-governed Latin republics where bloody revolutions dnlly threaten. threat-en. Tho vlleness of this Knockers' gang continues shamelessly and unrestricted un-restricted in tho coarsest and basest of cartoons and editorial and local utterances, ut-terances, until decent Gentiles protest to each other against tho outrage, but many of these aro In such mortal dread of the Knockers' Insh that they dare not speak out. Some of the stronger men and women among tho Gentiles havo, however, como out In open reslstenco to tho vile calumnies and aro doing yeoman service In stopping stop-ping such work. But there aro somo Gentiles here who lay claim to respectnblllty yet who seom to bo willing that, so long as tho specinl tlrado of abuso is directed di-rected toward tho Mormon people, 11 should go on; and they oven give 11 nancial, If not moral suport to It. They know that tho solo cause of all this knocking business Is that Tom Kearns and his gang could not lnduco Joseph F. Smith to bocomo their tool and help send Kearns back to tho United States senate. Tho entire Mormon people know this, too; and it makes them honor nnd reverence Joseph F. more than they otherwise would havo done, nnd each successive assault upon him makes them cling moro closely to him, In tho firm conviction that ho is being "persecuted for righteousness" sake" tho righteousness of haying been a factor, by his non-lntorforenco in politics, in nldlng tho peoplo to throw off tho Kearns-LIppman yoke. Now, Gentilo residents of Utah, hero Is where your measuring up comes In. This Kcarns-Llppman-Cannon gang has been doing tho knocking in tho namo of every fraternal organization out3ldo of tho Mormon church. It' is doing It in tho namo of every religious society outside of tho Hebrews and the Mormons. It assumes to speak for tho Gentiles of Utah. It assumes to stand for the Catholics, tho Episcopalians, the Congrogationallsts he- Methodists, Method-ists, tho Prcsbytorlnnr ino Baptists, and for every rollgiouc denomination except Jews and Mormons. Tho latter as yet hnvc no part nor lot In tho knocking business; but thoso Gentiles who do not utter a protest must per-forco per-forco bo measured by tho rule that "silence gives consent." Suppose tho Mormons, goaded by tho injustice which has been heaped upon them,- by tho Injury wrought to tho stato in which they aro 70 per cent of tho population, should turn, nnd should render to tho Gentiles of Utah that clas3 of treatment that Is being given to tho Mormons In tho namo of the Gentiles of Utah. Is thero a soul among you who would not rlso In emphatic em-phatic protest against that very treatment treat-ment which many of you seem to expect ex-pect tho Mormons to bear In silence, but which Is none tho less wicked when directed ognlnst them than when directed di-rected against yourselves? Indeed, would not tho Mormon peoplo bo justified, justi-fied, after this long period of patient forbearance, in returning blow for blow? "But," you Gentiles say, 'tho Mor mon people will not do It. They aro a more honorable people than to descend de-scend to such vlloncs3." How do you measure up yourselves on that, Gentiles of Utah? An eminent authority on religion nnd morals hns snid 'ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or ilgs of thistles?" You christian denominations who In Utah aro known a3 Gentiles, what think you of tho truit that Is offered in your namo by tho Knockers' gang? Ho you think that tho thoughtful men nnd women of today nnd of tho coming years will not measure up the contrast between you and tho Mormons to your disadvantage, and deservedly so if you remain tulot longer, and permit per-mit this gross injustice to Utnh to go on in your namo? The dlvlno Master said "By their fruits yo shall know them." Gentiles of Utnh, how long will you issent to being judged by tho fruits ( Ispenscd through tho Knockers' gang nnd their shamelessly libelous newspapers? news-papers? Gentiles of Utnh, are you measuring up? Tho divino Mnster said, "For with tho samo measure that yo mote withal it shall bo measured to you ngnln." How now? |