OCR Text |
Show I WIIAT THE DEMAND IS. "The party wns conceived as an anti-church anti-church proposition, and as such it is entirely foreign to American institutions." institu-tions." is a bit of comment, upon the American party appearing in a Deserot News editorial on April 2. 11)09. But let us examine into the conditions condi-tions under which the American party was formed, and the demands made by it, after organization, and see if there is an- truth iu what the church organ says. Briefly stated, the demands of the American party were and are as follows: That the Mormon church retire from politics. That polygamy be stopped. That the church retire from com-mercialiMii. com-mercialiMii. That the hierarchs cease to impoverish their people under false pretenses. That the church leaders keep the plcdgos which they gave to the people-of people-of the United Stales and upon which sovereignty as a State, was granted tc Utah. Now. it would be difficult, to determine deter-mine wherein even the Deseret News could find anything un-American in that proposition. Aud if it can be demonstrated that, any church in this country, no matter under what name promotes the activities against which the demands of the American party are directed, then that party (and every other party in the land) has the right to be anti-church, so far as the obnoxious ob-noxious organization is concerned. Not. only has it the right to oppose the intrusions in-trusions complained about, but it is its du3' to do so. En the first place, the News knows that the effort of the American party is not against the Mormon church, as a church engaged in its legitimate busi ness, but that it is directed to a correction cor-rection of certain practices of Mormon leaders that, impose such conditions upon up-on the body as to place it in enmity toward to-ward American institutions. If the ways of the leaders wcro mended, under un-der the peculiar organic construction of the Mormon church, the body itself would fotl immediately reformed, because be-cause the body may not exist except it be in harmony with the head that, is Mormon doctriue, and we dcf' the News to disprove it. Therefore, if the head go wrong the body also goes wrong and this, too, is. Mormon doctrine doc-trine that, the church organ will not attempt to deny. As to the first demand, "that the Mormon church retire from politics," proof of its justice is found in the fact that TJecd Snioot. a member of the apostolate, apos-tolate, is a Senator of the United States. The apostolate is next to the highest high-est controlling quorum in . the church, and would take-charge of the government govern-ment of that, organization in the- event of any disorganization of the f irst presidency. presi-dency. Smoot admitted that 'ho could not become a candidate for the Senator-ship Senator-ship without the consent of tho first presidency; that he applied for and procured pro-cured that consent. President Smith confirms- Smoot !s admission in this respect. re-spect. Every Mormon knows that if Smoot. had failed of receiving that approbation ap-probation of his proposed candidacy, aud that if some other individual had succeeded iu gaining what Smoot could not, he (the Mormon) would have cast his vote for the other fellow and against Smoot. - livery Gentile knows this to be true. So it was in reality (he president of the Mormon church who made Apostle Apos-tle lieed Smoot a Senator of the United States. And this the Deserct News knows to be absolutely true in every minute detail. During the county campaign cam-paign -last fall presidents of stakes, bishops, high priests, and other influenzal influ-enzal members of the Mormon priesthood priest-hood industriously stumped the county lo secure the vole of the Mormon people peo-ple for a church-selected political ticket, urging compliance with their demands on thnt vote, on pain for those who refused, of being branded as "traitors to their church." This the Dcseret News must acknowledge to be , true, for it printed the news of many I of the ecclesiastical activities in this direction. So that in making its first demand the American parly stands upon American ground. "With respect to the second demand, "that, polygamy be stopped," evidence of its righteousness and of the need of it. is discovered in the fact that numerous num-erous cases of new polygamy have occurred oc-curred since tho promise was made that such alleged marriages should cease in the church. tisnot The 7'ribuno's present pres-ent purpose nor will we now mention names, because without complete, information in-formation as to the ideutitv of all the men who have engaged in plural marriage mar-riage since the issuance of tho Woodruff Wood-ruff manifesto, it would be a source of self-gralnlnf ion to the undiscovered criminals to have ihe names of their brethren who were not so secret ively-snccessful ively-snccessful exposed to the world. But in order to fix our ground, wo commend com-mend public attention to this from the declaration of ihe Mormon first presidency presi-dency adopted by the general conference confer-ence just two 3'earp ago Monday: "The wonder is, not that there have been spamnodic cases of plural marriage, but that such cases havo been so few." This confesses the fact that there have been polygamous marriages, even though the evidence-possessing hierarchs ("There is never but one on the earth at a time, on whom this power and tho keys of this priesthood are conferred." See polygamy revelation in Doctrine and Covenants page -165, latest edition) edi-tion) hypocritically says that "they aro few," and further protests that they have been performed without, his knowledge or authority. They could be performed umler the doctrine or ac- copied ceremony of no other church in tho land thnn those of the Mormon church, nor on nny one's authority except ex-cept bin own. No citizen can point, out. where a new pidygainist has been either ci'deaiastimlly or civilly or criminally punished for his offense. Therefore, in making its second demand, the. American Ameri-can , party stands upon American ground. Respecting the third demand, "that the church retire from commercialism." it is scarcely necessary to speak. Every Gentile aud every Mormon in this whole intermountain country knows that it is so engaged; that church funds are used for commercial purposes; that immense im-mense profits nre gathered from investments invest-ments of money collected ostensibly for religious purpo?os; that there is no intention in-tention to voluntarily abandon that pursuit, pur-suit, because the hiorarch claims the right to direct his followers and their substance in all things spiritual and temporal, covering politics, polygamy, and commercialism. The Deserct News will not deny that. Ihe Mormon church is a thoroughly "business" concern; and we assert that in its third demand the American party stands upon American Amer-ican ground. Tn respect of the fourth demand, "that the hiornrchs cease to impoverish impover-ish their people under false prctensos, " we represent (and no informed newspaper news-paper or man on top of tho enrth will attempt to gainsay us) that tho Mormou hierarchs demaud and accept, when paid, from their people the following taxes, under the pretonso that they are "prophets, seers, and revelators" a pretense whose falsity wns exposed by the chief of them all in his testimony testi-mony at Washington on March 4, JOO-l. This is the list: Tithing, ten per cent of income. Foreign missionary sustenance. Wnrd donation. Stako donation. Temple donation. Cielcel Simrlnv. Dime Tuesday. Primary nickel Friday. . Eelief Society fund for poor. Church school donations. Church publication sustenance. Building funds for tabernacles, stake houses, ward meetinghouses, amusement halls, stake academies, aud prophetic memorial halls. Choir and organ donations. Concerts and socials. Home missionary sustenance. Relief Society missionary sustenance. suste-nance. Primary missionary sustenance. Mutual Improvement missionary sustenance. Sunday school missionary sustenance. Political donations to the Apostle Hoed Smoot machine. The oxistence of these funds and collections, col-lections, no Mormon will dispute not even in slightest detail. If lie has a mind to do so, he is asked to slate his position. So in making its. .fourth .demand .de-mand the American part' stands upon American ground. The fifth demand of the party is "that the church leaders keep the pledges which they gave to the people of the United States and upon winch sovereignty as a State was granted." See the testimony of the foremost lend-i lend-i er among all the church leaders, .Joseph F. Smith, on pago 197, volume 1, of the evidence in the Smoot case, as follows: fol-lows: I wish to assert that the church has obeyed the law of the land, and that It has kept Its pledges with this Government Govern-ment : but J. have not as an Individual, and I have taken that chance myself. Mr. Smith confessed that the majority of his subordinate officials in the church were in "the same category" as himself. Consequently, in making its fifth demand, the American party stands upon American ground. Now, let The Tribune add a demand of its own: That the Dosercl News abandon its vicious lying. |