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Show Goshen Differs with Smith What Elder George Albert Smith ald Sept. 27, i 923, at Stake Tabernacle, Provo, Utah, and' published' in Deseret News, Sept. 28: ..The first of a series of , special priesthood conferences of Utah stake was held Thursday evening in the stake tabernacle with an attendance of 825 men. The elders predominated, President T. N. Taylor presided. Elder George S. Taylor, recently, returned from the presidency of the Maori mission, offered the invocation and Dr. George' H. Brimhall pronounced- the benediction. Prof. J. R. led the V Elder George singing. Albert Smith of Salt Lake gave an interesting and inspirational address on the power of audithority and the necessity to obey vine authority. He urged the priesthood to magnify their calling and to obey the principles of the' gospel. Many persons in the Church today stand up and sing, We Thank Thee, 0 God, for a Prophet and then when that prophet proclaims that the Lord wants them to do certain things these same persons put their puny judgment against the prophet of the Lord, said Elder Smith. The world is in confusion today, because men have taken unto themselves authority and led the people over paths of unrighteousness and de- struction. The priesthood of this Church is different than that from other churches in that it is the authority of God. As long as you will obey the of principles of the gospel the power God will be with you. How careless and foolish so many of us are with this authority. Some of you seem to think that you can be disobedient to the gospel and still receive a crown in the celestial kingdom. You are walking on safe ground only when you do that which is Tight and when you obey strictly the principles of the gospel. Not very long from now there will be difficulties in this world and people will be seeking for peace and will not find it. The power to preserve human life will be with our Heavenly Father. The adversary has threatened that he will destroy as many of the human family as possible. God alone is the one to comfort and cheer during the impending calamities. There is never anything gained 0en you do something our God has said for us not to do. .We may think that wTe have gained. We may be satisfied for the time, but in the end will ourbring sorrow and - distress upon selves. .Members of the Church of Jesus Saints, let me Christ of Latter-da- y pause long enough to impress upon you the fact that there is no blessing on the face of the earth that we cannot enjoy in this Church. . . Bo-Asha- rd : . 0This LISTEN TO REASON. ; nation would be better if it listened more to realists- and less t;o sentimentalists and were more often told that the interest of America is a moral national policy. Chicago - What Elmer I. Goshen said Sept. 28, 1923, at Salt Lake Theatre: In order that my position in the pres-- , ent situation may be entirely understood it is necessary for me to state that I was never a member or a supporter of the old American party. I believed at that time that if we all were fair with each other that there would be no necessity of any party to be formed , to establish the principle and the fact of the separation of church and state. The history in Utah since the disbandment of the old American party has proven that I was mistaken in my former position. I shall probably be criticised for appearing on the platform in this cam- IS . ple as the representatives of God on matters of religion that is their own affair; but as a citizen of a nation founded upon the principle of the absolute separation of church and state, then I have not only the right but the duty of objecting with all my power to any set of men dictating to the people in the name of God in matters that pertain to the state. And there isnt a citizen who is worthy the name who fails to see this distinction. The American party is not formed to interfere with any mans religion. It has no concern whether a man is Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Hebrew, or something else. That is each mans own personal affair. This is the only state that I know anything about where one feels compelled to state that he is not engaged in a fight on any ones religion whenever he engages in a movement to better social, business, and political conditions but it is necessary to make such statement here because we have here a sect of people who are determined to rule in everything and to make their church and the state one and the same thing and in this state whoever opposes such rule is at once accused of religious persecution. The program that we are engaged in cares not a whit about any mans religion that, is forever and forever each mans own affair and no decent citizen seeks to interfere with it. Our business in this election is to determine whether we shall have a progressive' administration in the affairs of Salt Lake City or whether we shall 'll , .1 . AMERICAN PARTY PLATFORM.. - , the-frees- 1 . , 1 ' J '' ' - 2 We charge that the violation of this provision of our constitution is a breach of faith with the United States of America and denies to a large portion of the citizens of this state rights innate in every American. In a material way our state has been hampered in its normal growth and our city denied that progress which it deserves and which otherwise could come to it. Men and women who ought most to interest themselves in civic affairs have shunned their civic duties because of the fact that eligibility to political service has not been based upon fitness, but upon ability to control influences which should be extraneous to and divorced from politics. While other. western cities have shown unusual growth, ours has lagged because those resident here have not been' permitted to enjoy that full meas- ure of citizenship which belongs of right to every American. 1 X I I ... 1 I I . ; ; 1 . , 1 i5 . .... strife and ultimate disaster. I 1 ' We insist upon the strict compliance with the. following pro- -' visions of the constitution of the state of Utah: shall be no union of - church and state, nor shall any 'There church dominate the state or interfere with its functions. (Art. 1, ,i' Section 4.) The wise principle announced in this provision of our consti- , tution is born of centuries of experience. Its observance will bring us peace and a deserved prosperity its violation means continued - 1 .: t i 1 1 j The platform and principles of the American party, as adopted at. the mass meeting,. at the Orpheum theatre, follow:.' . We, a mass convention of citizens of Salt Lake City, Utah, having in mind our rights and duties as' citizens," and being desirous that every resident within this city have the fullest measure of and right to exercise' his citizenship, hiake and adopt the" of principles: ' declaration . following . , 1' . paign. I am used to criticism, but in order that I may not be thought inconsistent, I am going to make my posi--t ion plain. According to the teaching of the Mormon Church, its priesthood is the authority of God. Its leaders claim to haye the authority to speak to the people in the name of God Himself. What they say is binding on the people. When they speak concerning political affairs it is as a command they are the representatives of God and His will. I have no such authority. I speak as one citizen to another. I have no power to enforce my opinions except as such opinions may appeal to the intelligence of those to wrhom I speak. Now there is a vast difference between these two positions. As a citizen I have no thought of objecting to the priesthood speaking to the peo- ......"Ii:i 'IIUIIIIIUJlIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIillll 1 J ! I 3 1 1 We charge that our entire civic structure, including the different municipal organizations and our public schools, is being dominated and controlled by leaders of the Mormon church. I 1 J 4. 1 Realizing that it is vital to the growth and prosperity of our fj city that the burden of taxation be reduced to the lowest possible minimum, consistent with efficient business administration, we pledge our candidates to bring about such reduction. I f i - . 5. I I i . With a full realization of the fiduciary position of public ser- vants, we strongly advocate and pledge our candidates to the installs- tion of an approved budget system, to the end that the administra- tion of the finances of the city be put upon a business basis. ' ' jj 6. I To the end that we may devote ourselves to the furtherance of' the foregoing principles, we hereby organize ourselves into a poli- tical party to be hereafter known as The American Party. I I 1 1 1 .TiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiMiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiHiiiiis continue to see this city suffer because of ecclesiastical interference in its affairs and that is the whole question and if this question is settled as it ought to be then the word will go out over America that here we are going to build a mighty city and that we invite every man with energy, money, and ability to come here and coming know that he will be free to think and he will and he and his family guaranteed every right of American citizenship. And if this word goes out then you will see this city make a growth in the next few years second to no city in all America. We hear much about the necessity of pulling together. A gentleman who used to live here and for whom I have the highest regard, was brought to the city a few days ago to tell us that we must forget our differences, and all pull together. This is beginning at the wrong end. What we need is to get rid of the thing that makes our differences,' and then we can all pull together. If the gentleman referred to is so earnest, about seeing us forget our differences and all pulling together, then why didnt he stay here and help do It instead of running away to another city where he could bo free from the troubles that annoy us? There is just one thing that divides us here, and that is the Mormon church as a church dictating in schools, politics, and business, and . when it stops that there wont be any fight, but a splendid shoulder to shoulder union for the food of all Mormons and Gentiles alike. Instead of spending our energy in opposing the dictation of church in state we ought to be able to use these energies for the building up of city and state, and we could do this if the Mormon church will withdraw its Inand busi-nesfluence from school-politic- s s. . What the church believes, what it teaches, how it rules Its. followers, we care nothing at all that is its own affair but as American citizens, believing in the fundamental .American principle of the absolute separation of church and state we are engaged in a movement to put that principle into operation in the state of Utah, and there is no citizen who is a true American who does not know that. in that movement we are right. The most harmful thing that exists in the state of Utah is the fact of the influence and the money of the Mormon church in the business and industrial life of the state. The discouraging effect of an ecclesiastical institution engaging in business is beyond expression. What chance has a young man to successfully compete with a great institution? IIow can a business man of moderate means build up a successful business when he is obliged to meet the competition of an (Continued on Fage 10.) , . |