Show ENTIRELY OFF THE TRACK THE St Lou Louis is Glo Tote e from time ime to time gives considerable space to mention of Utah affairs Usually its information is inaccurate and its editorial comments very wide of the mark Occasionally it gives place to a relation of facts and once in a while attempts to dis dis- discourse course Urse on them with some degree of fairness Recently it has discussed the Declaration of Principles of the Peoples Party in this city and the Report of the Utah Commission to the Secretary of the Interior In Inthis Inthis Inthis this its assertions are in some re- re respects respects re respects erroneous and its conclusions unwarranted It is a mistake to say that the principles principles enunciated in that Dec Dec- Declaration Deci Declaration i are broader and more pro pro- prove pro progressive ve than han ban eve ever e emanated from r the Peoples People's Party before That t party has always al ways ways looked upon the Federal Constitution as a sacred acred ti charter of human liberty an and has r declared its u a wavering allegiance to the government and the laws made in pursuance of the provisions t of the Constitution The Globe Globe- Democrat J Democrat has not happened to no- no notice no notice tf- tf tice the utterances of the party on difficulty these points before that is the dim dim- difficulty culty That paper is also mistaken w when it saye says livery Every 1 very citizen of the Mormon faith who observes the law against the practice of polygamy pc amy enjoys freely all the ri rights and privileges j extended to citizens of ot the other Territories In the other Territories there are not special congressional enact enact- enactments enactments enactments ments designed to shut out citizens of a peculiar faith from jury service and requiring them to take a test f oath as a quaH qualification for yoUng voting and holding office But in Utah a citizen to be thus qualified must r- r swear not only that he is not in Hin inthe I Ithe the practice of polygamy but that tha t he does not aid or abet its practice and that he both does and will obey f certain statutes against designated t offenses In In Utah citizens are barred from jury service in a gisen ghen gi t class of cases if they believe in the rightfulness of doctrines the practice of which is forbidden by law t Examination of the r report port of the Utah Commission will show the tha Democrat Globe that there are other rights and privileges extended to F citizens which are denied to law law- law abiding abiding Mormons The Com Com- Commissioners Commissioners Commissioners missioners frankly state that they have intentionally selected C Gentiles and refused to appoint f Mormons wherever they could t do so as registration officers and andi i that in appointing judges of election they have selected two Gentiles to one Mormon on each board J although the Mormons ars ar in inthe Inthe t the immense voting majority 3 In Idaho Idao citizens of the Mor mon man faith who observe the law against the practice of polygamy J Jare are shut out altogether from voting and office holding because they ar are I members of the Mormon Church And this discrimination is sought to be extended into Utah It is not for any alleged infraction of law that this denial of the rights right and privilege extended to other citizens is enforced it is simply be- be because because because cause they are citizens of the Mor- Mor Mormon Mormon mon faith The Democrat e Glo is wrong too in stating that the continued die discrimination against the Mormons Is ii in 7 lJ JustifIed by the facts of the situa sItua- situation sItuation situation tion either either as proven by the there port re- re report report port of the Commission or other other- otherwise otherwise otherwise wise The statement of that body about the alleged practice of poly poly- polygamy polygamy polygamy gamy is not proof It is not even evento evento evento to be dignified by the title of evi evi- evidence evidence evi- evi evidence dence It is nothing but but- rumor of which that body offers nothing in support It is clear from the further re- re remarks remarks re remarks marks of that paper that it justifies the withholding of the the rights and privileges extended to other citi- citi sens from the Mormons because of their alleged belief or recognition of a tenet This is not in accord with the statement that tha t every citizen of the Mormon faith who observes the law against again t the practice of polygamy is pro pro- protected pro pro- protected protected in the rights and privileges of citizenship in the same manner as other citizens are protected The conclusion of the Demo wot emo- emo crat as to the consequence of admit admit- admitting admitting admitting ting Utah as a State is as unwar unwar- unwarranted unwarranted unwarranted ranted as Its facts are incorrect It says We would have the spectacle ic in inan in inan an important community in a Chris Chris- tian tinn of the supremacy of a Church which is hostile to our laws There is nothing substantial on which to base nase this tills conclusion It is founded on the fallacy that in Utah Church and State are combined This untruth has been repeated by editors so often that it seems useless to contradict it so far as they are concerned Utah as 88 a State tate would not be under the supremacy of a aChurch aChurch aChurch Church because the Church does not claim they the right to dominate the State but on the contrary repudiates repudiates repudiates ates any such supremacy or con con- connection connection connection And further the Mor Mormon Mor- Mor Mormon mon Church is not hostile to the laws but is a strong and earnest supporter of the laws Jaws of the land making obedi obedience nce to them man man- mandatory mandatory mandatory upon its communicants This fray may be a Christian land landin in theory whatever it is in practice But it is not conceded that the th e system ot of government go here established established is sp specially Christian in inform i n form or designed designed ne to promote the th e Christian or any other religion Buddhism Como or any other ism is just as a afree afree s free in the United States if the th e spirit of the Constitution prevails But whether this be so or not the th e question of ot the practical supremacy supremacy supremacy acy of the Mormon Church h is inot i inot s not involved That organization can only gain supremacy by the th e potency of its principles and the th e L f i spectacle presented by such supremacy should have no bearing upon the question of Statehood We notice that the Demo Globe Demo R crat continues to ro repeat the ert tio that Mormons openly sided with ith the Gentiles at the recent municipal election and ga gave va that element element- victory element victory As there has been no re- re recent recent re recent cent municipal election and no DO open siding with the Gentiles on the part of members of the f Church the St Louis literary luminary is very much in the dark What a pity it is that the Ule writers for so 80 important a paper d P not use a little more caution in stat stat- stat stat-ing ing what they allege to ro be fau facts and andin andin andin in uttering what they wish the pu pub lie to think are cogent arguments argument i |