Show ANSWER TO 10 F F. S S. S MUSSER My Myton ton Utah Mar 2 26 i 1924 Mr F. F S. S Mus cr My Myton ton Utah Dear Sir Your letter to me which was published in last weeks week's Free Press and Duchesne Courier was I thought sort of rambling and disconnected disconnected disconnected dis dis- dis- dis connected and some of or it was Irrelevant Irrelevant irrelevant vant and Immaterial It appears to tome tome tome me and I really believe it Ic appears to many others that you are trying to cloud cloud the Issue which is shall hall the school chool houses of Utah be used for tor religious p purposes But I am goh going g to answer all of your letter leller I considered and T Y now consider the Item Hem about the boy of 18 marry marry- j ing his nis step mother 43 49 a a. legitimate 1 m piece of news The Calito California nia papers I I the Salt Lake Tribune and I daresay daresay daresay dare dare- say many many eastern papers considered it legitimate news You say I am prejudiced Your memory is short or else you yon d do not want to ber Since this paper was established established established iu in 1915 I have published both hoth side of ot all questions ns and the II to J I ll r CS Will show 11 lI if 11 yuu you care 1010 iu LV take time to look I have given all the news Gentile Mormon Democratic Democratic Demo- Demo cratic Republican industrial in fact all the news all the tame t me without without without with with- out trying to lo favor a rend or punish punIsh punish pun pun- ish an enemy Just let me call your attention to some of the items reports reports re re- ports in full of ot stake slake and ward conferences general conferences priesthood meetings Relief society and primary benefit parties for missionaries missionaries mis mis- missionaries Mutual Improvement entertainments entertainments en- en sermons by apostles church notices edicts from from the presidency in short everything that I could get hold of Just a few weeks ago I reproduced from the Saturday Evening Post a long article praising Reed Heed Smoot one Of the big men of your church I published a full lull account of the one hundredth anniversary of the church When President Grant sent out olt a notice about aboul a change in the cut of L. L D D. D S. S garments I published that In last Sundays Sunday's Salt Lake papers was was' an article In which a high official tl declared declared declared de de- the church is sincere in its efforts to lo prevent polygamy N Next week I am going to lo re-produce re that will I know and you know If you but admit it that during all these years your people have not been discriminated against If I should clip out and paste together all the commendable articles published I I bout the Mormon church I I would woUla have a string siring that would reach from You here to the Salt Lake temple and so do all the readers of this paper Japer know it Just a n word about the brick bat I heaved at al the editor of the Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt relt Standard and others for not Ping p-Ping ln both sides If the said editors editor is s 5 not ahe abe to take care of himself ou should worry Yes indeed I remember about the I but really now American party dont don't beleve I used half halt of a front page Dont Don't you think that is covering cov- cov ering a aVIde wide VIde territory Neither did didI I publish the result o of the election the total total to- to In an obscure corner I gave tal lal vote vole and anel the majority for Mayor Nes en and put pul it il on the front page pagen n n the Issue of ot November 8 By the way I notice you poke a little fun lUll al at at atme me for spelling the name Nelsen instead of Nesten Mistakes will happen If It I had not corrected some in letter to me of ol the spelling your mistakes mistakes mistakes mis mis- there would have been more takes to talk about To quote the that quoted Let same words you first him who is guiltless cast casl the stone Then Then yo you begin a paragraph with wilh these words Now I am going to lo mention a few things about religion classes lasses And what did you say Nothing but bul just words Not Nol once did lid you put pul yourself on record aso as asto asto to o where you stand on the only question question question ques ques- tion at issue teaching issue teaching religion classes lasses in school buildings I note On Last Page Pago I I ANSWER TO MUSSER l E From Local Page what you say about the tho establishing of religion classes and seminaries inthe inthe in inthe the church for the purpose of supplying supplying supplying sup sup- plying Mormon children with training training training train train- ing along ethical moral and religious religious religious ious lines That is is' is perfectly all right Nobody objects to that as asfar asfar asfar far as I know In fact it Is what I think ought to be done not only in your church but in all ch churches I really agree with those educators who declare that the modern educational educational educational system is Godless I think morality and ethics should be taught in public schools But not Not Mormon nor Catholic nor Presbyterian r religion You say has been raised to the use of school rooms for nn any kind of religious purposes I Ido Ido Ido do not know ho how we of Duchesne Duchesne Duchesne Du- Du chesne county are going to io avoid such use so long as the fact remains that our school district is too poor to furnish school bindings and is compelled compell compell- ed to rent ch church buildings to hold school in Now Mr Musser how many churches do we rent Just a few I think And is It necessary to teach religion classes on school schooldays schooldays schooldays days I know of at least one church loka Iola where upper rooms are rented by the board of education for school purposes Yet if t I am m correctly informed the religion classes are taught In the school room Why not In the main auditorium auditorium audi audi- In the few communities in this county where th there re is only the church building the question should and can be satisfactorily adjusted It seems to me The building is occupied by the school only six or seven hours a day and only five days In In the week Plenty of time other than school time for religion classes But that is not the main question Shall religion classes be taught in buildings or rooms whether owned or rented bythe bythe by bythe the board of education That is the question The constitution of this state the laws of this state the attorney general the late A A. A C. C Nelson Nelson Nel Nel- son former state superintendent of schools and the present incumbent until he flopped all declare that it is Is' Is Illegal megal Where do you stand Are you In favor of it or not Now as to the Presbyterian preacher who was was' once principal of Myton l schools Did you ever hear any anyone one complain that he lie taught Presbyterian religion classes In school He sure did wrong In using in the presence of school schoolchildren schoolchildren children If he did I could mention men up high members of yo your r church who use tobacco but I refrain re refrain refrain re- re frain because I dont don't believe it belongs belongs be be- longs in this discussion Now let us us' us go back to the first paragraph of your letter just for a minute In that paragraph are these words I have been a regular reader of the Myton l FIte Press ever ver since pince It was first established i During that time I could not but notice a number of articles which I regard as being unfair to a majority of the people of the Uintah basin and Utah In another place you state I was not riot surprised to note how you bore hore down the words Brother Jensen and Brother Harrison I said to myself This is not a shaft aimed at Jensen Jensen and Harrison It is a brick bat heaved against my people R RI I knew you to be narrow harrow minded I prejudiced fanatical but I did not know that you are also two But you are Do you remember the theda da day clay that friend and my friend the late Bishop Charles J. J Va Wahl- Wahl hl- hl quist lay dead You Yon came to me and asked me to make malee a talk at his funeral I told you I would like to todo todo todo do It but I never had made macIe such a talk and begged off I probably should have done It I think Charles hares J J. J Vahl was one of the I broadest biggest men i ever met And Aud he lie has following in his footsteps foot foot- footsteps footsteps steps today a family J that will always stand just as high in the estimation of the people as he stood Too bad that there are not more men like and fewer men like you yon in tho the Mormon 1 church Then the great mass mass of Gentiles and Mormons Mor Mor- mons would at all times get along tine fine together Men like like you are all the time stirring up tr trouble truble uble But I T didn't finish what I started out to say During the time you ou and nd I were talking that day you took particular particular particular par par- pains to tell me that you rou at atone atone al' al alone one time thought I was not on tho the square but bul that since hearing Wahl Wahl- quiet quist and others speak so highly of me you had changed your mind The other day when we were standing stand stand- in ins ing out there by the side of the Free Press building talking about the as- as valuation of ot the bul building a i friend came along and knowing that you were assessing asked you if I Iwas Iwas Iwas was trying to get my valuation low low- ered You answered answered- him that I was not and that I was fair and square You are two faced Mr Musser So you have stopped your paper You remind me ofa small boy who got sore at his pal and wouldn't play in his back yard any more In your last paragraph you make a statement that sounds to me like a threat Lets Let's quote your exact words I am of the opinion that if you fail faU to change your policy many others who feel the same as I do will stop reading your columns The studied yet covered covered cov coy ered erect references you have printed print print- ed In the past deserve to be recognized in such a way Yes I expect to lose a few fe subscribers sub sub subscribers scribers but not many just fanatics like you Most of the Mormons whom I haVo have known these sixteen years are sincere and fair fall Hundreds hundreds Hun hun- are my friends and ancI will re remain remain remain re- re main my friends regardless of what you say or do Again let me deny your accusation that I am fighting the Mormon people people peo peo- pIe neither am I fighting the Mormon Mormon Mormon Mor Mor- mon religion but I am fighting lighting for obedience to and respect for the constitution and the law The same constitution and the same law made by Mormon people I am askIng asking ask ask- ing lug that you do cIo as you would be bedone bedone bedone done by If you care to discuss this matter further the columns of the Free I Press are open opert to you even though your article has not appeared in the theother theother theother other two papers you said you sent it to And please stick to the ques ques- J tion Tell us where you stand Are you in favor or are you not in favor of religion classes in iii school houses And I mean religion classes of any church Yours truly I I C C. C B. B COOK 0 o |