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Show o SMURTHWAITE AND THE CHURCH Indications point to the dlsfellow-shlpplng dlsfellow-shlpplng of Charles A. Sniurthwalto, one of tho members of tho Quorum of Seventies of Weber stake. The matter mat-ter for which ho will bo tried by his brethren on March 22, Is contained In an open letter which appeared in both morning papers on Wednesday last. In this letter ho denounces tho president of tho Mormon church as a man unfit for tho exalted position ho holds. Tho languago used Is emphatic and It is fair to presumo that tho offender of-fender will bo excommunicated. This letter Is too lengthy for reproduction re-production in these columns. Brlofly stated It declares President Smith unworthy un-worthy and sets out tho writer's reasons. rea-sons. Moral incompetency; wilful violation of law; a desiro to suppress and an actual suppression of free 3peech among members of tho church ; using tho church as a means of augmenting aug-menting his private fortune and endeavoring en-deavoring to usurp monopolistic commercial com-mercial functions aro alleged. In addition ad-dition to these, several doctrinal allegations al-legations aro made. Supplementing tho written declaration declara-tion Mr. Smurthwalto says: "I am merely taking a stand against a religious tyranny, which Is worso than anything since tho days of tho Reformation, which is contrary to tho constitution and tho spirit of our government. gov-ernment. I maintain that under tho presidency of Joseph F. Smith freedom free-dom of speech Is denied to mo in my quorum of seventies. I maintain further that cveu an apostle is denied liberty of speech in his own church. Under this rulo, a member of tho Mor-mon Mor-mon church Is refused political and commercial freedom. I bellovo tho members of tho church should unlto to freo themselves from this tyranny. If wo can get freedom of speech within our church, tho rest will follow wo will bo able to speak our minds In political po-litical conventions and wo will not bo Interfered with In commercial pur- a suits. Tho religious tyranny is tho key to it all. If wo can rid oursolvcs from that, tho rest will follow." It is but reasonable to siipposo that tho charges made In tho letter will . bo considered ns heresy, puro and I simple, by tho church authorities. And i so far as that goes no ono will con-, con-, test tho right of any church to discipline dis-cipline its members for heresy; oven to excommunicating them. Good mon and bad mon havo been oxcommunl-. oxcommunl-. cated beforo this and good mon nnd , bad men will continuo to be excommunicated. excommu-nicated. But there Is an allegation made In tho letter that affects, not only Mr. Smurthwalto, but every man and woman wo-man In tho state. Ho charges the head of tho church with threatening him with flnnncial ruin' should ho attempt at-tempt to cngngo In a business In which tho head of the church or tho church itself was nlrcady engaged. Quoted verbatim tho allegation Is: "Permit mo to remind you that, last summer somo tlmo, I related to you tho substance of an Interview had by Elder Richard J. Taylor and mysolf with President Josopn F. Smith (nt his request) in rotation to tho salt business1, wherein, In substance ho expressed his astonishment that, being be-ing brethren, wo should go into busi ness In opposition to them (tho church), and that they would "ruin" us by cutting prices of salt, or by other methods If wo porslstcd. Wo woro thus between two certain disasters: disas-ters: First, ruin by tho church if wo tried to compcto; second, ruin of that business If wo closed down. On that occasion, as I detailed to you I believe be-lieve that It was tho morning after tho Interview tho remarks and spirit of President Smith woro such as to con-vlnco con-vlnco mo of two things, I. o., that ho Is not a good man, and consequently cannot bo a prophet of God, nnd that tho church should not bo engaged In business at all, a proposition to which you gave your acqulesonco." Many peoplo commend tho material system of work In tho Mormon church. It was designed, ns wo understand It, for tho purpose of spreading tho teachings of tho church In this and other lands; for tho recomponso of Us principal officers; of-ficers; for oxponso.of printing and disseminating dis-seminating tho principles taught; Tor the construction and maintainanco of church and school buildings and for tho caro of Its needy. Other churches have similar policies, but tho Mormon -jfl church hns over confined Its eollec- 81 lions to its own nicmbors whllo oth- S.I crs havo assessed saints nnd slnnors lll alike. Tliero Is nothing wrong in such Ifll n plan and no ono will find fault with if it. ! Rut wo havo no sympathy with a system designed to ralso funds for lf tho purpose of entering tho commcr-clnl commcr-clnl field to tho exclusion of tho mom- hers of a church, or of nny ono olso In tfl fact. And wo hold it to bo roprc- ffH hcnslblo conduct; conduct that do-serves do-serves tho most slinging rcbuko for any church odlclal, or odlclnls to so ' ' enter a field and deny tho right of Its members to protest on pain of oxcom- $1 muulcntlnn. Such a policy, If followod 11 out, would mean absoluto and uttci 11 ruin, not only to tho mcmborshlp ol liH tho church, but to tho community In which tho church is situated. I'l If and wo say this advisedly if President Smith told Smurthwnltc i'l what tho latter avers ho did; that ho, I'l Smith, would ruin him if he, Smurth- 11 walto, entered tho field ns a compctl- i tor in tho snlt business, that Is a mat- ? tcr In which not only aro tho members il of tho Mormon church Interested, but rail ovcry person In Utah. Becauso If the iil church or Its ruling authorities can cocrco ono man Into re- ''' training from entering Into compctl- ilfll lion with It, then It can coerco its ul membership from buying of any rival Kl It may havo whether mado up of non- fil members or membors. In nny church with tho possible exception of tho Mormon church; ana t'l wo sny this advisedly too should a f layman, or a minor odlclal, mako such it Ll a chargo against his superior, the 11 modo of procccduro would bo to In- I'l vcstlgato tho allegations for tho pur-poso pur-poso of ascertaining their truth or falsity. If truo, then tho guilty per- il son vou!(Lbo punished as provided by f'l canonical law. If innocent tho party ff-l making tho allegation would suffer. 111 Truth thinks in this caso President f'l Smith owes it to himself, his church and this community to domanil an in- f vcstlgation beforo trying Smurthwalto i'H on tho charges of heresy, Insubordlna- i'H Hon or any other charge. To refrain SlH from such action is to tacitly admit iiH tho truth of tho charges, and to admit H thorn is something that materially af- 'll fects all of us who live In Utah. ,11 The peoplo of this state aro Interest- fjf ed in this part of this question. It Is llH beyond tho palo of church discipline. So far as tho horcsy matter is con- 11 corned wo havo nothing to offer. IH l- i , , Smurthwalto may bollovo President ' Smith inspired, or contra, jtmt as ho ' thinks, and wo will not question tho right of tho church to discipline him 4 for his holiof, or the lack of it. That s t, is r problem tho church alono has : i , ' tho right to solvo. But wo again rc- ,i ' " peat that to threaten a man's business J unless ho sits supine nnd permits tho f j S church to monopolize tho commercial ' ; , !: affairs of tho community is a matter ,f (' that cannot pass unheeded by any ono; j f 5 that every one Is directly interested. ; Truth believes In tho teach- I' ' f lngs of tho Nazarcno. It believes in ij " ' tho policy Ho followed when No en- ,' if- tcred tho tcmplo and scourged tho . ' ', , money changers and overthrow tho ' ' . scats of them that sold doves; it bo- t lloves that church work and commor- J ' t ciallsm havo nothing in common; that ' ' . . " r man, much loss a church, cannot sorvo . ' s ' , : God and Mammon at tho samo tlmo; ;j ' j ; that Christ was right when Ho said: 1 , ' ' r ,: "Tako theso things henco; mako not j . . ; my Father's houso a house of mer- ; . , chnndlso." |