| Show PUNISHMENT FOR OPINIONS I The proposition to punish the Mormons I by dlsfranchisement and otherwise for offenses I of-fenses which it is alleged they may commit nt some future time if opportunity should occur recalls the familiar words of JKITEU BOX Bi UKK MIKABEAU and others on the subject of religious persecution Their words showing that men arc not amenable to the law for the opinions they are supposed to entertain nor liable to any political disabilities by reason of thorn would be mere commonplaces now yet we behold today the spectacle of a great party In a great nation gravely discussing tho advisability of disfranchising tha people of the most lawabiding community in the nation for fear they may tin some I distant period attempt to legalize polygamy polyg-amy Reason stands aphast such a proposition prop-osition and we are led to doubt that the leaders of the party referred to ever read the words of the great defendersof human liberty named above pere was MOSES MENDELSSOHN for example ex-ample who died in 17bt This Jewish philosopher phi-losopher of Germany at a time when his people were in about the same condition to which certain mad politicians propose to bring the Mormons wrote in this strain One of the greatest problems of politics is to determine the proper relations between be-tween church and state between civil and religious rights so that they may not encroach en-croach upon one another nor become burdens bur-dens of our social life encumbering it with greater difficulties than attach to it naturally natu-rally Church and state both have the mission to further human happiness each in its own way Neither church or state has any right to prevent any man from enjoying en-joying the free exercise of his opinions Naturally the state has no right to exclude ex-clude any person from the enjoyment of political rights on account of his religion because properly speaking if each will cultivate its own premises there can never be any collision between church and state Neither church nor state has any right to arrogate to itself in matters of belief any l further right than the right to teach any I further power than the power to convince any further < weapon than the weapon of reason II the President by his suggestion that those who believe in the rightfulness of polygamy should not have the power to mtilte it lawful moans that a constitutional guarantee of some Kind should be placed in the constitution of the proposed state of Utah no one here will make any objection No one needs fear that when the Mormons declare they will obey tho law that they are not in earnest in the matter Their enemies know too well how earnest the Mormons are aud are now trying to deprive de-prive them of the opportunity of living so strictly within the law that no further fault can be found with them The scheme is to proceed against the Mormons at once to deprive them of all the rights of citizens and many of the rights of man to the end that a small ring of patriots may fill the offices in Utah The plot will fail |
