Show BISHOP TALBOT ON MORMONS One of the notable contributions to the discussion of Mormon church and political affairs In the tine west Is in Bish Bishop Bishop op Ethelbert Talbots new book My lly People ot of the Plains Just issued by Harpers The bishop writes from a along along along long experience In Utah Wyoming V and the mountain country countr generally Hero Here HeroIn HereIn In n Salt Lake he has long be ben bean n with v Hh Ith admiration and affection both hoth be bC because because cause ause of his personality and his great v ork as an Episcopal missionary bish bishop op fOp p What hat he thinks therefore is of in int interest terest t rest as coming conning from an authoritative source He prefaces his chapter en on the Mormons by saying that lint he has no means of knowing exactly how low far fr the practice prat lice of polygamy lies has prevailed since Ino the tho Woodruff oo manifesto tto in n 1590 but he lIc thinks it Involves less than S x per tent of the people Then he says besides tone tAle eccle ecclesiastical ecclesiastical antI and civil barriers barriera view sow W im imposed Imposed posed pos two to otter other considerations have lUie increasing weight In eliminating g tinY iu y T refer r fer first io to th the ton question Involved As th ti tile country Is becoming more thickly settled com competition competition petition lf and an 1 the tIle difficulties of living mikes makes increasing demand dem n 1 on ones re rc resources resources sources When one considers how much it costs the ordinary ordinal carpenter laborer mechanic clerk farmer former to lep b 1 p the th average m c American home wits with its Us regu regulation lotion lation number of children say one oni son sonid on add id one daughter and antI one wife It t bp he b bom tomes omos om evident eident that polygamy IB is a lux luxury luxury ury ur for the fow few only onh inside of Ator monism as it Is outside and that only the classes can eRn support lo homes hom s But n a 1 second and more potent iii lIi fluence is the effect of at 11 ant and contact conta t with American el Meanwhile many ot or the bright children sons Sens and daughters df dt the more pros prosperous prosperous porous families fire are being U sent east easl easlin eastin astIn in large largo numbers year ear by b year the t e young oung men to Yale Harvard Columbia ColumNa and the young women to Smith Vii YI nr ar arend ond end Wellesley W colleges However loy loyally IO loyally ally these people may ma cling to the re religious traditions of or their fathers It Is Js impossible to conceive of them as passIng pass passIng Ing four or five years In the tho atmosphere and companionship of Christian homes homos without being made to see sale s c by contact cott ct the Immeasurable difference In their environment Indeed those best quail qualified fled fied to know whereof they the speak as assure asUre assure sure Ure us that in the last decade l ca e there th re has been going on among the tho young oung women of Utah and the Mormon alle allegiance allegiance glance generally a growth of repugnance repugnance repugnance nance amounting in many man instances to loathing at the tho very vet idea id 1 of polygamy amy We Ye are also Informed that Hint the Ule young oung men are keeping pace with them In that lint regard As I 1 am writing this article the question of permitting Senator Smoot n It Mormon apostle but not a polygamist to retain his seat s t is now pending pon ng In Ir IrI InI Inis I is at least significant that no charges are fre brought against him as to the purity of his family life The leal real con contention of this investigation now going o 1 Is that Senator Smoot represents represent not hot the he people of Utah but the tho th Mormon lo hierarchy h and that he lie should be de debarred debarred barred from his scat in fin the senate be because cause h he was nS nominated no only anI after for formally formally mally asking the consent of or that hier hierarchy archy ardlY In other words It is claimed that Senator 8 Smoot is not a free hg nt but bui the tool of a powerful ecclesiastical Lady body within the body bod politic p llUc which is openly and an often orton defiantly upholding and oven Oen promoting flagrant violators of the law against living In polygamy lOI There was a time when polygamy was as the distinctive doctrine of or Mor 1101 Mormonism monism low XO it is rapidly becoming a athing athin tiling thing thin of the past It is being b relegated to the dark ages ag S As wo have already seen the coming hosts of f young oung men en anti women who will control its future vill rI no longer tolerate it ft Thy They have already scorned and amI repudiated d it I no not noto o 0 much because the law of hurh nil state Mate condemn it but hut because the tho law taw of or the tho human heart as sou as al that tbt heart has a little ray my of light shed upon It t also al o condemns ft it t Tine Th n inai with lore than one me wife is 13 h fast becoming an n object if t ridicule to Mormon girls The poor selves 1 8 themselves them elves are ar fit It objects of compassion compu slon The bright independent young oung women now coming forward and the tho th rank and file of the young y ng men alike despise It IL Wo We 0 may say 81 that the snake of polygamy among the tae t Latter day Saints is not only scotched but It has had Its day and is dead ia or ord dying d n Written before eor the debate on an eu Senator Smoots case cast this comment is peculiar peculiarly r ly 1 apropo apropos However Hoey r It fails to cover what thoughtful observers here ler both bothin in and out of the church regard re rd as ls the critical point in all the civil and reli religious religious religious controversy that has raged about the case anti ami that in the domination of in civil and and an political affairs Polygamy Is dying and doomed doom lI as the bishop says s s but the political activity of church l officials has never heeen more marked or pernicious than In 11 the last election In this state So Co 0 far as au the Democratic party is concerned its Us members have hac been boon practically dis dig disfranchised disfranchised franchised for the tho time being since their permission to vote oto for their party ticket is based on Republican pleasure So long as a state continues the controversy will ill remain unsettled and there seems little prospect pr of its ettle settle settlement j ment until the church itself Institutes the reform that will wilt give members of all ail parties equal rights In political af at affairs airs airsTile fairs TIle The Herald has recorded already its belief bellof that Senator Sen tor Smoot will vill retain his seat spat Ho He will be retained because the legal grounds of attack on him are arc flimsy films and because the tho Republican n p nn president and Republican managers are committed to his cause Hut But the retention of his seat scat will not settle the whole case because bec ufo Clio tho th conditions co un under under under der which he and amI his hs friends friends dominate the political affairs of Utah are arc dis distasteful distasteful tasteful and intolerable not only to but to a very large body bod of tf Mormons as well |