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Show THE THIRD ACCUSATION. In addition to the charges made against the Mormon church that it practiced prac-ticed and fostered polygamy and polygamous living, and that ,it interfered inter-fered in and dominated politics, thero was a third accusation planted against the organization. This was that while the church was supposed to bo a religious re-ligious body, it engaged in commerce to the disadvantage of private' and of independent corporato interests. in-terests. It was claimed by tho Gentiles that funds collected by the president of the church, for the ostensible purpose of propagating the religious beliefs of the church, were diverged into commercial channels, rnucl to the detriment of all other concerns which sought to enter tho field of competition. This was so manifestly mani-festly unjust that a promise of reform re-form in this direction, on the part of the church, was made an item of the agreement upon which Statehood would bo promoted by the non-Mormon population here. Like the other agreements which were made, however, this one was broken by tho church leaders just as soon as thoy became comfortably saddled in thd power of sovereignty. While -the right of Apostlo Reed Smoot to' retain his scat in the Senate of tho United States was being investigated, ono of the chief witnesses beforo tho committee was Joseph F. Smith, president presi-dent of the Mormon church. He was on the witness stand at Washington in March, 1901. Concerning his business occupation, he testified that ha acted in the following-named capacities: . Prophet, seer, and rcvelalor. President of the Mormon church. Trustee-in-trust for the Mormon church. , President Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Mer-cantile Institution. President Stnto Bank of Utah. President Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company. President Utah Sugar Company.' President Consolidated Wagon anl Machine Compnny. President Utah Light and Powor Company. v President- Salt Lake Sr Los Angeles Railroad Company. President Saltair Beach Company. President Idaho Sugar Company. President Inland Crystal Salt Company. Com-pany. President Salt Lake Dramatic Association. Asso-ciation. President Salt Lako Knitting Company. Com-pany. Director Union Pacific Railway Company.. Com-pany.. . t ,. ; , Vicp-President Bui lion-Beck and Champion Mining Company. Publisher tho Dosoret Nows. Editor Improvement Era. Editor Juvenile Instructor, Since the president of the church gave thai, testimony there liavc been some changes in the list, tho church having relinquished somo interests and iSiken on others, tho aggregate remaining remain-ing about the same, a,ud, if anything at all, the capital involved has been increased somewhat. Ab one who is acquainted with the situation says, it is impossible to tell, when you aco the signature, 'Mosoph F. Smith, president," presi-dent," signed to a communication, whether you aro receiving notice of assessment or dividend in somo church commercial concern, or a notico of assessment as-sessment (never any dividend) from tho church ilself, or whethor it may bo notification to -prepare for a mission. mis-sion. So porfcctly and inextricably has Joseph F. Smith succeeded in entwining en-twining religion with sordid commercialism commer-cialism thai lo soparale the two in their present respective conditions would bo to destroy both. Tho church operates a job printing plant in this city, and it is a well known fact that its chiof occupation is tho printing of commercial statiouory for the church, a conspicuous line upon nearly all of which is "Joseph F. Smith, president." In the sugar business he has enlarged tho scope of his activities, being now president of tho Idaho-Utah Sugar Company, Com-pany, instead of the former Utah Sugar Company, llo is also president of a life insurance concern, having assumed that office sinco ho gave his testimony at Washington. hi all of thC30 business institutions moneys of the religious organization known as the (Jlmreli oi Jesus rise of Latter-day Saints aro invested. These moneys havo boon collected in dho namo of the Almighty for Iho announced' an-nounced' purpose of sustaining the principles of Mormonism as revealed 'through Joseph Smith, Jr. A standing tax' of ten per cent annually is levied for this ostensible purpose. Tho yearly income from this tax is approximately ap-proximately two million dollars. Most of this rovenuo is diverted to commercial com-mercial uses, contrary to the Statehood understanding, and in direct fracture of the contract tender which escheated church properties and funds wcro returned. re-turned. It is entirely unnecessary for Tho Tribune to go further in this matter of church commercialism. The mere array ar-ray of named concerns, with numerous smaller businesses not included in the list, is sufficicut showing to demonstrate the contention that the church is a commercialized com-mercialized body, and' to effectively refute tho denial of the Desorot News and other ecclesiastical agencies that the condition described does not exist. If a man wero to tell you that he was not engaged in business lhat he was not occupied with commerce, and had nothing to do with these and then should name over a score of concerns con-cerns in which he was president, or other officer, what would you think of him? And if that man wero primarily tho governing head of a certain organization, organi-zation, aside from which he originnlly had absolutely no source of revenue, and yet pretended that the aforesaid organization was not largely commercial com-mercial in nature, what would you think of his protensions? If any man of reasonable mind is able to conclude other than that the Mormon church is a commercial con- ! corn, in view of the showing, The Tribune Trib-une would be very glad to learn of tho process by means of which he can reason out his results. |
