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Show FALSE SELF-EXCULPATION. So the Dcsoret News now proposes to show that the church of which it. is the journalistic spokesman does not interfere in politics, by quoting tho church itself. When a irnin is charged with crime, he usually' enters a plea of not guilty; but tho court refuses to take his word for it. Tho samo course ip ncccssaiy toward the Mormon priesthood, for the reason that its principal dependence is untruth, told to shield .itself and lo cover the nakeduess of its own criminalities. Upon this particular occasion the News reproduces tho several paragraphs in Iho April manifesto of lhe church, which pretend to concisely state its position in matters which immediately concern tho Stato. Wo will quote them, and make shorl comment upon thorn, as follows: "The absolute separation of church and State." Affairs of State are uuder discussion at church headquarters qu every day in the week. There, and in the temple moctings, plans are formulated formu-lated under which the presiding high priests of the Mormon church seek lo place church men in control of the business and politics of lhe State. It was at one of theso meetings that it was decided to give to an apostlo of the church a Scnatorship of tho United States. This has been confessed by Joseph F. Smith, president of the organ iza lion,, and Reed Smoot, one of tho governing apostles of tho cult, who was made Iho recipient of the political ofiico named. "No domination of the Slate by lhe church." Proof of tho falsity of that profession is had iu the fact that in Salt Lake City, whore the Gentile population popu-lation predominates, the Mormon church hns been ousted from its political politi-cal power; while in all other pa'rls of tho commonwealth the church domi-I domi-I nates all concerns of the State. Tho official personnel of all State institutions institu-tions is principally Mormon, tho small non-Mormon percentage being suffered in order to. give some slight color to the hypocrisy put forlh in this particular announcement of the first presidency. "No church interference with the functions of the State." Tho State of Utah is supposed to prosecute all in-fractions in-fractions of State statute. The hicrarchs confess openly to continued law breaking; but the ecclesiastical ma-chinciy ma-chinciy is utilized to interfere with this certain function of tho State, to the end thai the supposedly divine criminals aro not prosecuted; so that they aro protected in their lawlessness; aud so that the State is set in a position po-sition of incompetence to deal with the offenders. "No Stale interference with the functions of tho church, or with the free exercise of religion." It was entirely en-tirely unnecessary for tho church to make this declaration. Tho State does not attempt lo interfere with tho church nor with the free gxerciso of religion. re-ligion. There would seem lo be somo ground for complaint on the part of Iho church in Ihis respect, if the State of Utah were possessed of its natural powers; because the high priests of the Mormon, church claim that crime against the State is a part of their religion. As slated before, the State is unable to prosecute this crime because be-cause of the interference of the church; but oven if it were in a position po-sition to do so, there would be no interference inter-ference with religion, for the reason that the thing whichthc ecclesiasts declare de-clare is religious belief is not recognized to be such by the Stale, but is officially construed as crime. "The absolute freedom of the individual indi-vidual from tho domination of ecclesiastical ecclesi-astical authority in political affairs." There is not au election conducted in this State or in an' political subdit vieion of this commonwealth, in which j the church does not dominate lhe indi- vidual members of its organization in their politics. The latest example of this occurred last fall, when tho church I authorities authorized the Jotters of j Elder A. Milton Musser, calling upon all Mormon Democrats lo vote the church Republican ticket. Likewise is the proof of such individual domination shown in "the editorial iu the Im- j provement JCra, published over the personal per-sonal .signature of the president of the church, which voiced a practical command com-mand to tho individual to disregard parly lines ayil in vote for Iho church candidates. And. if no other evidence wore in existence concerning t J1I3 thing, tho political manifesto of the church, which' officially forbids men to aspire to ofiico, or to enter into the sphere ol" political activity, without first consulting with and obtaining the j consent of the higher authorities of ' the church, is in itself sufficient to ! prove the falsehood of tho latest church ' pronouuccmciit. Further than that, too, j is the assertion . of . Joseph V. Smith' that "if a -man says yuu can direct! me spiritually but not. temporally, lie lies in the presence of God. "The equality of all churches before the law." Every ono of the" propositions proposi-tions hero previously set lorth ny The Tribune brands Ihis last u being ultcrly' without foundation in fact. -1' the Mormon church claims polygamy nnd polygamous living to be lonets of its faith, and both being contrary to law and unpunished on account oi the political power of the church, then there is that inequality before tho law, at least. If the Mormon church dictates the politics of the State, then that is also an inequality. If the church names political office holders wherever it has the power to do so, then is Hint also an inequality. The Mormon church claims to possess the only authoritative organization in lhe. whole world; it pretends pre-tends lo have for its head tho Almighty himself. Under that pretension there is no possibility of there being oqitality before the law or elsowlicre. Tho Iroublo is that lhe whole mass of declarations by tho church arc false from beginning to end, except where Ihey confess to the church culpability, culpa-bility, nnd it is useless for the Nows Lo quote them in any attempt, to prove anything whatever. |