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Show SPECIFY THE CRIMES. An "Occasional Correspondent" asks The Tribune to demand from the Deseret Dese-ret News a specification concerning the "other crimes" besides drunkenness which It charges, by Its approving quotations, quo-tations, against the witnesses who, having hav-ing left the church, testified before the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. This Is a good demand. The Deseret News Is the olilclal organ of the Mormon Mor-mon church. It has republished from other papers, with every posslblo mark of indorsement, the charge that the apostates who were witnesses In the Smoot Investigation were dismissed from the Mormon church for "drunkenness "drunken-ness and other crimes"; and it has not hesitated to convey repeatedly by Innuendo, Innu-endo, and sometimes by direct language, that men recently excommunicated and testifying against the church (indicating (indicat-ing unmistakably those same witnesses) were cut off from the church for gross Immoralities. An "Occasional Correspondent" Corre-spondent" Is right In saying that the Deseret Newe should specify the particular par-ticular crimes which wore committed by jthose witnesses. When were the crimes perpetrated? When did the church find out that these men wore criminals? How long did the church protect them In their crime? How much did they pay per annum to purchase Immunity from tho church? Lot us havo all the facts, Mr. Deseret News. Let us learn what kind of a crime it Is for which excommunication Is considered a penalty. pen-alty. Not murder, surely because, according ac-cording to tho record, murderers have been protected In tho Mormon church after their crimes were known. Not embezzlement because embezzlers havo been protected In the Mormon church. Not violators of the moral law because these are tho men who are In chief authority, au-thority, and protect themselves by protecting pro-tecting other criminals. It Is not fair to the world to leave-this leave-this question In doubt. Tht Deseret News, If It had one spark of decency, ought to tell what particular crimes the witnesses against the church in the Smoot investigation had committed in order to provoke their excommunication. |