OCR Text |
Show THE TREMBLING OF THE KNEES. The Democratic address is a curious nnd rather feeble document. Those who drafted it evidently sought to make its tone as pleasing (or at least as little irritating) as possible lo the church authorities, au-thorities, this evidentli' in the despairing despair-ing hope of standing off the evident, purpose of the church manipulators from their almost openl3' avowed purpose pur-pose of forcing the Democratic party almost bodib into tho Republican ranks this year. But it won't? do; the Democrats Demo-crats are absoluteli' at the mcrc3 of the church this 3ear;- and it is evident that no morc3 is to be extended. Its fawning effort to show to the church leaders that their position compels com-pels them to keep out of politics is a clear admission of the whole position. For what does it amount to for the Democratic committee to put the political po-litical priesthood iu mind of repeated promises not to intorfere in politics, when that power of interference and control is admitted b3' the vcri address under consideration? Tho only possible purpose in this, therefore, is to beg the priesthood to refrain from exercising exer-cising this iear the power which it is admitted to have and which it is feared ma3 bo exercised now, as it has been in tho past. And the argument that "thero can be no recession" from the declaration of non-interference in politics poli-tics by tho church is futile, in view of tho fact that this interference has been constant in 3pitc of its disclaimers; this interference and control being manifest in conventions, campaigns, on election days, and triumphantly disclosed in tho election returns. And when wo recall the Musaer letter and the official outgiving out-giving of President Joseph F. Smith two years ago, whereiu ho called on the Saints to vote for their friends, urging tho defeat of tho American ticket, and meaning and strongly intimating that such voting must be for tho Republican ticket, we can not be in the least doubt of tho absolute, cringing hypocrisy of this Democratic address, nor of the dread of those who issue it of that very exercise of power against thorn which they deplore and seek to ward off. This address is in fact tho mere trembling trem-bling of the small donkey in the pros-enco pros-enco of the anaconda which is about to envelope and swallow it. But what puts it into the head of the writer of that address, in thi3 late day, that there is any intention on the part of the ecclesiasts to keep any decent promise or to redeem any word of honor? |