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Show THE NEWS ON THE HUMANITIES. The chnrch organ appoars to bo very soto upon tho school question. Conscious Con-scious that it represents tho less enlightened en-lightened and less progressive portion of tho community, it breaks into a passionate pas-sionate spasm onco in a while, such as it indulged in on Friday evening when it challenged tho comparison, from tho non-Mormon side, of the benefits to schools compared with tho Mormons. It spoke specifically for tho sectarian bigots and school men of tho Mormon church, and wanted to know whero their like was to bo found among the non-Mormons. We aro proud to say that the non-Mormon community docs not afford the like of theso Mormon soctanos, bosses, and bigots. Tho organ citos tho fact of tho institution of tho sectarian Mormon schools as on evidence evi-dence of the love of the Mormons for education, and invites a showing of what the non-Mormons havo done for the schools. The reply might easily bo that thero is a number of Christian schools in this Stato that aro doing excellent work. Thoy aro educating the Mormon j-outb as well as tho non-Mormon, and they aro not bigoted in their sectarianism; nor do they bring for- ward boosts for frauds and humbugs as great Americans, in comparison with Washington, Lincoln, and others that wcro truly groat. Tho Americans gavo to Utah, Stato-hood. Stato-hood. With this Statehood thero. was given from the Nation, which is an Amorican nation, whoso spirit and institutions in-stitutions the American party in Utah wish to bring tho .public sentiment here in accord with, a land-grant endowment endow-ment for tho public schools of Utah, whose valuo can bo stated only in millions of dollars. Tho Mormon Stato administration frittered away this mag-uificont mag-uificont donation of tho American people peo-ple to the schools of Utah by allowing the lauds which had been occupied froo of taxation for upwards of fifty years to be sold for a mere nominal prico, a srnall fraction of their real value-. And there was no compensating advantage by roquijing tho owuer to pay up the equitable sum that would bo duo from him by reason of tho taxation ho had escaped. J The Mormon sentiment hero has always al-ways been against freo public schools. Tho non-Mormons made it their first business, as soon as they made a little headway in Salt Lake City, to inaugurate in-augurate in such districts as thoy 1 controlled, con-trolled, freo schools, supported by public pub-lic taxation, to tho disgust and horror of tho Mormons residing in thoso districts. dis-tricts. Tho non-Mormons look hold of tho work of consolidating tho schools of this citj' under tho provision" of the law for such consolidation, and made of those schools a monument to tho altruistjc, public-spirited sentiment of the loyal American citizenship of this city. Tho Mormon sentiment has always been opposed to high schools; theso were practically put under the ban by the Stato Constitution, adopted by a convention the majority of whoso delegates dele-gates wcro Mormons. Even today in 1 Sal Lako City tho Mormon school board refuses to furnish free text books for tho high school, thus changing for tho worse the order established by the nonMorraons here in this respect; for in the beginning the high school of this city was made an integral portion of the school system, and was furnished with froe text books precisely as tho grade schools wero furnished. This change, hostile to the high school, is certainly to tho disadvantage of that school. It is to the disadvantage of tho poorer students also, because tho text books required in that school are more costly than those required in the grades. Tho backwardness of the Mormon Mor-mon control of tho schools is so patent to every one who knows anything about tho history of Utah that it is idle to arguo about it, Tho fact is self-evident, and the donial is simply au outburst out-burst of fanatical mendacity. The church organ also invites comparison com-parison "on moral grounds between tho leading men of the church, from tho Prophet Joseph down to our own da3', and tho prominent leaders of anti- 'Mormon' agitation, including thoso who recently clamored for tho impris-onuiont impris-onuiont of innocent men." "As to tho latter wo do not kuow who has clamored clam-ored for tho "imprisonment of innocent men"; nor do we know what anybody would expect to gain by such foolish clamor; for iunoccut mcu aro not to bo punished nndor tho law, cither by imprisonment im-prisonment or othorwisc. As to tho comparison between tho leading men of the church from tho "Prophet Josopli" down to our own da3 tho matter mat-ter is easily disposed of. Tho prophet 'Josoph, according to tho claims of tho loaders of tho Mormon church, was an adulterer and bigamist in tho Stato of Illinois, and was duo to bo punished by tho courts in that Stato for his lawless lifo in this respect. Of tho other leaders of tho church, Brigham Young appoars also to have beon a criminal undor tho law of Hlinois; John Taylor ovidontly tho samo; Wilford Woodruff a law-dcf3ing polygamist; Lorenzo Snow the same; aud President Joseph F. Smith has tostified under oath that ho has repudiated his pledges of honor and is living a criminal lifo, proforring to "tako his chances against tho law" rather than bo a law-abiding, exemplary citizon. Whou tho News can bring forward an' such a record of lawlessness, breach of faith, and repudiation of pledges of honor, against leaders of the Amorican party, as lie at tho doors of tho leaders of the Mormon church, then it will bo time enough for it to talk about comparison with other people "on moral grounds." No doubt the News finds it hard work to rest under the odium that it does in befriending Dlcdge-brcakers, de-ficrs de-ficrs of tho law, and porsons who lead criminal, adulterous lives. No wouder it froths over at times and makes of itself a spectacular idiot and buffoon in its scandalous mendacity and folly in treating of moral, spiritual, and decent de-cent relations among the people, and honest conduct among mankind. But it is tho organ of all that sort of lawlessness, lawless-ness, repudiation of honor, and tho accompanying ac-companying filth and debasement. It must occup3r the niche in which it is placed, and although it cannot help but bo tremendously uncomfortablo thero at times, thero is whore it belongs and there is whero it must stay. It is tho organ of depravit3r, dishonor, and organized or-ganized lawlessness, and it cannot escape es-cape the odium attaching justl3' to that organship. |