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Show THE TITHES FOR. POLITICS. Tho News last night published a communication com-munication from a lady, E. .T. D. Roundy, with respect to tho tithing. This communication com-munication is directed to the general proposition of the payment of tithing of old and in successive ages; it beginning be-ginning with the statement: "A good deal has boon said by irresponsible people who do not know, or caro, apparently, appa-rently, to know the truth pertaining to the tithing paid by members of the church." That is the point exactly. Tho fact is that nobody save the inner controlling priesthood knows the truth about the tithing and about what is done with the money. The lady writing to tho News knows no more 'about it than The Tribuno does, and apparently, in somo respects, not as much. For sho states that "thoTO is not one word of truth" in tho statements mado in Tho Tribune with respect to tithe money being be-ing used for campaign funds. At least, that is the inference we draw from her language as to what sho means, although al-though we confess that tho language is a little indefinite in this as in other portions of her communication. She appeals to the Democrats who aro members mem-bers of tho church as persons "who know their' honored leaders, although they may differ with some of them in political views, know they arc "men who havo never been guilty of The Tribuno accusations, no matter what 'gentleman' may be their informant." Now, we submit that that is precisely what the Democrats do not know. Neither docs the lady know who writes that communication. She mereb' takes the matter on trust, without having any knowledgo of her own about it. And why is the defense of the titho mas-tors mas-tors left to a woman? And why is it intimated in-timated that wo "do not caro to know the truth" about the tithes, when that is precisely what for years we havo been trying to find out. As a matter of fact, the statement of the payment of a very large campaign cam-paign fund to the Republican party by the church in Utah was openly made by a speaker who had excellent opportunity oppor-tunity to know what he was talking about, in a speech made in this city nearl' four j'cars ago. The statement was never denied. Others have stated more recently that the titho funds aro used for campaign contributions for tho Republican party; and there is a clear plausibility in tho statement of such use, when wo see that an apostlo claims that Smoot has "vindicated tho gospel in tho halls of Congress." The Tribune does not claim to know these things; it merely rohearses them from the speech referred to, and from other information received from time to time. Wo do not know tho sources from which our informants get their information. But tho spenkcr referred to certainly had exceptional opportunities opportuni-ties to know what he was talking about, and wo believe, ho did know, in gon-eral, gon-eral, however, it is the,, htost difficult thing in tho world to know just what is received on tithe account and what is dono with tho money. But one thing is absoluteb' certain, and that is that tho writer of the communication to the News takes her information on trust, without hnving any personal knowledge whatevcr about it. Therefore, her statements state-ments carry no weight. But if all is so honest and right with the tithe money, wlvy this desperate determination not to make any accounting for it? The News, as usual, endorses the communication without giving any support sup-port to it, and sets up a howl about tho futility of "declaiming agaiust conditions that may havo existed years past long ago. nB if they existed now." But there never was a time when the existence ex-istence of those conditions was not ui fervently and strenuously denied as now. The Tribune in the old. fight, thirty odd 3'oars ago, mado like accusations with respect to the improper use of the tithing fund. Those accusations were strenuously denied. The like accusations accusa-tions are denied today. But the News now admits that formerly those conditions condi-tions existed. But at that time the News denied with the utmost fierceness the existence of those conditous which it now admits. Thirty years hence it will vory likely admit that those conditions con-ditions existed during tho year 1908, but by that timo will havo passed away. And so it goes right along; tho admission of them comes about thirty years late, but tho conditions exist just tho samo right, along. Tho News also donics that thore is a hierarchy. It is simply a quibble on words on its part, because tho dictionary dic-tionary definition of tho word hie-rarclo- as "a body of priests entrusted with government; n pacred body of rulers," rul-ers," or "a form of government administered admin-istered . solely by tnc priesthood and clorgy," applies with absolute precision and exactitude to the priesthood of tho Mormon church as rulers of a temporal kingdom, President Smith going so fnr as lo donounco as linrs those of his sect who deny his right to temporal rule. To deny this temporal rulo-i3 to don' tho facts, and to deny the authority, au-thority, the functions and practices of tho Mormon priests. But, of course, it is nothing for the News to deny the truth and to undertake to cram lies down the throats of tho public. In all this matter tho Nowb' simply pursues its old waj' of being a public deceiver and thorough-going falsifier. Tho crowning hypocris' of the News, however, is in its affectation of concern for tho progress of tho city nnd pretense pre-tense of regret that tho town is not growing faster; when tho fact is that Salt Lake nover grew as it is growing now, this "strife" being good for it; and tho News has been a Btrenuous foo from away back of the city's progress. It nevor wanted Salt Lake to grow exoopt as tho priests could control con-trol that growth; and never wantod auy but "Saints" to come hero to live. What hurts it beyond expression is to soo this city becomo freo and independent, inde-pendent, throwing off forever the priestly priest-ly chains. |
