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Show ITS BR-AZEN DENIAL. The Boston Herald, having stated in connection with its review of the Presidential Pres-idential candidates in the Rocky Mountain Moun-tain belt that, "the Mormon church, is doubtless a factor' the church organ last night mado a disclaimer with respect re-spect to the church in tho following words: The Church Is not a political factor in any State, much less In a belt of States, uny more than is any other church. The Latter-day Saints, as citizens, have their political preferences as other citizens, and tho Church docs noL lntcrefero In any way with them. It is tlmo for tho press of tho United States to cease talking nonsense non-sense about "Church" lnfluenco In politics. poli-tics. In view of the diamond cinch which tho church, authorities have upon the politics of Utah and the controlling voico which, thoy have in the politics of Idaho, Wyoming and Arizona, and their strong political influonco in Colorado. Colo-rado. Nevada, Oregon and Montana, ( all of which gives Smoot his standing stand-ing and pros ti go in Washington) it takes a good deal of affrontery in the church organ to make a denial like that. It is not yet four .years since tho presidents of tho stakes of thc Mormon Mor-mon church in this county not only controlled thc votes of their Democratic Demo-cratic followors hero for the local Republican Re-publican ticket, but denounced as traitors trai-tors lo their church nn3r Democrats who would refuse to vote tho Ropubli can county ticket. At tho time that thoso presidents were indulging through their church authority in this rigorous control of tho votes of their followers, there was no question in tho mind of any ono of them, that they had thc full authority and right thus to control thc votes of tho members of their church. It is true, however, that ono of thoso presidents weakly suggested that the Republican members should bo counseled coun-seled (that is, in effect, commanded,) to voto tho Democratic ticket. But this found no favor with tho other four presidents, who were Republicans in their way. and the 'Democratic president presi-dent was incontinently sat down upon. And the church, Democrats gavq their votes to tho Republican ticket. It, will be remembered that when tho "prohibition war" was on hardest in this State, Prcsidont Joseph P. Smith, who- was understood to -bo pledged to prohibition, had to loavo the State and go to the Sandwjeh Islands to got away from the importunities. Ho did not dare to counsel tho legislators to voto prohibition, because of a letter which ho had received from Apostle Smoot, his emissary in the U. S. Senate, declaring de-claring that 4tthc interests" had sustained sus-tained him in his scat, and lhat it would not. do for Utah to go back on thoso interests, among which the liquor interests had to be counted. And Smoot being an apostlo, the special agent of the church in the Senate, President Smith was obliged to go into hiding and refrain in Smoot 's interest from carrying out tho political )rogramme that he had in mind. No one has ever doubted his ability to put through that programme but tho trado of thc Federal Fed-eral bunch with thq liquor interests, and tho Smoot bargain with tho liquor interests, s'hut off what was understood' under-stood' to bo President Smith 's prohibition prohibi-tion programme. Thus the- action of Utah was mado a shuttlecock between church interests. Jt will also be remembered that in thc campaign of 3001 when tho American Ameri-can party was organized, tho then chairman of the State Republican Committee, Com-mittee, announced that for every Republican Re-publican that left the party to join tho American Tanks he wo,uld get four Democratic Mormous to voto the Republican Re-publican ticket; and ho did it. The control of the votes of the Mormon Mor-mon church membership by tho ec-clcsiasts ec-clcsiasts of that church is so well known and so thoroughly demonstrated, demonstrat-ed, that it is astonishing to see such a brazen denial made as that quoted above. |
