| Show irs LE I error r irza utah dec alst 1896 aider 13 H R roberts roberta centerville Cent erville utah xer IR brother rother there seems to be a arell defined and growing crowing idea among au an put portion of the thinkers of our thit that the leaders are eadd addling ling the fristed d with some things for w which he la Is W responsible the feeling exists that the me name of the lord jord is used too freely ahou pertaining to matters upon which ere ought to be charity charily the admitted alaan for unity in things essential lib jib oft tty tt y in things non but bat in all charity charily adema to have been abro at any rate that is in what a great A tty are re thinking because it appears to be for any man to express an opinion dissenting from the views of the acler lc ler without being threatened with sho ion ot of his ecclesiastical position and with the fear oi of concomitant complications in his big political or commercial fortunee whose theae things a are re ft fast destroying the but it of the people especially of the younger classes ol aase and if their faith is once chakow the they will have to live infidel and in all luman human probability reach the final amal resti beating tyr place believing that gods authority on the earth has been a phantom the cloak ot of designing men the true and best beat and only loyalty to the churek in the present unfortunate crisis seems to me to defend ibe right of free speech which whatever denial may be attempted is not dot a fact in utah at the 00 present time free speech may exist theoretically but not in lac fam to all intents and purposes I 1 have reason to that you stand in the front rank of the nobler thought in utah and because of your exceptional mental and physical qualifications ought to be the foremost champion of the poo people in their ability to govern their church instead of permitting its affairs to be entirely dominated as at present by a few A series of leading articles in the DESERET NEWS published at various times in november sets up the right of the church leaders specifying the first presidency to 10 make alter change or revoke the lawn of the church confirmatory fir matory of this view revoking it is to 10 be reasonably assumed the laws ol of the church with reference to the attitude of the first presidency towards civil aft affairs airs the NEWS NEWIS presumes to voice the sentiments of the body of the church in the declaration ree bee editorial of nov last that the election of a certain man mail referring to moses thatcher to the united 8 a es senate by the coming utah lAsi legislature slature would be an insult to the body of the church isay I 1 say presumes because it is impossible that the NEWS can have any means of knowing the sentiments of the body of the church although doubt ess fully and officially representing the view of one or two leaders the doctrine and covenants distinctly lays down the principle of church government by common consent a principle which ponce concedes dog the right of discussion and of dissent there can be no common consent if thi the people cannot dissent without incurring the displeasure ol of the authorities that thai dissenters dissented do incur this displeasure if they presume to dissent from the more mere whim of certain leaders you are probably as well able to testify tor doaa as any man in utah the philistines have been alter after you more than once if the first presidency has baa the right to change alter or revoke or make I 1 laws wall for the church common consent I 1 is is obsolete as an there can never exist t two wo supreme law making powers in any organization at one ode and the same time if the doctrine doc irine of common consent is in i true rue and god has so declared it and nothing can be done in the church with cut atit is only reasonable to imply that bat if the common consent is withhold there ere rests no authority in the first presidency to make alter change or revoke the laws I 1 am one of those who believe ever every man holding the priesthood to is responsible onal to god for the conduct ot of the affairs of the church and for its purity believing thus it becomes my duty daty to use whatever ability and influence I 1 may have in the suppression of wrongdoing wrong doing in the church regardless by whom done realizing that the liability to err la in as great in the presiding quorum of the church as in the lowest infallibility Is ia the gibraltar upon which absolutism absolu is ia safe but before which the pillars of liberty crumble to dust it is ia with profunda regret that I 1 find myself unable to accept the so called manifesto as the word of the lord or the policy that it is the duty of every member of the church to carry out on the oi 0 her hand band I 1 believe it is ia the daty of every man viewing the subject as I 1 view it to do all he can towards its repeal that you once held a similar position whatever change your views may have undergone since I 1 have every reason to believe because I 1 was present on april ath last the day after the manafi sto was read and adopted at general conference and alter after it had obtained your signature at the residence of moses thacher Tha oher in salt lake when you in connection with some others administered the ordinance of the sick bick to brother thatcher you will remember you were mouth ire I 1 reported the blessing in short hand sitting by the side of brother thatcher Tha loher and you then made use uee of the following language and now 0 god the eternal father in all humility we appeal unto thee in behalf of this brother and we uphold him before abee in our beans best beat love we ask abee our fatherty Fat father herto to remember alkhis all his faithfulness and devotion unto thee and to thy great cause in the earth to have respect unto this thy anand and to give unto auto us the life ot of this man and to the church of christ and this man a life of usefulness in the future oar father we will not let him boand we ask thee to have respect unto the ibe priesthood and authority which thou hat hast given unto us we ask thee to lo hear ou our r dp petition e tit ion in his hia behalf and 0 father do 0 thou bless him as in the name of jesus christ we bless him and way may health and strength be given unto him from this time lime henceforth that he may begin to mend and that thy power may rest upon him that he may become powerful and strong to plead tor for the rights and liberties of thy people to this end we petition thee and ask thee to bless this rhy thy servant and brother mows in the ibe name of the lord we say unto thee be thou made whole that thy recovery may begin from this hour and we command it jn in all humility but in the nadie namar of the lord jesus christ amen it to is evident that at this time your 0 opinion was that the liberties of the people pro were jeopardized Jeopardize dand and in view of the controversy then existing it is but fair to assume that these liberties were placed in jeopardy in your judgment by the manifesto which for reasons best beat known to you you had bad been led to sign it is in probably true that there exists in utah today a condition which makes it necessary or in your opinion advisable for you to hold in abeyance the opinions you OU honestly entertain on this sub denb bot 1 deot and the object of this tetter letter is not in any wise to influence you to reverse yourself my design is rather to point out the evil which cannot fail to develop to the people of utah and to the gospel of jesus christ by the continuance of a policy the tendency of which is so wantonly in the direction of the destruction of the faith of the young peo people plein in god the conditions heretofore dwelt upon make it almost impossible for this question to be fought out and settled in the church bebau ethe the NEWS apparently parent ly voicing the sentiments of the first presidency has laid down the principle that in them rests rents the authority to make alter change or revoke the laws it is helt bell evident that this is subversive of the rights of cf every member of the church annihilating the doctrine of common consent and reducing our membership to the position of mere automatons permit me however to suggest that the question may be determined quite effectively by the election of brother moses thatcher Tha to the united states senate believing as I 1 do that the great body of the church would feel honored rather than insulted ut at such auch a hap happy consummation your powers of botz body heart and intellect cannot better be utilized for the welfare of the young state of utah than in championing this cause before the legislature his election would be accepted by the self clent chent leader whose personal ambition to become the dictator of the church is in widely believed as a warning of the people that although their voice is in now impotent in the cou councils noile of the church in the affairs of state it is omnipotent wishing you the compliments of the se season aAson and with sentiments of high personal esteem I 1 am your year brother broiher in the gospel |
