Show THE RIGHT WORD AT LAST in other years it was my pleasure to address many an audience in salt lake city and other towns in utah at the time of the breaking up of the old political cai conditions in the territory I 1 hoped believed and said the mormon people would show the country a model of quiet and orderly political action this belief was based upon the conviction that the mormons cormons were a sincerely religious people and that they would carry their morals into political conduct but when the division came I 1 was disappointed over and over I 1 had advised them never to say 1 I belong to the democratic party or 1 I belong to the republican party but to insist always that the parties belong to the people and should be upheld only so long as they secured the highest good and the greatest happiness of the people possible under existing conditions the new alignment came I 1 attended political conventions heard them opened with prayer heard the holy spirit importuned importuner to give all who were to participate wisdom and before the appeal passed the roof I 1 have seen men calling themselves saints become howling maniacs apparently in their party zeal and bondage my hope was broken my belief shattered as I 1 saw among the mormons cormons a worse political frenzy than I 1 had ever seen in the older east from that time I 1 have taken no interest in utah politics when this nonpartisan non partisan movement was started I 1 thought possibly a sincere work was to begin whose result would be the elevation of the people out of the gutter of political rant and fustian into sober earnest thoughtful work for the good of the whole people but up to the present time no word was emphatically spoken that convinced me that it was not merely another party working for selfish ends my position will be better understood when I 1 affirm that no man is a moral or if you please a religious man who keeps his religion and morality only for church services who uses them only on fast days and in prayer meetings A mans religion and id morality are a sham if he does not carry them into all the affairs of life and in none of those affairs do we need a strong moral force more than in the conduct of that general political business that constitutes the government of our cities and towns and state it religion and morality are good for foi anything any anywhere where surely they should be never forgotten where a few have at their mercy the well being of the masses I 1 do not like to ao step in the dark not knowing where my foot shall fall I 1 do not like to espouse a cause until I 1 know what it Is I 1 have waited for this nonpartisan non partisan move to show its hand in an intent to infuse a higher tone into politics I 1 cannot tie to a man who uses language that Is like watered alak never constant in shade and meaning I 1 want to hear words that can mean only 0 one e thing in any effort at reform wilford woodruff to Is the man who has at last risen to the majesty of the occasion and delivered himself on the subject in no uncertain sound ile he has put to sh shame ame the wild unholy conduct of the people as politicians and most mint forcibly reminded them that to obtain the blessings of their invisible head they must carry their religion and morality with them at all ti times mes into their business into their politics into their municipal and state and nai na i dional government there is no need to apologize for the utterances of this venerable man there is no weakness of old age in them they are the bravest and best words that have been uttered here in a long time and it would be well if every moral and spiritual guide were to take as bold a stand before his people it is carping and cant to insist that the presidents words are a command to the people as to how they shall vote if it is a crime or a misdemeanor to utter such speech to a church then is ia morality banished from business and government and city state and nation must go on and down in a wild devils dance to destruction I 1 am glad pres ident woodruff has spoken he has made the way clear for me and be lieving that his language will do good I 1 am again hopeful for utah politics I 1 thank wilford woodruff for his brave words and I 1 pledge myself iq in such work as I 1 can do to help the present effort in political reform to win 4 a grand success CHARLES ELLIS |