| Show NOT A HURCH CANDIDATE 11 the outlook an undenominational paper published in new york in corn com common with other co temporaries feels exercised about the supposed political power exercised by the mormon Church 1 the result of the municipal election in salt lake city is taken as an evidence that that power is unbroken and that for the future it will be exercised in behalf of the church the outlook has this to say that president wilford woodruffs d demand at the october conference that mormons cormons should unite in politics was taken as more weighty than the light talk of an old man was shown in the results in salt lake city john dark clark the candidate for mayor of the citizens but a very devout mormon and the undisputed church candidate was elected by a small majority the geni gen i tile vote and the he independent vote were divided among three candidates all gentiles my mr dark clark was supported by the politicians whose names are always associated with church politics and the conclusion that the church elected him is well supported every gentile who was on the ticket with him was defeated every gentile who was on the other tickets was seriously i scratched and every running received a comparatively large vote the same result was seen all over utah agdens administration as well as salt lakes will be in the hands of mor mons though in each the gentiles form the bulk of the population the city council in each case by a majority of mormons cormons Mor mons shows a result of religious voting the tendency of mormons cormons to vote for men of their own faith has an important bearing on national affairs it is not improbable that next year a legislature may be elected in utah which will be so ao overwhelmingly mormon mon that a united states senator will be chosen who will give his chief allegiance to the church leaders the quotation Is another illustration of the tenacity with which even those who should be teachers among their fellow men will cling to prejudices of long standing misconceptions once established are not easily corrected that the church is a political power Is one of these lingering errors that ghostlike appear and reappear when least expected the whole argument based on the results of the municipal elections is ft a fallacy mr john dark clark was not a candidate of the church whether disputed or undisputed nor was he elected by church influence mr dark clark was the can candidate didace proposed by a committee of citizens who united for the sole purpose of for good city government in this committee were as many gen ge tiles as mormons cormons Mor mons both sides being represented so as to remove every just ground for the charge of religious partisanship mr dark clark was after some discussion decided upon not because of his religious affiliations but because it was believed that he was the candidate most likely to carry the victory the talk about a church candidate or church election is without foundation dat ion and so Is the rest of the allegations of the outlook in this connect ioa iou i the leaders odthe of the church and the members in common with all good citizens have an interest in the establishment of the best possible government in their settlements and in the state as in national affairs As citizens it Is their right and their duty to aid in the accomplishment of this purpose to tile the best of their ability they claim no n other rights if the mormons cormons merit criticism on this ground a growing class of voters all over the republic and that of the best beat element stant condemned too but they all are a constitutional ground safe as long as aa that instrument of liberty remains |
