| Show or OF SENATOR EX DUBOIS WN W N I 1 I 1 J I 1 what is evidently a somewhat care aty prepared interview with hon jred T dubols dubois ex united states senator from idaho appears in the tribune trw morning in it that gentleman discusses with some degree of both frankness and thoroughness the vexed question estion of erf ecclesiastical interference in matters by the authorities f we e marm mormon on church and in effect 6 qa his testimony upon the matter Du duboiss bolAs as candidacy for reelection election re the united states senate was the It abject eject of a prolonged and bitter contest in which each side resorted to every permissible method for adding to its ita strength the mormon element in th the state of idaho cut an am important figure in the struggle and mr dubois was in an admirable position to fudge of the degree decree to which ecclesiastical influence properly so called was exerted his testimony acquitting thac tha mormon leaders of the charge of exer rising ising illegitimate control in politics Jg therefore of peculiar force and value wre here is the interview entire the change clua nare from the old condition W church achta ch solidarity was not iastan nor could it be expected by ay other process than that of evalu 10 alow at tithes and at times al hot seeming to pause or even to ret 41 fade 1 but in the lapse of years a steady movement toward thread of perfect political liberty fol the men and women who give theia allegiance church looking fe over the campaigns of recent arg the mark of individual action is biars adult upon every import 17 adit nt font in the states where mor abba in sufficient numbers to their political action noticeable 1 I wah will not question that strong men 61 church of more or less assert sett their views in such fc woy as aa to make an overshadowing influence upon the minds of some of their followers in sonie some cases this even be a matter of calculation among the lead ift often men and ln many other cases it 10 ke be but the result of enthusiasm aa M ta political controversy wh which ach as it SMs grows wamer farmer and warmer toward its rif osey makes greater and greater ex upon the intense spirits on both h out 36 ut in the main the leading men vr 1 l the atie mormon church so BO far as my goes have abstained from 1 Jd kIAt ecclesiastical authority in akie guidance of political el events vents and lv been content to either remain det or even silent in politics fiedel fie at moat tot assert meki aad A ad even to iz those mose cases aher a charge of church interference would justly lie it if at all it to la a matter of congratulation that the people have expressed their own individual opinions in their party councils and at the ballot boxes and have neither sought nor heeded the attempted control of political matters by ecclesiastical power my own observation Is that minor church officials are more likely to attempt the use of this influence than are the preside presidency ncy or apostles I 1 call to mind two or three instances where men holding local authority in the church attempted to sway their local elections by invoking the names of the leaders of the church and when confronted by a demand for positive proof were compelled to acknowledge that they had no such instructions from church headquarters at salt lakei kakei in my own fight in idaho for reelection election re to the senate it was a notorious fact that some local hurch church C officials flIci als in that state and even some of the leaders of the church in salt lake desired to defeat me the remembrance of that desire and ana urgent and somewhat extraordinary action which it prompted is not so lasting with me as the remembrance of the magnificent way in which the young mormons cormons in idaho in many instances rallied to my support and worked boldly and manfully for the vindication of not only the principle which they thought I 1 represented in national affairs but for the maintenance of political freedom within the commonwealth my own impression is that the church having renounced the purpose of dictating to its members in political affairs does n not ot as a church now seek such dictation and that the fight for church control and the fight against church control as it was formerly waged are alike forever ended in utah and idaho A ground for such faith is found in the known wisdom of the mormon leaders and in the superb individual strength of a majority of its followers of all the people in the world the mormons cormons should feel a devoted allegiance to certain political principles principles now under vital consideration in this country coun tTy the enfranchisement of mankind is dependent upon a reversal of that decree which has gone forth in all the lands of civilization in behalf of the gold standard and in an essential sense the intermountain states are particularly pendent dependent de for their progress upon a restoration of the unlimited right of silver to free mintage on terms of equality eq with gold A community y whose entire teachings and experiences have tended to show that general ge poverty is an unnecessary condition will not now be weaned away from that political doctrine whose effects when carried into law will be the amelioration of the condition of toll the giving of work to workers and the insurance of proper rewards while I 1 was in the east I 1 heard hear d a great deal of talk concerning utah and the surrounding states where the mormon people are particularly strong there seems to be an impression among some of the gold standard advocates and some republican politicians that the leaders of the church will carry utah and idaho particularly and perhaps other states over into the republican column either this year or in 1900 I 1 have invariably expressed the belles belief that the leaders of the church will make no such attempt that they w will III not seek t to coerce their followers an and d that the flowers 6 will possess and will determinedly inelly exert their individual freedom to carev out their views and that tha under these thes circumstances it is an assured fact that so far as the mormon people are concer concerned ped tho inter mountain mount aln tain states will remain in the ranks of bimetallism it is important that they should thus remain becE because tuse when the faith shall flee from ais us I 1 doubt if it will find any abiding place in the civilized world the enemies of the american people will make every possible effort to subjugate some one or more adre of the intermountain intel mountain states in the hope to use it as a horrible example for the states of the middle west and south the republican politicians are counting upon the destruction destructs n of the present silver leaders in congress congles S and they will bend every energy to that end but it is with absolute faith that I 1 look forward to the issue bellev believing ipg in the will of the men and women of the intermountain intel mountain region and knowing that mormon and gentile alike will assert their individual choice at the bal lot box and will carry their elections for human liberty both economic and political |
