Show A CHAMPION WANTED WANTED someone some one who will champion the cause of the government in the suits for the seizure of the property 0 of f the members of the church of jesus clipet calist of latter day saints thus far we have bave not heard of any intelligent person willing to undertake the unthankful task even the average anti mormon politician either expresses himself privately against the movement or is mum in ia relation to the matter the reason for his hid attitude 19 plain he cannot be accused of being over burd ned with sympathy for the vie tims but he has bas some regard d fur what he esteems to be his own lutei ests and the attainment of IRS As political polin cal ends he is too wily to advocate a movement that must be decidedly unpopular on 00 altier subjects it may oe be it Ita stele to hoodwink the great americal amt Ame public but it would be an uphill task to make the people of this ania country lend their sym battly to a wholesale steal especially e blien the forfeiture or cob fis cadon scheme is so plain on the lace face of it that ll it cannot well be misunderstood oy the densest minds the ibe v very e ry anwar inwardness d and of the measure are more or less likely to turn the tide of sympathy against the law which in corpora es so ao dangerous daog daug erous and dahon est esl a meas measure re and it is natural that the proposed victims should snare share a of the favorable tendency of sentiment it is seen at once that there is nothing conducive to the forwarding of bf alii mormon political objects in pushing the contis cation scheme to a consummation among the newspapers newspaper which denounce the attack on church property and who see danger in ia various abrec gions as a result of it is the truth seeker keeker published in new york A friend has sent us a c py which con taina vigorous edi editorial todal on the subject from chien we liberally extract it opens as follows the mormon church is organized under the utah territorial laws and its affairs are managed by bi thirteen trustees the baurch owns a large amount of property ty real estate and personal has a fund for importing its converts and is a concern concern generally the ane mormon theology is based upon the jewish bible its members religiously elleve in imitating the he revered patriarchs ol of old in the number of their wives it has revelations of later date but equal authenticity than the christian Cn ristian church possesses and is for these and other reasons cordially hated bated by bv its mother and rival the chri tian church at the last session ot of congress sen ator edmunds procured the pas passage balge of a bill authorizing trustees to be appointed to take posses possession and c atrol of the property arid and affairs ot of th the corporation ot of the and wind up its affairs the bill also authorize i the actor ney general to sue for an escheat to the government all property of toe mormon church corporal corpora ion au m excess of ijo OOOO of value in real pro perty except buildings used exclusively for religious reli Hium worship and to devote the fun s realized real zed to common sc school loll purposes tae tac bill further furt tier provided measures to the mormon perpetual EiBi Eini gation gration fund society winding up its affairs and devoting its funds 10 common school purposes the writer then goes on to recite the proceedings proceeding edin Is instituted in behalf ot of the government by district attorney peters with which our readers are and continues thus tae united states therefore may now be coni considered dered as fairly embarked la in the business of confiscation of re legious ligi us yand a precedent I 1 is es fur for future crusades of tile tae kind but bu in the beginning begia ning of affair unfair as one who opposes the charen a lutto to be despoiled as well as the church which has stared star ed to the crusade we de ire to enter a protest protes t faaiu t the condace of t e united blates authorities tibe authorities are being made the tae tool of the cat of a rival religion tap hn tida ida eliar cid radi r adi toe tae progress tf of the rne mormon and hah lia dett betti mined to stamp it ou on tae united sates S ates are tae boots the chris tran tian ch churco 4 has put onto on tu do it in toe the r ason for toese measures is ministers cannot answer vie tie ai go fuents of the mormon elders eldera the cormons mormons M amons carry out the receipts and follow follo the practice of the saints and quote chapter and verse from ioe ine christians bible to justify them selves no one who accepts the bible a the word of god divinely given 1 t man to live uy oy and die by can prove these mormons cormons wrong 11 after making some comments upon what the writer erroneously presumes from want of information to be the genius of the church he proceeds to say in conclusion I 1 its destruction should not be undertaken by force by the government unless the government govern meat is prepared to undertake the destruction of albre all religions nether should it be undertaken at the instance of a rival sect anxious for revenge because of its argumentative defeat if the government is to destroy all detestable religions li gions where snail shall it stop if it is to confiscate the property of every sect that becomes a menace to our institutions where is the law against the roman catholics if church meg members ibers are to be placed under the direct supervision er of the national government because they vote for men of their faith why did not congress pass laws robbing tile tae methodists who combined at the instance of their church leaders and voted for grant and hayes for presidents if congress can appoint trustees tiu for a church because five or ten per cent of its membership members hp have relations with more than one woman where are aie the trustees dorithe for abe protestant churches aye where are the trustees for the churches dishonored by the membership of the senators and representatives who spend their salaries oo on hired when the their ir money is gone procure them places in government ser service vict te T e people of the united states owe such liberty as they possess to such freedom of speech and worship the christiana cannot help permitting the constitution of the united states does not permit Co congress tigress to legislate regarding rell religion Kloh and without ing the supreme authority of the laud land congress cannot take from peaceful citizens private property tor for public use without compensation the fun da mental hw of our country was trained framed to protect all alike to throw the aria of the law around all alike and aad to allow everyone to exercise and support his bis own professed religion be it christianity or confucian lam ism mormonism ism or congress has precisely the same right to confiscate the rodau catholic cathedral that mat it has to sell at auction the mormon rendle if the supreme court sustains this law we shall expect the protestants to urge congress to knock doan do wn to toe highest bidder the territorial property of that other enemy ot of theirs the roman catholic church I 1 the only y reason that other governments than ours have urged when taking steps of this nature has been thattie that toe church possessed so much property and bad such a bold upon the people thereby that the existence of the state was menaced this was the plea of the old english kings and 0 of the italian and mexican goar go governments vr t in recent times but in this case there bisno Is no such plea if there merethe we rethe insignificant amount of property attached compared to that held by other sects would disprove it three millions of dollars is nothing for religious corporations to hold the sum would not build the bare walls of the catholic cathedral and scarcely the rotten tenements held by trinity corporation the only reason therefore tor for this unconstitutional proceeding is that polygamy must be suppressed jup pressed up but this in itself is at af flimsy i insy a t as the other would be only a small percentage of the mor mons are and the law tot for reaching aching rp them is ample and efficacious hundreds of them have suffered under it and it Is not pretended that this suit will i reach each more but for the fault ol of the few a fault as we have said already expiated by many a whole boda bod of religionists tho thou ulanda linds and thousands ol of men women and children are to ne he robbed of their property 1 is no excuse that ape proceeds of thit robbery wll will be devoted to a durpos infinitely wiser and more beneficial than that chosen by the yie victims tims the property is theirs and they should bt to use it as they choose the united states arp are rich enough to build ill all the schools utah needs without this mon y instead the robbery ot 0 the rhe mormons cormons is deliberately planned and legally executed to satisfy the hatred of an religious sects while no one would rejoice more tb an we to see the mormon super sti tiou lion as well as the christian super sti tion become d thing of the past a 9 abase of barbarism from which the race had become emancipated by nat 4 ural progress it yet becomes our duty in the name of freedom of im partial justice of religious liber liberty tv t protest against agai ast the action of the united 0 d states the mirmon has as goor goo i a rient to fo advocate his religious corn pound of faith and foolishness as we cave to disclose its true character ind and if overriding our constitution ii ecomet a mettlea thing that congress can it legislate out of existence all religious ious bodies which it hates bates what is to tc prevent the national government from s 4 upion out the irreligious people trie the church hates more there v 4 a sort of healthy sledge hammer vigor about the sentiments ol of we me writer in truth seeker and then is such corresponding weight in the ilvie of expressing them that it does one good t read his fits production car lyle himself could scarcely be more ulear clear forceful or deft ia the he use ot ol language in insisting upon if A a corrar proposition he Ts s to bt be congratulated for his capable and manly advocacy of the right and un denunciation of wrong he does not condemn the assault upon he property of the mormon people mon upon mere m ere puli political grounds but from t the e hl high gh standpoint of correct principle |