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Show Published Every Saturday BY G00DWIN8 WEEKLY PUBLISHING CO., INC. CHAS. W. LAWRENCE, Manager SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: Including postage in the United 8tates Canada and Mexico, $2.50 per year, $1.50 for six months. Subscriptions to all foreign countries, within the Postal Union, $4.50 per year. 8ingle copies, 10 cents. Payments should be made by Check, Money Order or Registered Letter, payable to The Citizen. Address all communications to The Citizen. Entered as second-clas- s matter, June 21, 1919, at the postoffice at Salt Lake of March 3, 1879., City, Utah, under the Act Ness Bldg. 8alt Lake City, Utah Phone Wasatch 5409 311-12-- 13 DUTY PLAINLY MARKED OUT Since the voters of Salt Lake City on last Tuesday, through the process of primary elimination, have cut the political issue in definman and woman here is ite form, the' duty of every forward-lookin- g set out. There can now be no excuse for either neglecting that duty or to make any mistake in its performance. Shall we have here an American community, or shall we practically remain politically alien? Fortunately, in the preliminary skirmish the aspirants for place in the municipal government were all personally clean candidates. The sifting process has served to eliminate what may be termed extraneous issues. Those candidates who survived the opening test represent in no uncertain way the great issue that has come openly before the public. The issue, to be frank about it, involves the question of ecclesiastical control in political affairs. Even though the city is fortunate in having personally clean and conscientious candidates from which to make choice on election day, there is the matter of principle which must and undoubtedly will prove the weight which .shall turn the balance. No citizen of Salt Lake' has any fear of the Mormon church while it is confining its activities to the legitimate field of church work. But every holder of the franchise has a right to fear the ecclesiastical organization when it goes outside of its legitimate work to intrude upon affairs which belong solely to the people without reference to their church affiliations. seekBishop C. Clarence Neslen, mayor incumbent, and who is ing return to that office, is personally ajovable character and stands reli-iohigh in the estimation of his own people and those not of his faith. There is no effort to raise any point on this score. But Bishop Neslen is subordinate to his ecclesiastical superior, President Heber J. Grant, to whom he owes his first allegiance. To attempt to deny that as a fact would be. useless, especially before a resident of Utah of some years standing. In fact, no attempt will be made to deny that political office is inferior to the ecclesiastical position, because Bishop Neslen will not desire to render himself liable to the charge of exhibiting a spirit of apostasy. Bishop Neslen will know, as will every other memoer of his faith, that in the finality and granting that an extreme emergency shall at any time arise it is not Bishop Neslen who is. mayor of Salt Lake City, but President Heber J. Grant of the Mormon church. 0ometimes there is no need even for an emergency to make this condition an actuality. The lesson of history is that where domination of political affairs has by ecclesiasts has persisted there has been no progress. There always been such contention that community growth has been us stunted. Under domination in politics by high officials of the Mormon church Utah, and particularly Salt Lake City, have suffered to the extent that commonwealths and communities all around have, leaped far ahead industrially, financially, socially and economically. Citizens of this state who are not members of the dominant church have been patient and courageous under very discouraging circumstances. They have borne burdens of taxation and have been denied representation except such as has been afforded to them by sufferance of the hierarchs. It is greatly to the credit of Salt Lake business men who are not of the dominant faith that they maintain cheerfulness despite the fact that their business interests are almost suffocated under the weight of intolerance. They have contributed large sums of money to advertise the city in order to induce accretions to its population. Notwithstanding the fact that they know the drawbacks of the community they have heralded its resources and what of right should be its bright prospects. They have done this in the liope that the ecclesiastical powers that be would some day slacken their tyranny and show a disposition to abide by the golden rule, that fundamental which is recognized by every Giristian soul as the basis for all . ?. justice. But every hope has been persistently and repeatedly blighted. The community disposition has soured under the rule of bigotry that has been thrust upon it. Some administrations of the Mormon church have shown a disposition to come into the American fold. Indeed, today there are d some men at the head of that organization who are and who, without doubt, if they had their way, would join with the progressive citizens of Utah in making the state forge ahead s rightful place in the vanguard of development. But, unfortunately, these men hold ecclesiastical position which requires that they strangle their own judgment in deference to the direction of men less considerate of the public interests. It is probable that Bishop Neslen, as mayor of Salt Lake City and as private citizen, is of the forward-lookin- g type, but the principle behind him offsets any and all ot these characteristics which he may possess or which he may desire to put into practice. Much as the present controversy is to be deplored, it has been rendered necessary through the injurious interference of churchmen in realms which are outside legitimate church work. It is not the fault of Gentiles and independent Mormons that the fight is on. They would gladly have gone on in peace had they been permitted ! H broad-minde- to-it- to do so. notable fact in Utah that some of the ruling class in the Mormon church know no law except that of force. When the tide has been against them they have pleaded for tolerance, shedding crocodile tears over tyrannies and begging for Christian consideration, under promise of repentance and return to Americanism. Whenever compassion has been shown by Americans, and the pressure has been lessened, there has been a measure of progress, until the ecclesiasts have returned to their political sinning. Gradually come back to they have grown bolder until the old condition has It is a |