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Show THE SMOOT TRIUMPH. cH On the day Apostle Smoot was sworn in os KB Senator, the Deseret News could not restrain B its exultation and as usual on such occasions iBB could not adhere strictly to the truth. Probably IbB it will be several months before the protests VB against the seating of the Apostle will be heard H and until then the continued discussion of the sub- B ject would probably be futile, but a breief review H of the News article now will not be out of place. BB kBB: JBB iBBi M The News declared that the seating of the B Apostle "will be gratifying news to all loveis of M the right and the institutions of our common " country." There are a great many people who m love the right and free institutions, who think H that Apostle Smoot in the United States senate is H as much out of place as would be an "unspeakable H Turk," and that so far as his influence and the in- H lluence of the power behind him extend, he is a K,i serious menace to free institutions, for he is not M only an alien in heart, but he has repeatedly sworn H to do his utmost to uphold a temporal government M other than the United States, and hostile in every m feature to the free government of this Republic. B He knew that and was thinking of it when be un- B abashed took the oath as senator, and his chief ex. H ultation was, like that of the News, not that he, B a common place individual has been pushed to a H place for which he has not the first qualification, H though the combined efforts of a great political and commercial organization, but because of his tem- H pory success, the organization itself had gained a r long-sought-for point. H The News insists that the Apostle's credentials H were without flaw. It should have said, "on their face there was no flaw. In point of B fact those credentials are a dishonor H to Apostle Smoot, to his brother Apostles H and to the head of the Mormon Church H for they represent broken covenants and promises m of the most solemn nature, made deliberately to A get back the escheated Church property and to ob- H tain statehood, Mr. Smoot himself was a party to H those promises; the chief est of which was that B 'henceforth every Mormon should be free to r,s- B pouse whatever political principles he pleased to Hi and to cast an untrammeled vote. No one under- V stands better than Apostle Smoot how false those B pledges were or how great has been the insult to the government of the United States in the break ing of them. Hence it is better to say his credentials creden-tials on their face were without a flaw. The News is sure that when the investigation comes 'both sides of the question will be heard." Did the News ever hear of an investigation that was confined to one side? The News gets back to its old cry of "abuse of Mormonism and Mormons." That is for the galleries. The truth is not abuse and if any Gentile Gen-tile states what is not true about Mormonism or tlie Mormons that surely can be easily refuted and made to plague the falsifier. The News is sure that "this is not a mere Mormon Mor-mon controversy," that "it is a question that af-tects af-tects all citizens of every creed and status." That "it is of universal moment in this Republic" and thinks "if a duly elected senator can be kept from taking his seat by the force of arbitrary sectarian flamor, action based on unconstitutional objections, objec-tions, the way will be opened for the denial of rights and privileges now deemed sacred and inviolable, in-violable, and a step will be taken toward the wreck of our national institutions." That has a sonorous sound, has it not? But it all fails to state the real point. There is no question of religious re-ligious intolerance, no unconstitutional objections objec-tions will be sprung, but rather where Apostle Smoot's real fealty rests and how nearly to treason a man's acts may be and he be still justified jus-tified if he but claims that what he does is because be-cause of his religion. It should be kept in mind that Mr. Smoot as senator is just as much a perversion per-version of free government as the measure of his position and influence extends. The News tells how rejoiced the Utah Legislature Legisla-ture was over the news of the Apostle's admission. admis-sion. Why should they not rejoice? Were thoy not elected for that purpose? But what were such members as are fathers rejoicing over? Was It because a notice was served on everyone of their children that they, the fathers, were celebrating 1 an event which, carried to its legitimate conclu- I sion, closes all doors to promotion, to emclu- i ments and honors against those children in Ut-ih, V except through their slavish obedience to a sy3- tern founded on tyranny and fear and which m makes every subordinate member of it the abject V siave of its head. This, too, in free America under 1 a government the founders of which believed thoy j had forever put aside the clashing of Church a. id State. I What a spectacle it is to see this, the young- 1 est state, absolutely subordinated to a merciless J machine called a Church. 1 But the assertion of the News that a great wave of joy swept over Utah when it was known I that Apostle Smoot had secured a temporary seat 1 in the senate is not true. Of course the Utah Leg- M islature rejoiced. They were "set apart" for that J purpose. Of course there were Gentile office- JV holdrs and office seekers who affected to be glad. B There were Gentile merchants who congratulated B their Mormon friends over the result for they want V to sell goods. But there was many a heavy heart in Mormon Mor-mon homes. Two weeks ago a Mormon of fortune and high in the ranks of the Church said to a Gentile: "If the Mormons of Utah could have the strings taken from them; could they have freedom to act, two out of every three of them would gladly sign the petition asking that the Senate deny Apostle Smoot a seat." Then he added: "It is bad faith, it is the breaking of sacred promises; it is a notice that the Church is back in the saddle and is determined deter-mined to control everything and that all advancement advance-ment for Mormons must be along the old Church route, but we dare not say one word in protest." That is the exact status of things. No won- 1 der the News is anxious to establish that there is universal rejoicing. But it knows that the 1 masses of the Mormon people feel a sense of de- I gredation when they reflect that their church fl chiefs are dishonored and that a new badge of slavery has been pinned upon the breasts of the M entire Mormon people. More, they feel that the fl Republic is dishonored and that it is a shameful thing to call a country free that submits to be M dictated to by the agents of a kingdom which I claims a divine right to practice the despotism I that it does. |