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Show B THE FEALTY THAT IS A MENACE. fl Mr. Smoot resents the charge that he is in fl Washington to represent the Mormon Church. fl Perhaps his position might he hetter explained. B Perhaps it would be better to say that he is anx-B anx-B lous to serve all the people in Utah, friends and B enemies alike, but that his ear is perpetually to B the ground, to listen if "counsel" is given, and, in B case i; is more eager to obey than can be any . B other ambition of his soul. He is bound to that B by education, by vows taken, by obligations as-B as-B sumed. His very soul is interwoven with a faith B whlcn to him is all-commanding. He would not R shake that off for a dozen senatorships. And B that faith and fealty by "which he is bound in-H in-H volves his highest allegiance to what? To a H rule beyond this life, a rule that is to succeed Hj "when this corruptible puts on incorruption, and H this mortal puts on Immortality?" If that were" B all, there would be no protests. But that is not B his position. His perfect allegiance goes to an-B an-B oher temporal government, which is as different B from the Government of the United States as is B that of the Czar of Russia or the Sultan of Turkey. B It is a belief that a certain ordinary man to be H met with on the streets of Salt Lake City every fl day is indeed God's vicegerent here and has the B only supreme right to rule mankind, that is in B their earthly government and this extends to B overy business or political transaction of life. So Bwhen Mr. Smoot says he represents the whole H people of Utah, he means that he does that sub-H sub-H iect to any order or request that ho may receive B from the President of the other kingdom to which his first fealty is due. For instance, the people of jthls state are today overwhelmingly Republican Bn sent,ment. Suppose, to prevent the Democrats Hin Congress for voting for his expulsion he were Bto promise them the electoral vote of Utah next November for their candidate for President, and jvore to make that promise with the approval of " Br resident Smith, Does any who knows how things avo to Utah doubt that he could keep his word? It jvould mean simply that the Mormon people would We instructed to vote for Democratic electors and IB, the leal wlsh of the vters f this state wouid Bflf 8uborlinated in the interest of one man simply BB causo n holds a high ecclesiastic office. But that would be but half the wrong. J ' o electoral elec-toral votes of Utah might be the & ? 4es in the electoral college, and in Ktit' 8 &fi-0 of a majority of the voters of the RepubiicC ,A be set aside. Is there no menace to free gov ment in this possibility? As things are progresb ing, the Saints will have the controlling vote in" four or five states adjacent to Utah in the next few years. Suppose each shall do as Utah has done, elect an Apostle Senator. Then they would be able to promise twenty electoral votes to any party they might please to. In that way woufd they "serve all the people." Moreover, when Apostle Smoot seeks a political politi-cal pfflce and essays to defend his right to it in an arena of politicians, he dishonors his great priestly office. If he is sincere then the President Pres-ident of his creed in his estimation stands in God's stead on this earth, and if the apostle's life is spared it will not be very long until he, himself, by natural selection will occupy that same position. Is it becoming for one who Is direct heir to such an office to be scrambling for a mere political office? Again, when in his anxiety anx-iety to retain the place, he chatters of his absolute ab-solute Independence, he knows that every member mem-ber of his faith knows that he can have no independence inde-pendence of the power above him, save that there is a string on that independence, which is liable to be drawn in at any moment. He may think that this will bo enough for -his co-religionists, but what is his estimation of himself, when he reflects that he has to stoop to a deception to try to gain a mere political point? Again, he complains of the persecutions that follow him. Suppose the matter were reversed re-versed and he and his friends were in overwhelming overwhelm-ing majority and a Gentile was claiming a part in the open and secret counsels of the majority, how long would that Gentile remain in doubt as to his status in that body? That is, he is demanding something which were he given the power he would never grant, but the real objection is as stated above, his first and only real allegiance is to another temporal government which in every attribute is the exact ex-act opposite of the free institutions of the United Unit-ed States. Not only does he believe in a purely theocratic government, but he has over and over plighted his fealty to that government. Not many Englishmen have ever taken an oath of allegiance either to Edward VII or his mother before him, but when an Englishman comes here, no matter how intelligent he may be or how sincere may be his professions, the law steps in and says he must wait a term of years before he can be given the boon of citizenship citi-zenship in this country. The average Irishman who lands on our shores comes with a settled hate of the government ho was born under. All his life he has been dreaming of America as the Mecca of his hopes, and, if of mature years, he has been an American in his soul since before he attained manhood. But the law says that such a comer must wait a term of years before he can become a citizen. This would indicate that under un-der the law citizenship is held as something sacred. sac-red. Mr. Smoot covers up the fact that he has of choice alienated himself and rests on the fact that he was born here. Still we all, Mormon and Gentile alike know that were the apostle to be a party to a suit in a state or United States court B and were to obtain a judgment and costs, if a f B Church court, as it does in Utah, were, to review H the case, reverse tho judgment, give it to his I ifl fjonent and assess the costs to the apostle; he ' accept tho verdict without a murmur, pay H -Jgment and costs, have the papers in tho ' M cas sealed up and next clay would shake hands H with the man who through the, to him, higher B court had worsted him and call him brother. Who BB says he is a citizen? B |
