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Show DO THEY LIKE THE CLASHINGS? Some men who are shrewd observers, assert that the governing board of the Mormon church like the confusion in the minds of Utah people, that what they like best is to be able to frame some excuse to cry "persecution," for that but drives their people together as was seen at the ' las conference, when the people seemed anxious anx-ious to confirm everything asked of them, even the defiance of the laws by their chief priests. One good Saint has said that the church was fast disintegrating during the two or three years after statehood was obtained, when there was perfect peace and good feeling in Utah, and the rank and file of the church thought that they had a right to study the principles of free government and to have individual views in the political control of the state and nation. If this is really the thought of the board of control of the church they are succeeding beautifully beauti-fully nowadays, but they are at the same time giving away the fact that they do not believe their church will endure when once the people lift their eyes and see clearly how exactly the rule is copied from the old Asiatic monarchies, where a few men rule and draw to themselves all the revenues, and the great masses of the people are simply hewers of wood and drawers of water for the few. We should like to have some educated Mormon explain the difference between the present pres-ent government of the church and the government govern-ment of Judea in Solomon's time, with the simple difference that the sending out of missionaries is a modern invention. Of course we do not forget that this church pretends to be modeled after the new rather than the old Testament, but if any man can trace any semblance between the acts of the founders of the Christian church and the acts of the men in control con-trol of this system here, it will be delicious to trace the likeness. To an outsider it would look as though it was the policy of the chiefs to withdraw their surplus people and money to some country where they will not be likely to be disturbed in their rule, some country like Mexico, where the masses of the people are densely ignorant, and where they have much more interest in getting their daily beans, corncakes, watermellon and cigarettes than in public schools and the polices of th government. govern-ment. Sure it is that there will have to be modifications modifica-tions in the present rule in Utah or the system will not bear the beating of the light upon it for many years more. |
