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Show THEY WANT A SQUARE DEAL. A good many prominent saints are very restless under the direct charge, which cannot be refuted, that the power of the church was brought to bear to compel the City Council of this city to grant an un- just franchise a few days ago. They say it was H promised that no more of that work should be done, that a direct severance of church and state was H agreed to, that it was one of the covenants which the church entered into in order to secure statehood, and to have it nowvofTensively violated is a reproof to the religion which they profess. Of course this cannot be talked openly by them, but they are willing enough to talk it in private. Of course they dare not openly resent it, but they do not in private attempt to conceal their shame Baud chagrin over the spectacle. H It was a breach of faith so direct and palpable B that all their manhood revolts aginst it. The only excuse they attempt to interpose is that H the church chiefs are encouraged to do such work Hby the importunities of the Gentiles, many of whom I were furious Mormon eaters in the old days. This we suspect is true. Formerly, there was a stormy Blight made here to compel the saints to give up what was illegal and un-American in their practices. It was a sincere fight on the part of a few, but it is clear enough now, by what has been done since, and what is being done daily, that some of the very rabid Mormon eaters were simply simulating a virtue which they never possessed; that there never was a time when they could not have been hushed to silence by a few dollars, or the promise of a petty office. But that shameful fact does not supply any suffic-icnt suffic-icnt excuse to the chiefs of the Mormon church to interpose the power of the church to control some sworn officers in their official acts regardless of their oaths and regardless of justice. It is not only an outrage on free government, but it has a tendency to belittle God in the estimation of good saints. Neither does the fact that the chiefs of the church Bme made an offensive and defensive alliance with pn outside brutal and bulldozing political machine, flu'lp their case. Through it all tho people see that Bt is not a square deal; that it is a breaking of cov-pimnts cov-pimnts entered into in a manner which placed the fhiefs of tho church on their honor to do right, and Bnany a saint does not like it. They know that it pvas just such work that caused all their trouble in Uie early days of the church, but what hurts thorn wnost is that thoy know it is dishonest and un-pmerican un-pmerican and tnis worries them, tor they would fain ff01 I tah an American state, and would further see Muit would make it an American state, namely a IB-'lear-cut separation, here of church and state. |