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Show The Reason A GOOD, pious friend asks us why we oppose the movement of the Mormon church chiefs I ' for prohibition, and says he had always thought that whatever good thero was in Mor- i monism we were wf'ling, and even anxious, to give credit for. -j " And that is true. The trouble is, this move- jf mn. is not intended for good. The motive be- ! hind it is altogether mercenary and insincere, and jj vindictive; no real prohibition is intended. The ! Co-operative Mercantile Institution and Apostle f v Reed Smoot make too much money through the V sale of liquors to want to give it up; there is no x intention that they shall, j The movement in this city is simply because I I the church has lost control of the city and its ' " portion of the tithing which in the old days, through the city government, came to the church. And that is the only secret. The movement move-ment is aimed especially at the American party and those behind it do not care what damage it t may bring upon the city, what losses to property owners, what prostration to trade may follow, The Mormon church has many desires, but the one desire above all others is for political power, j and it is afraid if Salt Lake City remains outside J of its rule for a few years a spirit of liberty will r' grow up in the hearts of the people of this state " which will be a menace to its political power in . u the state, and this movement is on the same line that was the prosecution of Chief Sheets. The church had nothing against Chief Sheets; the prosecuting attorney knew there was nothing against him, but no trieu, anu me snernr ineu, and the Deseret News tried with-all the power in them, and by the use of all the county money they pleased to use to make a case against him, the purposo being to throw discredit upon the party to which he belonged. It is the same way ' with this movement for prohibition. The Mormon church chiefs do not want prohi- s bition, they do not intend to have it, because the next thing to political power which they covet is money, and they are making too much money l) through the sale of liquor to wish to stop it. The ' president and a large stockholder of Zion's Co- operative Mercantile Institution, is the president I, of the church, and no one who is familiar with his I life history can point to any place where he ever . surrendered any possible chance to make money for himself. h It is the dishonesty of the move that wo are " fighting in the first place; in the second place, if ,' it were honest, it would be bad policy, because ! f it would not produce prohibition and it would f v bring lasting injury upon vast property rights, - r and upon the business of the state; that is, Ave jj, mean that law would bring these losses and then the law would not be enforced. Laws are not enforced en-forced against public opinion In Utah, and never Vk ' have been, and the public opinion of this state is f a opposed to prohibition. ' I A law of that kind passed now, besides all the it j trouble it would make and all the losses that would ensue, would help to make sneaks of men. ' v Divine grace is not enough to "make men give up ' ! their weaknesses and become saints, and if our I friend will show us one man formerly bad who has been made good by statute, then we will give j up the case. i. v |