OCR Text |
Show Let Us Reason Together THE SEMI-ANNUAL Conference will conveno In the Tabernacle again tomorrow. Judging Judg-ing by the crowds already arrived, It promises prom-ises to be an overflow host. We hope that those already hero have taken In the city enough to estimate the mighty progress that is going on here, and that as citizens of Utah they will exult over the onward, upward sweep of the city, both for selfish and patriotic reasons. Patriotic for It is an evidence that very soon Utah Is to have the greatest city between the Missouri river and the west coast, selfish, because the more .Salt Lake prospers, the more prosperous will be the remotest county in the state. Thero Is but one shadow over Utah. That Is the insistant interference of the higher priesthood of the dominant church who between conferences, confer-ences, are the church In the politics of the state. This is in violation of solemn promises, on their part, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the state and of tho Republic; it is what has kept Utah in leading strings and a reproach from the first. It has harmed the church itself beyond all estimation es-timation and it has wronged the Mormon people more, and caused them more suffering than any other ono thing except polygamy. Is it not time for the people - in Conference to demand that they shall be absolved from this political rulo? The dominating ecclesiastical power of one apostle, backed by tho organ of the church, utterly ut-terly demoralized the late legislature, neutralized nearly all Its efforts to do something for the welfare wel-fare of the state, and caused It, though it contained con-tained many estimable members, to adjourn and go home in disgrace, Its members not carrying with them even their own self-respect. Is It not time for all that to bo stopped? Long ago these same high priests proclaimed that "henceforth the Mormon people shall be politically politi-cally free, to espouse any political doctrine they pleased to, to vote as they pleased, that freedom has been proclaimed anew by the Deseret News a hundred times in the past eighteen months. Is it not time for the rank and file of the people to accept those promises, and to act upon them? Havo not these high-priests enough to do In their own sphere? The legitimate business of the rfurch is very great, certainly enough to call out fiho best energies and great labor of all who have its management in charge. Is it becoming of them to get down to the level of ward politicians and dicker with the &yjUOr interests here to make more sure the re- jb of an election? Have they any earthly or divine right to humiliate hu-miliate their honest followers in that way? Have '' they any right to bring tho faiUi you all pr-eas into shamo and disgrace? ' You claim to have the new dispensation. Does i that rest on such unstable grounds that it re- H quires the support; the purchased support, of brewers and saloonkeepers? Is it not time for the strong men of tho creed to promulgate a new Declaration of Independence? Independ-ence? Look around and see the transformation that has been made here In three brief years after so t many years of stagnation. You know the reason. J It went out that the city had been redeemed from J the obstructionists that held It in thralldom so long. That it was at last a free American city. Then willing hands come to join the workers J here, and lo, the change! Has any Mormon been loser through the change? Has not the property j of every Mormon property owner In the city ad- vanced In valuo more than it had in the ten preceding pre-ceding years? Has not the school fund in every remote county in the state increased in the exact i proportion that property has increased in value here? Has not what you havo to sell on tho outside out-side increased In value In the same ratio? Have not your farms in the county Increased in like ratio? And has any Mormon here or on tho outside out-side been wronged? And these whom your lying organ calls enemies, have they, ever asked you for anything except that you and your eccleastlcs shall get In under the laws and be in truth American citizens? Have they not done you more good than you havo them? What would Utah have been today except for their coming and their work? The men who are now crying !o you to bo Americans will soon pass on, but others will fill their places and these others may be less charitable char-itable toward you than those who are here now. Do you not remember the Infinite, sweet peace that fell upon Utah with the coming of statehood? Would you not like to see that restored? It was not Gentiles that drove away that peace and good fellowship. It was the persistent breaking break-ing of the covenants that were entered into in order to insure the getting of statehood. You know how true this is. It was aimed at Gentiles, but the rebound is still smiting you, your wivep and little children. Have you not manhood enough to shake that off? Do you not love your children enough to clear this obstacle out of their paths? Under present conditions what child of yours has any chance for promotion, save by the grace of those who rule you? And while you bow to that how dare you call yourselves Americans? The fathers when they framed this government opened every opportunity and every honor which attaches to it to all the children of the soil, making mak-ing the test one only of brain and heart. What right has any man to change that to the disadvantage disad-vantage of you and your children? Is It not about time for you to be real men and women and Americans? |