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Show A Mafestlc But Imprudent liar. Thero bo many mysteries attached to tho Church of Jesus Christ of Lattor-day Saints. Within a month past we have been told some marvelous things connected with it. First, we have learned that what was a revela- i i tion twenty-five years ago, which it would be damnation to question, may bd of no binding effect now, because the living oracles of the chuneh have cut ft out, so to speak. jH Again, tho whole structure of the church rostB jH upon the acceptance as true that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, by Him selected to rule and to convey His will to the children of men, so that when he spoke it was to his people as though the jH Infinite One Himself had spoken. Again, as even prophets are mortal, as some of thorn sometimes get under the control of evil spirits, to provide against accidents the same au-th' au-th' t lies in the full quorum of the apostles as rests In the president; so that In case of a va-cancy va-cancy for any cause, the church will have a con-trolling con-trolling head. Again, by regular succession each now apostle and each new president receives all tho power and authority that .tho first apostles possessed, and each new president is regularly endowed with all the excellencies that the original Joseph poa- jH sessed. Joseph F. Smith in a public magazine expressed all this very clearly less than two years ago, and in the same article declared that the tithing paid by the people belonged to the presi-dent presi-dent and that he had a divino right to rule the HH Mormon peopje, both in spiritual and temporal affairs. H To an outsider who has only an ordinary clear HH idea of the meaning of words, that would seem to indicate that when it comes to the right to ex-ercise ex-ercise authority or to collect tithing the head of the church is really "tho hull thing." But periodically the News breaks out with the declaration that the Mormon church never has taken any part In politics, never has sought to Influence an election, and that of all free people the Saints are the freest on earth, and that the church never interferes with or mixes in politics. We have often tried to get News to explain what In this connection it means by "the church," but it always either keeps still or dissembles, and in about so many days comes out again and re-peats re-peats the old gag with simulated indignation or scorn of any who doubt so plain a proposition. Good Saints, you know the News has been doing this for tho best part of half a century. No one II ' better than yourselves know what a liar It Is and I'r always has boon on this themo. j:j But on Pioneer day It oamo out with the same Jji declaration, but It did not rest with that; It olab- L crated upon it and thereby made a mistake. It I fj asked if President Joseph TT. Smith were to go to I i," the coast on a vacation, whether he would bo the 1 : church. "We think we have the News by a large I .. majority on that quostion, and that wo can provo j i it. Wo will suppose that either the Democratic or j f Republican convention (for both are fishes for the h net of Joseph) was to meet at 10 a. m. tomorrow J .j to nominate a mayor and other city officers. Wo ji; will suppose that at 9:80 in the morning Mr. r Martinoau or Apostle John Henry Smith was to receive a dispatch from Joseph P. Smith, resting ,1 temporarily at Coronado Beach, reading as fol- ' lows: "Mr. Martineau (or John Henry, as might be): "Thus saith the Lord, It is my will that our faithful brother, A. Milton Musser, shall be nominated nom-inated for mayor of Salt Lake for the ensuing term. '? (And Signed.) "JOSEPH F. SMITH." We ask the News candidly for a candid answer: an-swer: Would any good Mormon In that convention conven-tion vote for anyone else than A. Milton Musser? I In that case would not Joseph F. Smith be l "the church"? If not, what is there in the creed, i and what about continuous revelations? i Moral: When the News lies in the cause of I' the Lord, it should just lie and not try to eluci date. |