Show REFLECTION 81 I 1 LATE senatorial SENATOR fAL CON CONTEST T EST THE senatorial contest has dosed closed but it will long be rem remembered embe redas as the hottest political fight ever waged I 1 in utah andas and as involving the vital principles upon which a free gov eminent is foun founded dedi and upon which it must live it has been said by a no less eminent statesman and orator than wendell Phi phillips lEps that laws are nothing armies armies axe are lio nothing thing unless shielded 6 and by public opinion the opinion is not to he be a purely private opinion nor is it to be an opinion emanating from any church organization but it is to be an opinion from the whole sovereign people the address of the constitutional convention to the people of utah contains among other things the following language chis instrument the constitution will bestow upon us full fuh sovereignty with all that this majestic term implies etc the quotation just staw stated is not chimerical chimerica a delusion or a farce but is based upon the second section of our constitution under the bulwark of individual rights which is as follows all political power is inherent in the people and all free governments are founded on their authority for their equal protection bend and benefit and they have hare the right to alter or reform t their heir government as the public welfare may caay require S section three of the same instrument is a follows the state of utah is an inseparable part of the federal union and the constitution of the united states is the supreme law of the land and in HI section four among other things it is declared no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office of public trust or for any vote at any election there shall be no union of church and state nor shall any church dominate the state or interfere with its functions W we e will content ourselves by quoting section ten of article four of the constitution all officers made elective or appointive by this constitution or by the laws made madd in pursuance thereof before entering upon the duties of their respective r offices shall take and subscribe to the following oath or affirmation 1 I do solemnly swear or affirm that I 1 will support obey and defend the constitution of the united states and the constitution of this state and that I 1 will vm discharge the duties of my office with fidelity 11 we have quoted at great length for the purpose of showing that the peo people ale are the sovereigns that all political power is inherent in iii them that all free govern governments government men ts are founded b on n authority that the constitution of the states is the su supreme law lav of the land eliat thado mw test jest shall le be r required buind e as s a qualification in pout p fit ical be so no w f S J union onion of juide aad so state that hat w charch shiw athe and ana the aai ailine vin e foresight VM 3 yirk structure we V twe of i a solemn one enter ater 5 SV ali i the to work a alb l for them ta e win is isa a A re a CO tul ass boins kz if any honest man will say from the foregoing that he aires owes a higher allegiance to any other power than the state after having been elected or appointed to perform service for the state and having taken the oath above qa quoted i doted then we say that he is not only a traitor to hi his country a but stands condemned before god and man as a perjurer and as one who cares bothin nothing for the sanctity of his oath we say right here and we want the deseret news to clearly understand it that thedac the day will come and that soon when a man who entertains ideas contrary or antagonistic to those just stated will not only be prevented from being a lawmaker in tho halls of the state but the sovereign people elve of the state stale will shut the doors of every political office in his face 0 no mr demerel news a man shall not be elected by the sovereign people to any political office in this state and then turn round and say to the people you yon are of second ea ion sid cration the obeying of your commands or mandates mandiL tes is entirely optional with me I 1 owe my allegiance to a higher sovereign whose representatives are here on earth you yon placed me here I 1 took an oath that I 1 would work for you but now I 1 must see what my superior sovereign wants and if his de sires conflict with yours it is one of the misfortunes 8 of man made governments and you will therefore theredo re have hav I 1 cant serve two m masters 21 the words of jesus will furnish a sufficient answer for such a man render unto asar the things that are and unto god the things that are gods the people of this state do not all to one church but to many ch churches arches their ideas as to the nature of god and his laws are not by any means mean harmonious and in fact there area are a number of people who do not believe in a god at all therefore how manifest it must be to every hondt man that a citizen elected to the Ieiri legislature I 1 slature or to any other public office owes hii hi highest allegiance to the state for he could not represent the people if he does not owe them his highest alle biance to dispute these propositions is is to dispute the truth the broad ax denies that any pope or any other ecclesiastic has the right as such to meddle in the politics of any state if they do it let the them m strip off their ecclesiastical gowns and take the stump and act like other men but under the guise of their religious office on the sabbath in the lords house and in their ministerial robes robe s they should not pollute the pulpit by attacking the political beliefs of men who differ from them if such be their duty then hen gods work is being sadly badly neglected it has been asserted time and time again that chat no church influence has been used in the late into senatorial fight tn assertion is based band up upon ou the tact that no document has come out signed by all the chief officials of bf the church that all alche the lead leaders ers abot stood up at one place ana aaa jr at the thal same hatae time proclaimed ed their views views on political matters but bat it cannot ibe be denied tha thigh church 11 leaders have traversed this bbate 47 na aro proclaimed ed band aen denounced phenil bere iere nicu j s ss T has beeta ne i r tia y ysca ya yS Ct the desard news would have the people believe that all this has been done in defence of the church we have hare seen no attacks on the church the first fu at attack we beg pardon the first defence was when the deseret aws came out to the church line with drums beating flags flying sabers flashing canons roaring and the adjutant general called a halt but lo 10 and behold there an enemy in sight the defenders skirmished around this church line for several weeks hut bat there a single attack attacker ee who dared to cross when the awful strife was over these gallant defenders of the eccles citadel marched home singing alsee see your conquering 0 heroes come 1 the leaders leaden of our oar party we submit had no right to place mr thatcher Tb atcher in the position which they did by the convention and reconvened convention of 1895 and in 1896 and while he was standing on the hurricane deck of our ship of state stemming the awful waves of political perse persecution cation and as the gallant gallan tand and noble captain had bad the ship upon the crest of the wave that would have carried her into the safe and secure harbor of liberty the main crew ruthlessly deserted him the broad ax we want it distinctly understood is not the personal organ of mr thatcher or any other man but is the exponent and defender of political liberty |