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Show WHEN COX ATTACKED ATTACK-ED THE MORMONS Said It Was Not Reed Smoot But The Mormon Church That Was Under Investigation, and Hints at Treason and Vengeance. Nice Talk Now That He. Wants The Votes of The Mormons By request of a number of citizens , i we ate printing an editorial entitled : "MORMONISM AND TREASON" which appeared In tho Dayton News of February 4, 1905. Mr. Cox, tho Democratic candldato for president, was a prlvato citizen In that year and his business was tho publishing ot tho Dayton Dally News.. It Is said that ho wrote or ordered written as many as 80 editorials and articles against the Mormons. This article Is called forth by the remarks of Governor Cox In his tab-J crnacla speech In Salt Lake City and Logan. Following his custom of saying just what his audiences delight to hear, ho Indulged In a glowing panegyric pan-egyric of tho pioneers. Among other oth-er things ho said: "My heart has been touched by tho hospitality ot Utah; my senses havo been thrilled by tho wonders of Utah, and my face has been tanned by tho wclcomo rays of tho sun in Utah. I havo felt that I was qulto proparcd for a sceno such ns this. Tho magnificent structure lives In tho tradition of tho world. "It gives mo great happiness to stand In this presence nnd rcallzo tho breadth of view and patriotic fervor which prompted tho organization organiza-tion which controls It to mnke of It a. sacred shrine ot America during tho war. "This Is tho most wonderful assemblage as-semblage of people that I havo over ov-er seen. Frankly, I stand hero In awo, in tho presence of so many representatives rep-resentatives of your great citizenship." citizen-ship." Tho manner ot speaking appealed to the youngor pooplo In this audl-enco audl-enco and to some ot tho older pooplo, poo-plo, but among tho latter wcro many who remembered what an uncompromising uncom-promising foo ot tho Mormon peoplo Mr. Cox had been In other years. Until tho occasion of his trip through Utah, ho had never publicly expressed ex-pressed any other opinion than that expressed In the editorial which wo herewith submit. Apparently Mr. Cox found no Inducement to chango his opinion until he becamo a candidate can-didate for president and greatly desired the elcctorlal votes ot Utah. Tho editorial In which ho denounced de-nounced tho Mormons as traitors was as follows: 'PIORMONWM AND TREASON "Somo things were said by witnesses wit-nesses In tho Smoot Inquiry at Washington Wash-ington which will strengthen tho popular Impression that the Mormon church stands first of all for Mor-monlsm Mor-monlsm If, indeed, tho faith does not cmbraco TREASON, among its tenets. '"It Is tho testimony of Witness Wallls, who has, he says, been twenty twen-ty times through tho endowment houso; that those who go through this most secret of all Mormon ceremonies cere-monies take an oath 'to avengo tho blood ot tho prophet upon tho na-ttons na-ttons ot tho earth and teach this to tho remotest generation.' "Palpably, this .prophet to whom tho oath refers Is Jdseph Smith. And palpably, tho nation upon which vonr geance Is to be vlsltod is tho United States. Such nn oath enjoins upon Mormons who havo taken it ven-geanco ven-geanco for tho manner of Smith's death. It Is In naturo and essence a direct ronunclatlon of allegiance to tho government of tho United States in favor of the Mormon church. And if that does not spell TREASON then very wldo latltudo must bo given to tho interpretation of that crime. "It mattors little that Witness Wallls declared ho looked upon tho endowment house proceelns as o loko and subscribed to the oath with tho undertsondlng of whnt was Imposed Im-posed on him. Wero tho leaders of Mormonlsm llko Wallls. the church would bo harmless. But thero aro men In tho councils of Mormonlsm whoso sagacity nnd statecraft cannot bo despised or underestimated. And every man of them who took tho oath to avengo tho death of Prophet l i i Smith know precisely what was imposed im-posed upon him as a Mormon. "It it not Reed Smoot but tho Mormon church, which Is under Investigation In-vestigation at Washington. Smoot himself Is of little contovuence. But It Is of tho utmost concern thnt any organization having Its scat of government gov-ernment In this nation shall not im-poso im-poso upon thoso who look to It for spiritual guidnnco. THE DOTRINE OF VENGEANCE AND TREASON." Remember that this editorial wns printed half a dozon yenrs after tho Spanish Amorlcan war In which Charles R. Mabey, tho Republican candldato for governor of Utah rendered ren-dered such distinguished sorvico. Utah's soldier's covored themsolvcs with glory In that wur. Thero was no moro excuse, thereforo, to hurl tho charge of treason then than thoro MS h today. Thero never was any ex-cuso ex-cuso for such a chargo and In making mak-ing It Governor Cox displayed tho narrowness of his mind, tho suspicious suspi-cious bigotry ot his naturo, and ' hostility to the Mormon people. |
