| Show e WHAT I 1 A CONTRAST I 1 we expend a great deal of sympathy ito in the united states on unhappy downtrodden down trodden ireland the press of america launches its thunders against the british cruelty I 1 and oppression on the sons of E erin rin and promulgates bloodcurdling blood curdling accounts of the sufferings Buffe rings inflicted on tho the irish people by the enactment of severe laws against them this no doubt is all right and I 1 very proper coming as it docs does from people who live in a land of unlimited liberty and equal rights whose constitution and laws guarantee full protection to all rich and poor landlords and the landless singularly enough however we fill find by comparison that many of the enact enactments menti of the british parliament against the irish people and which are so unsparingly denounced by tho the sons of columbia golumbia aro are very similar in some of their provisions to tho the laws recently passed by the american congress i against the people of utah that is the mormon portion who form the 9 great reat majority of the citizens of the territory we americans crimans cri cans complain that the lord lieutenant is clothed with the power of a czar which is absolute 1 and infamous we have in utah a governor whose whoso veto power is absolute from whose decision there is is no appeal I 1 J our legislature may spend days or even weeks J to enact laws which may be essential to promote the best the highest interests of the people here but with one word our executive can render their labors futile and deprive the citizens of their benefit no he is allowed to I 1 I 1 make test oaths for those who have been elected by tho the people to fill official positions as municipal county or other officers and if they refuse to subscribe to them the people ars robbed of the services of the men they have lave chosen to serve them the american journals complain compla iii that the lord lieutenant of ireland may apply his authority to punish crimes alleged to have been committed years ago ago a that his will is absolute and that he is all powerful in the land now we believe these e measures are both unnecessary unjust and oppressive and all who I 1 lovetree lo love vetrue true libert liberty y and edval rights 0 are justified J justified in raising their voices voices against them but when we come to think of them for a moment we see how very much they resemble portions odthe of the edmunds bill which was made specially by the present congress of the united states to operate against theA the mormon lormon community in the territory of utah it is claimed that the irish repression I 1 bill was passed at the dicta tion of the irish landlords for the I 1 purpose of depriving irishmen of political and other rights and to keep them in bondage now wo we know that tho the edmunds bill was I 1 passed pawed by th the american national le legislature 0 at the dictation of the hireling lii priesthood and many of their I 1 fanatical followers not only to abridge but to strip alic cormons mormons Mor mons of their religious liberties this law prohibits the free exercise of the liberty of conscience in matters I 1 which w aich arc are of the most vital importance 1 to any people the liberty to worship god in their own way I 1 how many american journals do wo we find denouncing this oppress oppressive i ive legis laiton at home very fey few indeed I 1 distance lends enchantment I 1 to the view and they can see the wro wrongs and cruelties cruel ties inflicted on people in a neighboring nation and properly protest against them I 1 but when a flagrant outrage is committed on a portion 0 of f their own people they either tacitly consent to it or openly commend it what consistency I 1 on oil the alt henry ward beecher preached an excellent sermon in plymouth church in advocacy I 1 I 1 of liberty of thought in religious matters a synopsis i of which was published in the new york lork times in that discourse mr air beecher eaid said many thin things 0 8 that we ca can n ili indorse I 1 among others is jhb follow 0 I 1 inep paragraph ing a aar drapl 1 9 there is no liberty like the bondage of love there is no law for I 1 I Z I 1 1 if i I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 those who arc are really living on tho the piano plane of jesus christ because they are infinitely beyond and it they do right things from right motives sand and that is better than han t doing them because the law requires it now the mormon people claim that they act upon juss just such als as the above their motives arc are pure and their procedure is the result of honest conviction and in ill pursuing this course they violate no ju just jut t constitutional law of the country they move upon tho 6 plane of jesus christ brist i and thereby live above aliz the law mr beech cr er said we arc are living 0 in an ago ac 0 developing ve liberty in religious matters matter matso so such as the world has bas never seen if this is true why should the people of utah bo be proscribed in their liberties the preacher said slid he lie knew that some somo people believed that just as law must inu st be administered by judges so religion 0 must be 0 administered by priests and ministers but there was a growing r tendency to get out of this way vay N of thinking no church had a right to have lave a creed that would wo uld t take away from any man his right to his individual liberty of thought the trouble was wits instruments rather than ends were insisted upon ullon but happily in a less degree now than formerly any attempt says beecher to suppress free thought in religion would surely cause insincerity and anti deceit lie ile adds if a man mail would only onla bo be a good member of odthe alie catholic cat holic church go to confessions and let eve everybody r body know that ho lie was a good Cat catholic lioi ic lio might lie and do other bad things lings ti but lie would bo be tolerated and arid bo be kept in good standing by te the church A and nd I 1 it t was BO so too in the Pro protestant t churches A man might be a tyrant in his home a hard aliard man in ili liia s store cross and selfish but if lio lie paid well for his pew and mado made liberal contri bunions to the collections alie lie could keep his church membership and tile church would fayhe sav lie was a good ch christian ristian lie ile believes that if liberty of thinking is allowed in rel religion igdon right thinking will certainly prevail over wrong thinking and by parity of reasoning then right rigid ai think thin chinhing hing ang would result in right acting ill in all rill churches should bo be protected alike the plymouth preacher thinks the american government lias has got so far as not to punish heresy I 1 but rit lie seems to fear that will do so is only a matter of time but we had bad not yet readied reached that point inre legious matters to us it cc certainly ertain looks as though they would reach that point before a great while I 1 mr beecher spoke of tho the movement now going on all over the world for more liberty of thought as marking an era of sprouting humanity one of the signs of this era was the breaking away from front old things and tile growing tendency ol 01 men to think for themselves this Tilis movement he lie tho thought light would not be entirely free from fro in c evil vil but it would lift up and advance the average humanity the development of 1 knowledge through the intercommunication of nations was a good sign sin 0 of odthe tho times as well a as S ho the fact that sectarian barriers were acing being broken down lie ile was in favor of br breaking eakim down everything 0 that was inin inimical lic al to tho the growth of manhood and cx ex creaso of the fullest religious freedom we hope tile popular r preacher and all liberal minded men will continue to advocate these principles until they prevail universally and no people shall aall lie be persecuted for claiming 0 their right to worship god according to alic tl ic dictates of their consciences |
