Show Americans Should be Politicians Communicated 1 John Bright said At every moment in the history of a free country there is nothing that is so much worth discussing as politics The leaders of the Mormon Church have always opposed the discussion discus-sion of politics in Utah for the reason that they have not wished it to be a free country The learned doctors of the Tribune Trib-une and their followers are also opposed to such discussions If they are as wise as the leaders of the Church they know that the tendency of political discussion is always in the direction of enlighten ment and freedom If they are so ignorant igno-rant as not to know or so bigoted as not to feel that the absence of political discussion dis-cussion tends to stupidity and slavery then they are unfitted for leaders in any movement intended to better the condition condi-tion of citizens of a free country Aristotle said ttiat man is born to be a citizen Democracy recognizes the truth of this saying to the fullest extent Man may be a member of this party or that or he may be a neuter he may or nay not be a Member of a church but he is and must be a citizen The Mormon Church teaches that man must belong to the church and render to it obedience it enforces its teachings by harsh and unchristian like measures The doctors of the Tribune when they do not teach Republican politics teach that in Utah man should have no politics and assume to enforce their teaching by vile and contemptible epithets never used but by the lowest vilifiers The principles princi-ples of Democracy teach that the term citizen includes privileges and obligations That the citizen is entitled to look to the Government for the protection of all his legal l rights and political l privileges that it is his duty to render support and obedience to his Government that it is both his privilege and his duty to see to it that neither the Government Govern-ment nor the church nor any set of men infringe upon his just rights or interfere In-terfere with that open and free discussion whicn alone will enable him to determine what as a free citizen of a free government govern-ment he ought to do We are inclined to the belief that John Bright is a better authority upon this question than the Mormon Church the doctors of the Tribune or the neuters all of whom agree that there should be no politics in Utah SALT LAKE CITY March 31 1887 |