Defense of the Faith and the Saints (Volume 1 of 2)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
Defense of the Faith and the Saints (Volume 1 of 2)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saint churches
As a Senator I have sought to fulfill my duty to the people of this
country. I am about to retire from this place of dignity. No man
can retain this seat from Utah and retain his self-respect after he
discovers the methods by which his election is procured and the objects
which the church monarchy intends to achieve. Some of my critics will
say that I relinquished that which I could not hold. I will not pause
to discuss that point further than to say that if I had chosen to adopt
the policy with the present monarch of the church, which his friends
and mouthpieces say I did adopt with the king who is dead, it might
have been possible to retain this place of honor with dishonor.
Every apostle is a part of this terrible power, which can make and
unmake at its mysterious will and pleasure. Early in 1902 warning had
been publicly uttered in the State against the continued manifestation
of church power in politics. The period of unsettled conditions during
which I was elected had ended and we had opportunity to see the manner
in which the church monarch was resuming his forbidden sway; and we had
occasion to know the indignant feelings entertained by the people of
the United States when they contemplated the flagrant breaking of the
pledge given to the country to secure the admission of Utah. I myself,
after conference with distinguished men at Washington, journeyed to
Utah and presented a solemn protest and warning to the leaders of the
church against the dangerous exercise of their political power. I
did it to repay a debt which I owed to Utah, and not for any selfish
reason. I knew that from the day I uttered that warning the leaders of
the Mormon Church would hate and pursue me for the purpose of wreaking
their vengeance. But as the consequences of their misconduct, their
pledge breaking would fall upon all of the people of the State, upon
the innocent more severely than upon the guilty, I felt that I must
assert my love and gratitude to the State, even though my warning
should lead to my own destruction by these autocrats. If there had
been one desire in my heart to effect a conjunction with this church
monarchy, if I had been willing to retain office as its gift, I would
not have taken this step, for I knew its consequences. I began in that
hour my effort to restore to the people of Utah the safety and the
political freedom which are their right, and I shall continue it while
I live until the fight is won.
The disdain with which that message was received was final proof of
the contempt in which that church monarchy holds the Senate and the
people of the United States, and of the disregard in which the church
monarchy holds the pledges which it made in order to obtain the power
of statehood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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