apostle is a party to the wrong and to the violation. Although I speak
of the president of the church as the leader, the monarch in fact, every
apostle is one of his ministers, one of his creators, and also one of
his creatures, and possibly his successor; and the whole system depends
upon the manner in which the apostles and the other leaders shall
support the chief leader. As no apostle has ever protested against this
system, but has, by every means in his power, encouraged it, he can not
escape his share of the responsibility for it. It is an evil; they aid
it. It is a violation of the pledge upon which statehood was granted;
they profit by it.


THE POLITICAL AUTOCRACY.

I pass now to the political aspect of this hierarchy, as some call it,
but this monarchy as I choose to term it.

I have previously called your attention to the social and business
powers, monopolies, autocracies, exercised by the leaders. Through these
channels of social and business relations they can spread the knowledge
of their political desires without appearing obtrusively in politics.
When the end of their desire is accomplished, they affect to wash their
hands of all responsibility by denying that they engaged in political
activities. Superficial persons, and those desiring to accept this
argument, are convinced by it. But never, in the palmy days of Brigham
Young, was there a more complete political tyranny than is exercised by
the present president of the Mormon Church and his apostles, who are
merely awaiting the time when by the death of their seniors in rank they
may become president, and select some other man to hold the apostleship
in their place--as they now hold it in behalf of the ruling monarch.