--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 2 number: 4 published: 1899-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, \"Editor’s Table: Political Parties,\" *Improvement Era* 2, no. 4 (February 1899): 311–312." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera24unse start_page: 311 end_page: 312 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24unse publication_year: 1899 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1899, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table: Political Parties I know from a study of industrial evolution that nothing short of a social revolution can emancipate the proletariat from the awful economic conditions that surround them in the United States and elsewhere. Thus believing I have allied myself with the only political party destined to bring it about, i. e.: "The Socialistic Labor Party." Wesuffer and have had martyrs like the Mormon Church. I have faith in Christ, but I also believe in work, i. e. propaganda to bring his kingdom on earth. Scientific Socialism is absolute truth. Why then do Christian Churches oppose or remain neutral on it? They must exercise their franchise or else be political nonenities. Many ministers support it in a Utopian manner, others oppose it, and yet no one can point out any demand of modern Socialism that conflicts with the teachings of Jesus Christ. I will ask Elder Westover to send you this letter with the platform and constitution of "The Socialist Labor Party," and if your editorial functions permit you to express the attitude of the Mormon Church toward our movement I will be duly grateful to you if you will kindly forward to me that number of the Improvement Era containing it. We begin our remarks on the above with reference to a clause in the closing sentence —" Express the attitude of the Mormon Church toward our movement." The attitude of The Church towards the Socialistic Labor Party movement, is just what the position of The Church is toward other political parties—non-interference with it; non-cooperation with it. The Church is not associated with any political party, nor does it oppose any of them. For their respective panaceas for the ills of humanity The Church may be said to hold that they are inadequate to the curing of those ills; and it may also be said that The Church regards in the same way the efforts of communists and socialists, apart from political parties. The Church believes that the only thing that can permanently eradicate the evils under which humanity suffers is the Gospel of the Son of God; and that however praiseworthy the efforts of philanthropists and social and political reformers to ameliorate the hard conditions under which mankind suffers may be, they will not succeed to any very great extent. It is a world that has gone wrong; it will require the wisdom and power of God to set it right, and do away with the evils complained of. This may be a very unsatisfactory statement to make to those who are fired with a zeal to correct all evils, to make of earth a heaven, and who fondly believe that they have at last hit upon the right combination of principles and forces to accomplish this verydesirable result. But reformers before now with equal zeal, with intentions as pure and unselfish as those of our present reformers have dreamed that they, too, had found the combination of principles and forces that would cure all the ills that flesh is heir to; but they have awakened to find that they but dreamed; and the evils they so bravely fought still remained, and, in fact, increased. And so they died, leaving the problems unsolved, just as our present generation of reformers will die and leave social, political, and economic problems unsolved, and industrial evils uncured. But the time will come when the earth shall rest from its sorrows; when mankind shall be emancipated from the injustice and inequality that now obtains, and from which so large a part of earth's inhabitants now suffer. But the relief will come through the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the plan ordained of God to redeem the world, from all evils both temporal and spiritual. It has been restored for that purpose. It is beginning that work—the culmination of which we have already mentioned—by teaching faith in God, and repentance. By which means righteousness shall be brought to pass and the elements made ready for the introduction of that better order of things predicted by all the prophets, and which shall relieve mankind of the distresses and inequalities under which they now groan. This is to be brought about by—but we only at this writing undertook to say what attitude the Church occupied with reference to political parties and we have not space to do more. NOTES. Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; yield with graciousness, but oppose with firmness. A character which combines the love of enjoyment with the love of duty and the ability to perform it is the one whose unfoldings give the greatest promise of perfection.