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The Church in the Progressive Era

The opening years of the twentieth century are known in United States history as the Progressive Era. Under the leadership of United States President Theodore Roosevelt, reform legislation sought to remedy such problems as unregulated monopolies, the wasting of natural resources, and unclean conditions in food-packing plants. The press's sensational exposes of slums and a variety of other social evils earned the nicknames "yellow journalism" or "muckraking." This reform era had its roots just before the turn of the century, so it overlapped the administrations of Church Presidents Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith. It was in this setting that the elections of two General Authorities, Elders B. H. Roberts and Reed Smoot, to the United States Congress sparked a revival of earlier agitation against the Mormons. Nevertheless, the Church took steps to improve its popular image, thus laying the foundation for the public relations efforts that would become increasingly important as the century progressed.

The Saints' Interest in Politics

The events of this period cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the background of earlier developments. As part of the "Compromise of 1850," Utah had become a territory rather than a state. This meant that its key officials were appointed by the president of the United States rather than being elected by the people. Then, in 1852, the Church made the first public announcement of plural marriage. This practice quickly became the focal point of attacks directed against the Latter-day Saints. The federally appointed officials allied themselves with the small non-Mormon or "gentile" minority in Utah to form the Liberal party and to effectively dominate the political scene. In response, the Mormon majority formed the People's party to preserve whatever vestige of local self-government they could. With political issues drawn along these lines during the later nineteenth century, the Church inevitably found itself involved in politics.