Romney Asked to Tell LDS Stand On Negroes

LANSING, Mich. (UPI) — A Negro Democratic State Senator asked Gov. George Romney Monday night to explain his and his church's position on Negroes.

Sen. Basil Brown, D-Detroit, the only Negro member of the 34-member state senate, said he wanted to know if an article in the Oct. 22 issue of Look magazine accurately reflected the position on Negroes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The author of the article, Jeff Nye, a Mormon, said he had been taught by his church "that the Negro was not equal to the White in terms of religious rights and opportunities."

Brown noted the article disputed another published report in which Joseph Fielding Smith president of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church, was quoted as saying his church bore no animosity toward Negroes.

Romney has long been a leader in the Mormon Church and, until taking office last January was president of the church's Detroit Stake.

Brown said after the Senate session he did not raise the question about Romney's beliefs for political purpose.

Rather, Brown said, the article "was an effront to me as a Negro citizen to read that the doctrine of a major religious faith says that I not only cannot be a priest in this church but that I can't even be baptised."

Brown said if this is the true position of the Mormon church it was un-American and made the church "a dangerous organization."

"I ask if this is the governor's position and the position of the Mormon church in Michigan. If it is he should own up to it and if it isn't he should explain how his position differs from that stated in the article," Brown said.

The Senator said if Romney does not provide what he considers an adequate explanation he would campaign against the governor in future elections on the race issue. Brown added, however, that so far in his administration he has seen no sign of racial discrimination in the governor's actions.