Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-19
THE UTAH WOOLSACK.
Its Michigan occupant Talks Of
the TerritOry-Jadge Orlando
w. Powers on the Strength
of the Mormon Church.

Judge Orlando w. Powers, OF the Su-
preme Bench OF Utah, arrived at the
Russell house at midnight last night. He
has just returned from Washington.
Eyes, 1 had an interview with the
President upon the Mormon question, "
he said. "But | have nothing to say
about it except that the laws have been
very stringently enforced since the in
| cumbency of President Cleveland. A
Federal official is somewhat embarrassed
in holding the balance level BY the fact
that both Mormons and Gentiles are
very intolerant. There is the bitterest
sort OF feeling between them"
SIS the enforcement of the laws, in
your opinion. going to tend to the sup
preston of Mormonism ?'
''The churches in the East are doing as
much toward the solution OF the Mormon
problem as any enforcement OF the law
can. There is great work in Utah for
Protestants and Catholics, for if it is true,
as Protestants and Catholics say, that the
Mormon religion is false and untrue, then
we have the heather at our very door
and need not go abroad to seek them.
The Eastern churches are doing much
missionary work in Utah. Fifteen years
ago there was said not to be house Of
| worship in Utah that was not Mormon.
Now there are churches of every denomi-
nation in all the principal cities and mis-
sion schools taught by ladies all through
the Territory.
people in the east have but little idea
OF the organization and power of the
Mormon church," he continued. "From
Joe Smiths ragged little flock in western
New York it has grown until it now num-
bers over 200, 900 men, women and child
rem in Utah alone. There are large
number of Mormon people in the adj
jacent Territories, and it is stated that the
church has just bought / 100000 acres of
land in the Mexican State of Chihuahua,
where they propose to colonize. The
eastern press has taken this to mean that
they propose to remove there, but this is
not true: They have altogether too great
vested interests in Utah. They have
millions and millions of dollars in tenn
pies, tabernacles and meeting houses.
The Mormon church is an incorporated
body under the name OF the Church of
Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saints. Its
head is President Taylor, who since
May I'd, has been in hiding because it was
supposed that certain indictments were
found against him. Next to him are two
councilmen, and below these the Twelve
Apostles, OF whom the President is one.
Beneath these are the Seventies. bodies
of seventy elders There are eighty of
these Seventies in Utah. Beneath these
are the deacons, high priests, bishops,
clerks, ETC., forming in all a clerical body
of nearly 10000, and making q perfect
organization. Then the Territory is di-
vided into twenty-three stakes OF Zion.
Each OF these has q President. The
President OF the Centre Stake, Angus M.
Cannon, is now serving a term in the
penitentiary for unlawful cohabitation.
The stakes are divided into $50 wards,
each presided over by Bishop in whom
! is vested not only spiritual but temporal
| powers Aside from the Federal Office
| holders there is not Gentle in Office in
| Utah, except one member of the legisla-
! ture from Park City-the home OF Col.
Ferry, formerly OF Michigan
81 think there are some of the best
| newspaper men in America in Utah, ="
/ SstlIl ltNiSC L ONCiS. NiOll hllO"
| there is something in the bracing air of
| that high altitude 700 feet above the
level of the sea-that sharpens mems
wits. At any rate there are in Utah some
OF the very brightest journalists that I
have known. They ght TO be bright,
living in the loyeliest valleys the sun
ever shonc on and as fertile as God
ever made They are all able papers ont
there, and they discuss their own matters
with great vigor and virility. The Salt
Lake Tribune is a very wealthy paper
| and stoutly Gentle. It is edited by Judge
| Goodwin, who is thought to be one OF
the most brilliant writer's on the Pa
cific slope. The organ OF the Democracy
is the Salt Lake DEMOCRAT, bright, able
and newsy evening paper; it is edited by
Alfales Young, son OF the dead prophet,
but not 4 sympathizer. The Mormon
church organ is the Deseret Ne,ys, ably
edited by Charles w. Penrose The Salt
Lake Herald is the organ OF what is
known as the Progressive Mormons. 1t
is popularity supposed to be very largely
owned by John 7. Game, Delegate in
Congress. In my own town there IRE
two very able papers-thc Herald and
Nsws, one Mormon and the other Cen
tile. There are no better journalists any
where than the editors OF these papers"