Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-12

| -, OOO,OOO, actual value. To-Day
President Woodruff dresses in
black, and a tailor instead Of his
wife fashions his clothes. He is
neatly barbered, has red cheeks
Showing that the iron continues in
his blo1dl and he gives one the I'M
preston Of farmer who realized
that he had enough Of this worlds
goods and should take life easy but
didn't know exactly how to do 1t.
imagine that be would enjoy guild
ing plow through one OF his fields,
ana that the odor from the rich,
sweet soil would be most agreeable
and appetizing.
When l stated my business aud
informed the venerable President
that the Times would be glad 10
give his views on what had recently
taken place, he asked: ssWhat do
they want me to say2"
"Anything that you want TO say,
President W Codrulf. The Times has
always been fair in its treatment Of
the Mormons. IL has ever mani
Tested an Intelligent interest in the
problem which presented itself here,
has discussed what has been done
understandingly, and, now that a
new phase has been put upon the
"Mormon question:" the Times
wants to let its readers know all
about 1t, and it comes direct ts head
quarters for its information"
went on to assure him that any
thing he might desire TO say would
lie published just as he said IL, and
that at least one great newspaper in
/ the United States had the courage
10 print the exact words Of the Nor
mon President.
The OH gentleman was not ignor-
ant of The Tunes fairness in the
past, nor was he unapprecistive OF
1t. But President Woodruff didn't
want to be interviewed on the sub
ject of the recent manifesto, Insist
ing that thee was nothing to be
said. The thing had been done,
the decree hal gone forth. the peo-
pie hal accepted and approved, and
that ended the matter. There was
nothing 10 discuss, no probabilities
to take into account, no possibilities
to he considered.
/ suggested that some public
men and not n few newspapers
doubted the sincerity Of the mani
festo.
al know it, said he, 'sbut can
not help it. The world has always
distrusted US, but has always found
US true. 1t has said we were not
honest, though il has never been
able TO point to a dishonest act ON
our part. 1t has denied our SINGER
ity, and has never intimated
an instance OF insineerity. II
editors and statesmen will
not believe the manifesto,
which was adopted by the body OF
the Church In solemn conference,
they will not believe what or any
individual here may say. / pre-
sumo that in this matter. as in other
things, we will have to trust to time
for our vindication. We know that
we are honest and sincere in this,
as we have been in everything We
have done. and while We are sorry
that Others do not trust us, in time
they all acknowledge that We were
never deceiving."
Your correspondent did not doubt
the venerable presidents sincerity,
nor does he doubt that polygamous
marriages have come 10 an end.
The decree will beobeyed. Indeed,
it cannot be disobeyec, as / under
stand il, except the authority be
given or the manifesto be nulIified
by the Presidency oftheChurch. AMI
there il no likelihood of this be
ing done. / questioned the Presi-
dent as 10 what had brought about
this action, and he replied that he
could not make the matter clearer
than hsd been done in the great
Tabernacle when the Conference
had voted on the manifesto which
had been previously issued by him,
and he handed me printed verbatim
reports Of what he and George Q.
Cannon. who is second In authority.
said on that occasion. At the risk
Of being prolix | win quote from
these sermons or statements, which
are both authoritative and expIana-
tory.
Here are annexed copious ex-
tracts from the discourses Of Presi-
dent George Q. Cannon and Pres
ident Wilfori Woodruff at the
General Conference. The letter
concludes in this way:
Sand now, President Woodruff
l asked, "what will be the policy Of
the Church, or what will be your
advice as TO the men who are al
ready in polygamy?"
The venerable patriarch said that
he didn't know that the Church
would have any policy in this mat
ter or that be. would assume to give
any advice. That matter was indi
vidual aAd he presumed that each
person would decide for himself rs
to what he would do. The presi-
dent went on TO say that he thought
it would be humane and Just If
Congress were to MAZE q law by |
which husbands and fathers could
care for their plural wives aud
properly look after ami train
their children without running
the risk Of being sent TO the
penitentiary on the charge of un-
lawful cokabitation. However, this |
was a matter for others (, consider
and not for him, and he didn't care
to talk about it. His manifesto |
went only to the matter Of future
poly gamOus marriages; it stopped |
these, but did not say that a man |
in that relation should turn |
adrift and abandon his extra fami- |
lies, nor did it command him to
live with those families in defiance |
Of law until the penitentiary sepa-
rated them
My own opinion is that in the
cases Of all but n few of the polyg-
amists who have not yet been
caught and convicted, the parties
when arraigned will signify their
TO discontinue the un-
lawful relations and TO abide by the
statutes. Not many will abandon
their plural wives in the sense Of
casting them i TO do for them
selves. They will continue to care
for the women, but will not live
with them. Polygsmy is n thing of
he past. 1t is dead, and l cannot
believe that any attempt will ever
be made TO revive 1t. OF course there
will be polygamists, in a techni-
al sense, until this generation
mas passed away, for while men
Ind their plural wives may not live
they viii continue to the
End Of their days polygamous nus
lands and wives in name, but the
country need not fear. other polyg-
IInous marriages among the Nor
Mons than those already existing
md which will gradually decrease
n number. My knowledge Of the
Mormon people leads me 70 this con-
fusion, and the conversation with
President Woodruff here detailed
confirms me In the opinion.