Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-11-22
ABOUT MIR. LAYTON.
John J. Birdno, of Thatcher. Defends the
 Mormon President.
Corr. Rulletin.

Corr. Bulletin.
 THATCHER. A. T., Nov. 3, 1890.
 EDITOR BULLETIN: In your issue of October 3lst, I notice an article under the caption of ito the Mormons," and l feel it my duty, in justice to the gentle men referred to. and the Mormon people in general, to answer it. It says:
 We are informed that President C Layton and Gilbert Webb Of the Mormon church, in this county, are working publicly and privately to defeat the peoples ticket.
 This is untrue in every particular, and the individual who reported 1t to you, knew 1t to be false, as any ybody who knows anything about Mir. Layton's affairs knows that he has done nothing of the kind, and he has never left home since the cam paign begun in the interest of either tick ct, although it is commonly reported that he has two teams running daily, canvass ing the valley in the interest of the dem ocratic ticket.
 1 have heard President Layton express his view in regard to the election on sev- eral different occasions. both publicly privately, and his advice has always been fOr every voter to vote for the best men, in their own opinion, no matter what ticket they may be on, and in the public conference held at Pima on the l7th of September, his advice there was for every man to vote for who they pleased, and to my personal knowledge he has maintain ed the same position up to date. l have also heard Mr. Layton say repeatedly, that there were men on the democratic ticket that he could not, nor would not support with his vote.
 As for MT Webb, his position all through the campaign was to vote the democratic ticket, as that is the only tick ct in the county headed with delegate to Congress and Joint Councilman, and if the candidates for county offices there on did not suit the voter to scratch their names and put men from the other ticket in their place. think if the author of this scandalous report is as anxious to circulate the truth as he is falsehood If he will enquire of Mr. Webb or any "Mor mon'' acquainted with him, he will find that Mir. Webb does not even profess to be Mormon" although he champions their cause manfully, as he knows, as the Bulletin believes. that the fight being made against them is for political pur- poses alone.
 As for the "Mormons" being led by the nose by their leaders to the polls, and made to vote as they dictate, is all "bosh, ' and l am surprised 10 see as fair paper as the Bulletin is, publish such a report. There does not exist on the face of the earth, people more free to use their right of suffrage as they please than the Mormons are. They are not all demo- crats as is alleged by the republican pa pers of Arizona which is shown in the late election in Wyoming. where the ma jority of them voted the republican ticket, and yet the republican press howl for their disfranchisement because they did ! it.
 That the "Mormons" vote as dictated i by their leaders, as the majority of the republicans of the territory allege, is a lie of the vilest character. I am pretty fair specimen of the young Mormons and 1 the man has not yet been born that can dictate to me who I shall vote for 1 predict that the Mormon vote, at this election, will be more split than the same number of votes in any other part of the ! county. Yours Respectfully. l JOHN J. BIRDNo