The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-07
UTAH AND ARIZONA.
Both the Territories Asking to
Be Made States.
THE MoRMons BECOME MORAL.
They Claim to Have Abandoned the
Cohabit Habit-Progress Of
Arizona shown.

SALT LAKE, Oct e.-At todsy's session of the
Mormon conference lengthy set of resolutions
was adopted relative to the statement made by
. majority Of the Utah commission In the re-
cent report to the secretary of the interior. The
resolutions set forth that the commission made
many untruthful statements concerning the
church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and
the attitude OF its members in relation TO po-
cal affairs, etc. The general conference denies
most emphatically the assertion of the commits
sion that the church dominates the members In
political matters and that church and state are
united. Whatever appearance there may have
been in the past of union OF church and state,
the cause was, say the resolutions, that those
holding ecclesiastical authority were elected to
civil Office by popular vote. There Is now no
foundation or excuse for the statement that
church and state are united in Utah or that the
leaders Of the church dictate to the members in
political matters.
OF an ecclesiastical nature has been exercised on
us by our church leaders In reference to which
political party we shall join, and We have been
political party, as we individually elect; that
the Peoples party has been entirely ana nnaliy
dissolved, and that our fealty Lenceiortn VIII
be 10 such national political party as seems 10 US
best suited to the prosperity OF republican
government
The resolutions further declare that the mem
bers of the conference do not believe there have
been any polygsmous marriages soleinnized
among Latter Day Saints during the period
named by the commission, and denounce the
statement which conveys the idea that such
marriages have been contracted as false and
misleading; protest against the perversions of
fact, principle and intent contained in the re-
port OF the commission, and declare that the
manifest OF President Woodruff, forbidding in
future plural marriages, twas adopted at last
October's conference Ia all sincerity and good
faith, and we have every reason TO believe it has
been carried out In letter and spirit" The con-
ference appeals to the press and people of the
country to accept its united declaration and
protest, to give it publicity and aid in eds
seminating truth, that falsehood may be refuted
and justice done to a people continually ma
lgned and almost universally misunderstood"
Following this a declaration, signed by Presi-
dent Woodruff, George @. Cannon and Joseph
+. Smith, was adopted. saying the commission
era report OF polygamous marriages was
utterly without foundation in truth, and re-
peating in most solemn manner the declara-
ton by President Woodruff at the last general
conference that there had been no plural
marriages during the period named; that polyg-
amy had not been taught and that the practice
had been strictly forbidden. After the usual
election of officers, the present incumbents be-
ing retained, the conference adjourned.
The Tribune says: .The conference today re-
solved itself into somewhat OF a political meet
ing. The most prominent men in the councils
of the church delivered addresses. The COM
missions report has stirred Mormon
dom to Its depth. and the leaders, In an
endeavor to counteract the influence the
report will have ON congress when the long,
cherished object of making Utah a state 10 pre-
sented, are moving heaven and earth" The
Tribune asserts that the language of the speakers
was such as to leave no doubt that the division
on party lines was made under direction of the
church, and that its ultimate object was to
achieve statehood.