The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-21
AS TO THAT MEETING.
A PLAIN ANSWER TO THE CHARGES
MADE BY DIR. M'NIECE.
There Was No Breach of Confidence
on the Part of Anybody--Therc
Was Memorial and an Attempt
TO Oppose Statehood.

If Rev. DR.. McNiece Of the First
Presbyterian church, was quoted cor
rectIy in a very savage interview in
yesterdays Tribune, and in a more
moderate card in last nights News,
regarding meeting of the Evangelical
Ministers association of this city. held
on last Monday, his position in the
matter cannot be accounted for, as,
when the question was put point blank,
several ministers, whose veracity there
is no reason for doubling, assured the
reporter that he had found out the
facts in the case. The published re-
port stated these facts, without color
ling.
In the interview the Rev DR.. endeav-
ored to throw on the reporter the onus
of having betrayed confidence. and
then, thinking, perhaps, that this po-
sition would prove untenable, in view
of the fact that the only CONVERSE
ton the reporter had with him ON the
subject was in relation to obtaining
a copy of the memorial and in view OF
the further fact that the Doctor is not
aware where the reporter got his in
| formation, he endeavors to shift the
blame for the breach of confidence on
some Of his brethren Of the cloth, by
saying they have not acted in the man
ner prevailing among gentlemen.
! So that the Doctor may not suspect
any of those who were at the meeting.
| it will be said that the first information
received that such had been the action
of the association came in a round
about way from d person who was en-
! tirely innocent of any intention of put
ting the matter into print. He had
come across it in a casual way and
| in a conversation Internationally let
| the cat out of the bag With such
plain clue to work upon the reporter was
soon able TO verify the information he
had thus gained, not through any vol
untary aid on the part of any minister,
but by diligent inquiry. Therefore the
Reverend Doctor need not accuse any
of his associates.
| In the interview Dr. lIcNiece says
| that The Herald report of the meeting
was a GROSS exaggeratiOn and, while
/ holding back on account of a delicacy
! about speaking of what he considers
a private matter, makes charges that
| the reporter was wrong in his state
ments that there was any affort made
| to oppose statehood. and that there was
| any memorial before the association
| In relation to the above charges
against the reporter, it is necessary
only to quote the words of minister
who was present at the meeting and
who, when asked on Monday for infor-
nation, refused absolutely to give any.
| When seen yesterday he said:
The charges made by Dr. McNiece
| in his interview I cannot account for
| except on the supposition that the
! interviewer drew largely on his
imagination for the details The doc
tor must know, as I know. that your
report was in the main correct There
we're one or two slight inaccuracies
such as are likely to creep into any
report made where information was so
hard to get as it was in this case, but
| they did not affect the value OF the re-
port to any marked degree
You were right in saying that the
matter came up on an understanding
| that gained voice early in the previous
| week. The matter has been discussed
! some at the previous meeting and it
was expected that the committee would
| report when it did. Then il is asserted
| that there was no attempt to commit
| the association for or against state
! hood and that there was no memorial
! to Congress before the meeting As
to that | am not sure as to what is
meant, as | always supposed that when
| a committee reports to an association
| a paper which expresses the sentiment
| that it would be best for the people
if statehood were STAYED off for a,
few years that that would SAVIOR
of some kind of an attempt against
| statehood, and / have no hesita ton in
saying that, though in a strictly tech
! nical sense, the paper reported by the
| committee was not a memorial vet
that to say it was not is rather like
begging the question. There certainly
was a paper before the association and
| it certainly was intended TO be brought
to the attention of those who could op-
pose he immediate granting of state
| hood"
| In relation to the statement that
| there was q surprise at the unexpected
strength of the minority, the reverend
doctor says that the statement was all
CANNON. reading of The Herald
will show that no attempt was made to
quote those who like DR. McNiece
voted for the memorial, but quoted the
| other side on that matter. Therefore
the statement that that part of the ar
! ticle is CANNON is rather far-fetched
and presumptuous.
There was one slight inaccuracy in
The Herald's article, which represented
| that a majority Of the thirteen minis
ters present were against the memo
| rial. We are assured, however, by one
who was present, that the vote stood
Z to 6 in favor of it, and that 1t was
laid on the table by an unanimous vote
! because there was the strong oppoSi-
ton to it Those in favor of it wanted
unanimity but had "a strong major
lity'' of only.
In justice to The Herald it should be
stated, on the authority of a minister
who was there, that the report in this
paper was absolutely free from bias
land stated the contents of the memo
rial in a manner that was as correct as
could be asked for in fifteen line
synopsis of a five page typewriter
lpaper. The course of The Herald in
saying that the paper was not bitter.
was spoken of highly.
/ The Herald wishes to assure it's read
Iers that entire harmony prevailed at
the meeting, that there was no bitter
ness in the debate or unpleasant feel
lings as to the result. That this was
not stated in the original report is due
to the fact it was considered unneces-
Isary to speak of 1t in connection with
jsuch gentlemen as are in the asSocia
ton.
As statehood is assured, as the only
formidable opponent of it, the Liberal
Iparty has withdrawn its opposition,
land as what may be done by the reli-
Il gious associations of the east will now
have but little effect, The Herald is
content to let the matter drop with this