The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-13
THE CRISIS IN UTAH.

AFFAIRS OF ONdn. 1T mas Deen prOuShI
about by the remarks of President
Joseph F. Smith at a priesthood meet
ing held last Monday at which the
leaders of the Mormon church from
all parts We're present. The substance
of his remarks was that one of the
Twelve Apostles and one of the Seven
Presidents of Seventies had seen fit to
assume obligations that were incon-
sistent with their ecclesiastical duties
without obtaining the consent of those
in authority over them.
1t was generally agreed and under
stood that the persons referred to were
Hon. Moses Thatcher and Hon. B. H.
Roberts, Democratic nominees for
United States Senator and Congress-
man respectively. That of itself seems
simple matter. thing that has
nothing to do with politics. The real
question is: What effect did those re-
marks have upon those who heard
them? The general effect was, as we
gather it from those who were there,
to elate the Republicans and depress
the Democrats. This can be better
described in the language of gentle
man wllo was present. Said he: when
President Smith sat down there was a
sardonic smile upon the face of every
Republican while every Democrat
hung his head"
That tells the tale. The remarks
were taken as political. They came
| from a man who is most radical Re-
publican and were endorsed by Presi-
dent Cannon. One who was there said
! he wished that the remarks had been
explained as to Just what was in
tended. do they mean said ne,
that we shah stab the Democrats in
the back?"
That such was the construction in
tended seems to be the general impress
sion, and it is this that has brought
about the present crisis. It is well to
be plain at the present time and not
deceive ourselves. This present out
burst of sorrow and indignation on the
part of the Democratic party is the
elimination of series of events ex-
tending over several years, and
! things have reached that stage when
! halt must be called, and called perma-
nently.
When the so-called division move
ment was inaugurated it was preached
from the pulpits that it was best that
the people be about evenly divided be-
tween the two great parties, though
why this should be was not explained
by those who preached the doctrine
Following this came the now fam
Gus Gibbs letter and interviews and
the waiting upon the First Presidency
of a committee of prominent Demo-
Gratis in relation to the same. which
brought forth the declaration from
Presidents Woodruff and Smith, Pes
ident Cannon being absent at the
/ time, that they had no desire to con-
troll the people in political matters.
and that they were free to act in them
as they chose. After that declaration,
in the fall of 1892, for political effect,
Candidate Frank J. Cannons bishop
in Ogden gave him certificate of
good standing in the church. This
was sent to the bishops throughout the
I territory. with the request to read
it in the church meetings. There
! could have been no palmer case of
/ church interference. That caused a
great deal Of i'll feeling. In subse-
quent years nothing so open was done,
but men high in authority advised"
men to be Republicans. And this
quiet, insidious way of converting"
men to Republicanism has gone on
ever since from one end of the ter
ritory to the other.
Recollectlng all these things, the
Democratic party knew that when
President Joseph F. Smith in that
priesthood meeting said what he did
that it had received "a "body blow"
to use the language of one who was
there
Whatever may have been President
Smiths intentions in the premises the
result has been to make Democrats
think he did it to produce the very
effect it has produced.
So strained have been the relations
between Normons and non-OIormons in
the past that either holds the other in
! more or less distrust on matters polit-
icaL This is exceedingly unfortunate,
but it is true. And what is the con-
sequence? 1t is that many people put
no faith in the declarations of the
church when political matters are in
volved
The situation has reached that I'M
happy condition when any declaration
on the part of the authorities to cor