The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-13
JUDGE POWERS INTERVIEW.
He Gave the Full Intent of Democ-
racy's Leader.


with Judge Powers as follows:
Il want to say in beginning" said
Judge Powers, 1T is my honest belief
| that President Woodruff has no desire
to interfere with the political belief
OF any man in the world l believe
that he has been sincere in his prom
ises that the peopla shall be free to
he would think of using his power as
president of the church to influence
anybody, and 1 think his actions, if
the whole truth is known, viii bear
me out"
Judge Powers further ssid, in re-
! Spouse to an interrogatory, that OF
! course it is plain that the gentlemen
referred to by Smith and Cannon are
Moses Thatcher and Is. II. Roberts,
respectively candidates for the senate
and the house of representatives of
the United States.
What is You opinion of the action
Of Smith and Cannon?" asked the re-
| porter and what effect viii j have
| politically"
Such views ais I express to you,
said Judge Powers, are simply the
| views Of an Individual, though it may
be that many Democrats Will concur
in them. l have no right to criticise
the Mormon church, or amy other
church, as to how it shall govern or
discipline its members. ] have no
right to find fault with or criticlse any
rule that any church may adopt, or
any action that it may take, unless
that church thereby interferes with
me, or with the people or the interests
| that l represent. 1 have no quarrel
with the First Presidency, and care
not what ii may DO, or what ii may
say about the members of the Nor
mon church, if what it does and
What 1t says is uniform, and appl:ca-
Bile to each and every one of its mem
bers and does not conflict with the
states affairs. But, in regard to the
matter that we are discussing. I am
, told that there has been no rule of the
church requiring Mr.. Roberts or Mr..
| thatcher or any one else to take cOun-
sci with reference to their action in
| political affairs. l recall that APOSTLE
John Henry Smith has been a ca.ndi
ate for and has filed a political office
and | have no knowledge that he has
ever been criticised. Neither do I
know that Joseph r Smith has ever
| been criticised for spending his time
IN the political field, or for DISCUSSING;
| pohtcal questions. Neither am | i'm
! formed that Apostle Merrill and Anos-
/
! publican candidates, have ever bern
called to account for failing to take
( counsel as to their political action. 7
have understood that the church has
placed the political conscience, of eyerv
man in his own keeping.
IF there has been no rule violated
then our candidates were not opan to
criticism, and on the other hand. If
they we're open to criticism by those
7 +01, I
should have been personally called to
account.
= Serious Mistake.
Il am satisfied from the public dis
cussion I have heard concerning this
matter. that Mr.. Smith and Mr. Can
non have made a most serious mis-
take. What was said in the priesthood
meeting has been distorted, and from
one end of the territory to the other
word is coming to me that men are
being told that it is the wish of the
first presidency that the Democratic
ticket shall be defeated Many men
believe that this action of Mr.. Smith
and MI Cannon is the natural Sc
Quence of the series of editorials that
have been appearing in the Salt Lake
Tribune relating to the government of
the apostles and other high church Of
ficiais by the church authorities Some
claim that there can be discerned a
connection between the home industry
arguments made during conference.
and which SO strongly leaned toward
Republican doctrine. I have heard 1T
stated that the whole thing is an Of
fort to snatch away the victory that
is within the grasp of the Democracy
Il feared that men would thus feel.
and hence, when I heard of this mat
ter for the first time, I was depressed.
because it seemed like a reopening of
the old fight that it was thought had
been fought out 1t was apparent to
me that our party would suffer. and
that the large unattached vote of this
territory. the religious vote. if I NAV
so term il. q vote that desires to do
what is right and desires to carry out
the viii of those in authority, would
be inclined to believe that it was q
duty TO encompass, If possible. the de-
feat of our candidates, and herein lies
the whole trouble, and herein is where
the Democratic party as a party. is
deeply and previously wronsed. We
nave been fighting a square. manly
honorable and open fight. and now a
strong hand reaches out to take avav
the fruit of victory as we are about
to grasp it,
What action" asked the reporter
territory will take to meet this. if it is
true, rs you say. that it is being used
TO Your party's detriment?"
VIII Meet it Like Men.
Il can only speak for mysyelf at
the present time" said Judge Powers
though I have taken counsel with
some of our leading men ana candi-
dates, and with some of our LEADING
women, and I know somewhat t61e
temper of our people. have received
strong letters demanding that some ac-
ton be taken. I have had personal in
terviews with men who have said to
me that as chairman of the state com.
mtttee have no right to procrastinate
or delay taking some step that will
save the party from the defeat that
they fear will come if the Impression
remains that we are under the ban of
the first presidency. In our Mai
form we declare against any interior
ence of the church with the state. or
the state with the church. We have
had manifestoes and proclamations
that have said to us that we would not
be interfered with in our political
fights. We shall meet the occasion, I