The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-27
WHO WAS REPREHENsIBLE.
Joseph f. Smith Says He Did Not
Authorize That Letter.

Under the heading, BE Not De-
ceived," the News on Friday evening
printed a leading editorial III, erstood
II have been authorized by Joseph f.
Smith and having a bearing on the
letter used against j. L. Rawlins in the
campaign of 1892, purporting to have
been signed by Mr.. Smith and sent 10
the bishops of the Mormon church The
editorial i given for its news. and is
Is follows:
The News has already alluded to
and condemned the conduct of men,
who. Tor political effect, make unwar-
ranted use of the names and utterances
of the leaders of the church, practice
which has resulted in much bitterness
j, being aroused, many false charges be-
ing circulated, and great injustice be-
ing done. Upright mems actions have
been misjudged. their purposes and mo-
tives grossly missCated, and their char
acters assailed as though they were
the basest and most hypocritical of
mankind. The circumstances in which
.Shey did the acts or used the language
Ncharged have been overlooked or falsf-
fed; and many otherwise conservative
men have biindly accepted the allega-
tiOns put forth by designing persons
against honorable citizens without ever
I Utempting to verify or consider the
facts in their true light.
One such instance is recalled by
recent declaration issued by a great
political party In that document quo
taItion is made of a letter attributed
20 President Joseph f. Smith, enclos-
ing a bishops letter as to the church
standing of a candidate in a previous
campaign. These letters, it is stated,
were used as circular, and intended
for general distribution, being repro
having hppn qndraccod.
Bishop '
Now the facts are: a. That the
letter as published was never written
by President Smith at all, the whole of
il being supplied by some one else be-
fore it was pUhished; whoever did
this, therefore, must be held guilty of
a most reprehensible deed; CD while
ii is true that President Smith wrote
a lett sr or two on this subject, no one
of them was ever written for publica-
ton. or for use as a circular at all;
each was written in answer to two or
three personal inquiries from north
( and south as to charges being made by
hVypositiOn speakers concerning the
standing Of the candidate referred to:
Cd these letters were not only not
printed by President Smith or by him
authorized TO be printed but were
never at any time sent by him or with
his knowledge to any bishop or any,
body else save in response to direct
personal inquiry from correspondents,
and even 10 less than half a dozen in
Number; "a AT the time the alleged let
Ter was first published and put into
circulation he was absent from the city
and knew nothing whatever about its
being used in any such way.
Yet for this and this alone, so far
as the particular incident is concern
ed, he has been upbraided and crlri-
cised and charged with using church
influence while the head and front of
his offending was merely the courtesy
lof answering a correspondents letter.
SThe News knows these facts, and now
that the alleged letter has been made
public. we take occasion to tell the
!, Whole truth about it, letting the blame