The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-27
PRESIDENT SMITHS LETTER.


In the News of Friday there was an
editorial in reference to letter at
tributed to President Joseph f. Smith.
dated October 26, 1892, which was
printed and circulated, in conjunction
with a letter from Bishop Thomas j.
stevens, of Ogden. as TO Hon. F. j.
Cannon's standing in the Mormon
church. throughout Utah some two
weeks before the election that year.
The News article is undoubtedly au-
thorized by President Smith, and we
shall so treat it.
1t says j: Nov the facts are: %
that the letter as published was never
written by President Smith at all, the
whole of it being supplied by someone
else before it was published; whoever
did this, therefore, must be held guilty
of a most reprehensible deed"
Accepting that statement as true,
the fact nevertheless remains that that
letter has been credited to President
Smith for three years past and no
denial of its authenticity has ever been
made until three years to the day
after it was put forth.
During the last two weeks of the
campaign of '92 that letter was the one
chief topic of discussion. It seems i'm
possible that President Smith should
not have known of its existence:
everyone else did. 1t and Bishop
Stevens letter were published in full
in The Herald Of Sunday, October so,
1892, and their circulation announced
! in the Tribune of about the same date.
! So important and startling was it that
| The Herald in a double-leaded article
/ of the same date. entitled "A Surpris-
ing Illumination" commented on it as
! follows:
The Herald confesses to no small de-
gree of humiliation in dealing with a
most fragrant case of Interference in
! political matters by Joseph F. Smith,
| of the Mormon Presidency. Accepting
in good faith his own declaration,
coupled with that of President VIII
| ford Woodruff. Of having mo DISPOSE
| ton to direct in these Matters and
proclaiming that the members of this
church are entirely and perfectly free
in all political affairs The Herald
for the Democratic party Of Utah, has
Indignantly resented the charge, by
opponents, Of church intervention in
sectarian concerns, believing the assur-
ances and pledges of such eminr nj
authorities to be of the most sacred
and inViolable character. 1t grieves us
! beyond measure to have to say, as 20
President Joseph f. Smith. that, in the
! judgment Of many of his friends and
of his co-religionists. he has not only
gone squarely back on the Cood and
honora BILE advice he gave publicly in
March last, but in doing so has con
| nected himself with q partisan cleo
\ tioneerfng scheme which we dignity
rather than debase when we charac-
teIize it as one worthy of dema-
! gogue only.
In another part of this paper We
print a letter from Thos. ]. Stevens
bishop of the Fifth ward. Ogden, t.
Joseph F. Smith, purporting tn he IL
reply to questions regarding the stand
ing of Brother Frank J. Cannon" anC
a circular letter to all the bishops II
Utah by the said President Smith. in
closing the Stevens letter, with com
ments and suggestions thereupon;; Thu
purpose Of this correspondents, that is
to be used in the campaign, is tot
transparent to dwell upon.
Readers of The Herald will nov
hear for the first time chat in
fuential persons have in public anC
private attacked the moral char
acter" of Mr.. Cannon, and they vii
} conclude that this story has been de
vised to ostensibly justify Mr.. Shitf
in virtually advising the people II
vote for the Republican candidate fol
Delegate No other object could naVt
been in his thought. He assumes tina.
the alleged attacks were for the pur
pose of defeating Mr.. Carnons cleo
ton. and Mr. C. having been vindi
Gated in the manner stated, the peopl'
are left to Judge las to the worthfnes!
Of Brother Cannon" The only question
in the mind of Mr.. Smith relative tt
Cannon's woTthiness to go to Cong res
is his standing in the church, and, tina
settled satisfactorily. the deduction il
that he must not be defeated. There il
not an attempt even to connect MI
RaYlins. or the leading men Of th'
Democratic party, with any public o.
private attacks on Cannons mora
character There is no pratense Of com
!, pairing the capacities or the politlca
fitness of Mr.. Cannon with either O.
his competitors-only a finality regard
ing Mr.. Cannon's fellowship in The
church.
The Herald, believing itself to be
speaking for the entire Democracy OF
Utah, and believing also that its words
will find an echo in the hearts Of a
vast majority of the honorable and
pious Mornons of the territory, takes
the liberty of saying to Mr.. Joseph F.
Smith that if this is his understanding
of the duty of a high ecclesiastic in
the crisis of 9. political campaign, he
2 mistakes the character of his calling,
as he insults the freeborn judgment
of the people. Doubtless when the
partisan excitement to which he has
: worked himself has subsidized, Mr.
t Smith will view with the sincerest re-
gret and sorrow THE part he is now
taking. We hope his best friends will
labor to the end that his burden OF
contrition shall be lightened in proper.
! ton as the intended mischief may be
rninimized.
People cannot but ask. Why, if the
! letter was not genuine, was it allowed
, TO stand SO long uncontrolled? And
why, if it was not worthy of contra