The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-03
LyMAN.s @INELuENcE.,
Clark Says Five Bishops Were Con-
verted NIysteriousIy


verted MysteriousIy.
It has been known in Democratic
circles for several days that Apostle
Francis NJ. Lyman had written to {
number Of persons demanding on wha
authority they stated he had USED
church influence in behalf of the Re-
publican party. He has received re
plies, but he has not used them. They
We're evidently somewhat undesirable
! for publication. as the following cor
respondenee viii show:
Office of the First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah
October "a, 1895.
Elder Riley G.. Clark, Panguitch.
My Dear Brother:-You will see by
the Tribune and Herald the charge the
Democrats made against me. In view
of that l today telegraphed Brother S.
r. Thurman to learn on what testi-
mony they based their charge. Here is
a copy of what | sent him and copy
Of his answer
Samuel r. Thurman, Provo.
VIII you please give me the evil
dence upon which the committee based
the item they inserted in the address
to Democracy, stating that in the cam
paign of 1894 l held meetings in vari-
Gus places, and that in many places,
notably Panguitch, in Garfield county,
advised the people that it was the
wish of the first presidency of the
church that Frank J. Cannon should
be elected to Congress?"
Brother Thurman answered as fol-
lows:
"One Mr. Clark, of Panguitch made
a statement similar to that to myself
and others.
please tell me, Brother Clark, if you
told those things to Brother Thurman
and others and I will feel greatly
obliged.
Your friend and brother,
"FRANCIS NJ. LYMAN.
This letter and a copy of the answer
were yesterday received by Judge
Powers. In answer to the query Mr..
Clark said under date of October 30:
Mr.. Clark's Answer.
Apostle F. NJ Lyman, Salt Lake City.
Dear Brother:-Your letter of enquiry
about being accused of interfering in
political matters in Panguitch was re-
ceived in due course. In answer to it
l will say J think Brother Thurman
has got a little mixed about what /
said to him about it. AT Beaver, about
one year ago, Mr.. McCarty attempted
to deny that church influence had been
used in political affairs. ] told him
and Mr.. Thurman about the church
influence which had been used in
Kanab stake by President Woolley in
the election Of 1892, which had been
spoken of and denounced in Panguitch
by leading Democrats of that place,
including myself.
L told these gentlemen how the
above mentioned Democrats had infor-
NAL notice how some of the apostles
were coming down to take us to task
fro our complaints against this inter-
ference, and how, in order to defend
ourselves, we secured the affidavit Of
Byron Roundy to the effect that the
day before election in 1892 President
b. L. Woolley came to him and told
him that it made no difference how
he voted on county tickets, but it was
the wish of the first presidency that
they vote for Frank j. Cannon for
Congress.
L also told these gentlemen that you
were the one who came down to Pan
guitch and how we were requested to
meet with you after the general con-
ference meeting; how you did not IN
dertake to try US in any regular way,
but spoke in a general manner about
marks you asserted that the church
claimed the right to dictate to its mem
bers in political affairs. [ also told
Thurman how you gave US the privi- |
lege of making remarks after you got
through, and how 1 told you in my
that, while I had no objec- |
tons to your believing that the church !
had a right to dictate to you, it could |
not dictate TO me about my political |
affairs or actions.
This, in substance. is what I told !
Thurman and McCarty and he, per- |
haps, has got a little mixed. But T am
positive that YOU did assert that the
church claimed the right to dictate
% its members in political affairs. and |
hat was the main point in question.
Converted Five Bishops.
That such claimed rights have been
exercised there can be little doubt, as
n 1892 we had in this stake FIVE prom
,ee Democratic bishops. but shortly
after yourself and Bro. Lund passed
through our county they, by some
mysterious process, became equally
pronounced Republicans; and this is
'nly one circumstance out of MANY
which led me to think that the rights
-ou claimed for the church had been
lsed to the hurt of the Democratic
'arty here. But in this matter about
.ou saying that it was the wish of the
lrst presidency, in the cleo
iOi cannon 0[ 1884 to cona TO- elect Frank
nisrepresented. But in the main
harge that church influence has heen
injected into political affairs here tbere
an De no doubt am very truly yours.
RILEY 6. CLARK.