The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-14

perienceG in Legislative Affairs.
A Herald reporter visited the office
of the presidency of the Mormon
church yesterday afternoon for the
purpose of ascertaining from head
quarters what truth, if any. there is in
the charge that the church had ap-
pointed a Steering" committee to su-
pervise the work of the last legislature.
President Woodruff was not there.
but Presidents Cannon and Smith
were found.
Those two gentlemen very freely ex-
pressed themselves The conversation
was a desultory one, having been par
ticipated in not only by the gentlemen
named, but by Apostle H ]. Grant,
who was present and was familiar in
part with the events discussed.
FLATLY DENIED.
Presidents Cannon and Smith stated
substantially as follows: That they
had not appointed, nor had they had
anything to do with the appointment
of such a committee.
They stated that at various and nu-
merous times during the session of the
legislature. from beginning to end,
people had come to them, not only
Mormons, but so-called Gentiles. urg-
ing that steps be taken to prevent I'M
wholesome, or TO secure desirable. leg
islation. To these repeated requests
and suggestions-onlyo one of which. by
the way, had come from a member of
The legislature-the presidency had re-
piled that they were not informed as
to the legislation in question and had
no time in the multiplicity of their du-
ties to investigate it, recommending
that it would be well to consult some
of those residents of the city who were
experienced in legislative matters, such
as James Sharp, William Ritter. F. S.
Richards and others. They disclaimed
having any thought or desire that the
gentlemen thus referred to should act
as a committee with authority to de-
eide for or represent the views of the
first presidency, but were actuated
simply by the thought that these gen
tlemen might be consulted, one or all,
to ascertain their personal views upon,
or requested to use their influence for,
such laws as they themselves might
deem needful and against such other
laws as they might deem to be in
furious.
NO ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE.
To this extent and no further was
any committee appointed ITO act for
the church as steering committee"
for legislation. Presidents Smith and
Cannon stated that there was no leg
islation that they had sought to secure
or defeat through the offices of this or
any other committee. They stated
that very naturally they felt much con-
Germ as to the general course of legis-
lation, President Woodruff having been
specially anxious that taxation should
not be unnecessarily multiplied; that
they all felt that if a number of ex-
Nperienced men like Messrs. Richards
and King, who had been presidents of
legislative councils. and Sharp and
Ritter, who had been speakers. and
other men who had been in the legis-
lature, would interest themselves in
the course of legislation for all the peo-
pie of the state, it would be a pat
riotic and valuable service. They had
not sought TO influence any legislation.
and had gone no further than to agree
on not more than two or three occa-
sions with people urging the dement's
or merits of bill that if the bill was
as undesirable or as desirable as was
represented, IL ought respectively to
fail or pass.
THE COLLEGE BILL.
So far as their intercourse with the
alleged committee is concerned, they
stated that the members thereof had
never been around to consult them eX-
cept in two or three instances, and
then not all of the alleged members
but only one or two, such, for instance
as in the case of the so-calIed college
bill, which was thought to affect the
church schools and upon which the
presidency were consulted, not only
by President Kerr of the B. Y. college
at Logan, the author of the bill, but
by Messrs. Penrose and Sharp, both Of
whom are connected with the church
schools. Even in this instance they had
expressed no desire to control legisla-
ton; they had even entertained vary
ing views on the merits of the bill:
Messrs. Penrose and Sharp had con-
suited HrCSlOenI foInltn only, the Olner
members of the presidency not having
been present when they called.
NO MESSAGES TO LEGISLATORS.
The gentlemen stated that they had
not conveyed any message to any
member of the legislature that a COM
mittee for consultation had been APP
pointed; that they did not know how
frequently the proposed gentlemen had
been consulted, if at all, nor to what
extent, nor on what measures they
had consulted members of the legis-
1ature.
APOSTLE GRANT.
Apostle Grant stated that during the
session of the legislature some per-
son had Informed him that he had been
appointed by the first presidency a
member of committee to supervise
the work Of the legislature; that there
Epou he had gone up to the Office Of
rhe frst presidency and had been in
formed that there had been no such