The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-19
Logan Journals Statement Regard
ing Union Electric Bonds.
DESERET NEWS EDITORIAL
TAKES THE NORTHERN PAPER
SEVERELY TO TASK.
Says There Is Not the Slightest oc-
casion For Fear Over the Church
Interests Being In Jeopardy
President Woodruff Makes An
Unequivocal Denial.

The statement OF the Logan JOurHdl
to the effect that President Milford
Woodruff, as trustee in trust for the
Mormon church. had guaranteed the
payment of $3.50 600 of bonds of the
Union Light & Power company re-
ceived another denial yesterday. The
Herald published the Journals charges
and Mr. Cannon's fiat contradiction or
them Yesterday President woodruff
stated that he had taken no action in
this matter whatever as trustee in
trust.
Others interested in the company
stated that President Cannon's inter-
ests in the company were simply those
of an individual. and if President
Woodruff was interested, 1t was in
precisely the same way.
The disposition OF the church
authorities at first was to not discuss
the matter any further but permit the
whole thing to rest with the denials
made in the morning papers, but the
conclusion was evidently reached to
make an official denial of the charges,
and this appeared as an editorial in
the Deseret News. the church organ,
last evening, under the heading, "A
Duty Sometimes-But TireSone.
The editorial was as follows:
In the absence of a real and tangible
news item VIII SElLSdlltIldl 4CdlQlES
with which to render their columns
readable, there is a class of pen
drivers in and around the community
who have the habit of sitting down and
cudgeliing out of their poor brains
wholly imaginary conditions and &C
currences-these generally being, we
need hardly say, covert illusions to, or
direct assertions concerning the Nor
mon church or its leaders Of course
it is seldom deemed necessary to notice
such stuff-frequently il cannot be
touched at all without loss OF dignity
on the part of those assailed. In
occasional instances, however, duty re-
quireS that the honest but unwary
reader be warned against falsehood
and that denials or contradictions be
given publicity. All sorts of stories
are started and put in circulation, and
idle rumOrs grow into great things. 1t
therefore happens that while many of
these sensations are allowed TO pass
by uncontradicted, once in a while a
statement by way of denial or eXplana-
ton is printed.
"A recent instance is the publication
of a story to the effect that President
Woodruff, as trustee-in-trust for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, had officially endorsed and
guaranteed some s., 800 eco of bonds
of the Union Electric Light & Power
company, and therefore to that extent
had 'ieopardized' the property of the
church. Both the Salt Lake morning
papers today reproduced the story, but
with it they both also publish emphatic
denials. This appears to the News to
be a sufficient allusion to the matter in
these columns, except the assurance
quite needless. unless some anxious
soul may perhaps have been losing
sleep over the fear of jeopardy to
church interests and property-that
there is not the slightest occasion
for any such. fear whatever"
MAY REPLY.
It is considered probable that the
Journal viii reply to these contradic-
tons. to the extent, at least, of giving
the authority for its intimation that
President Woodruff had acted in the
manner. indicat ted nv il