The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-16
Atheist Divides Time With Mormon
Elder.
SPOKE ON BOSTON COMMON
ADDRESSED CROWD FOR JUST
SIX MINUTES.
It Is Likely That the Man Who Ex-
tended This Courtesy to Jensen
Win Have His Own Permit to
Speak Revoked-Elder Talks For
Freedom of Speech.

The mayor and chief of police of the
Hub seem to have queer way of
regulating things on Boston common.
The only opportunity Elder Ephraim
Jensen had for talking there last Sun
day was given him by an atheist
orator who desisted from abusing the
Bible for six minutes and gave that
time to Jensen. 1t viii be remembered
that Mr.. Jensen was denied a permit
TO speak.
The Boston Herald says:
1t was almost o'clock when the
elder edged his way through the crowd
and got a hearing. He did not have
much to say, but his remarks were
frequently punctuated with applause,
and he seemed satisfied with the i'm
preston that he made.
Police Watched Jensen.
1.-THE police had been watching Jen-
sen all the afternoon, and there was a
difference of opinion among the Of
Ulcers as to what they would be able to
do with him. Officer Fernald, who has
had charge of the Sunday services on
the common for a good many years, did
not believe that anything could be done
with the elder if he was allowed to talk
on the time allotted to somebody else,
cepted the elder as an exponent of the
doctrines which We're supposed to be
expounded from that particular stand.
Officer Zahn. however, who at the
present time has charge of the Common
to such an extent that he carries the
paper containing the dates and loca-
tons of the speakers, said that if the
Mormon spoke he would surely be ar
rested. He was following out the literal
instructions Of the mayor in what he
said, for it had been given out from
city hall, according to the police, that
If the Mormon should attempt to speak
he should be shut off without loss OF
time.
When Elder Jensen did speak, how
ever, there We're no police in sight. 1t
may have been that they went to the
station to report for roll-call. but, how
ever that may be, there was large
crowd on the Common, and the elder
had one of the largest audiences that
has gathered around a speaker there
for many a day. Atheist Westcott in
troduced him. and when he made refer
ence to the arbitrary manner in which
the mayor had acted in shutting off the
Mormon, the crowd applauded.
Elder Somewhat Excited.
ELDER Jensen was somewhat excited
when he got up to explain his position.
He said he merely wanted to make
plea for free speech. We seem to be
subjected to a horde of petty tyrantsY
he said.
quincy is one of Them came from
the crowd.
1T would SEEM continued the
elder, that we are not as free as we
think we are, and that there are per-
sons who would try to stop that which |
is the privilege of every man-free
thought and free action.
He then went on to say that the /
second prophet of the Mormon church |
had once lifted his hat while passing |
Boston Common, and had thanked God !
that on that ground a, man had never |
been denied the right of free speech. |
He said that he came as a citizen, |
trusting and praying that he would |
have the right of free speech and free |
thought, and claimed that an agitator |
was unpopular only in respect to the |
justice of his cause. He was not here |
to convert men and women against |
their will, but to show that there were
good flowers in other gardens beside |
Boston, and that there were other |
families better provided for than some
of those in Boston.
aside from this, the elder did not /
have very much to say. He did not at
tempt to discuss Mormonism, except to
say that the Mormons were a very
happy and prosperous people.
1.-THE elder had had a hard time of it |
all day. He is now pretty well known
to frequenters Of the Common, and
wherever he stood crowd quickly col
lected. In one instance man with a
straw hat got into a discussion with
him about free agency and it was
not long before there was a crowd that
blocked the walk. The man with the
straw hat did most of the talking but
the elder got the blame of it, for when
Officer Whalen came along and broke
up the crowd, Elder Jensen, being the
most distinguished looking person in
the collection, was asked to move on.
1T is probable that the fact that
accorded the elder the privi-
lege of speaking will be reported at
city hall, and it may be that his permit
will be revoked. This was the opinion
Of the police who have been looking
after the Mormon,