Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-19
MORMON MANIFESTO
Mr.. Campbell Says 1t is for Eastern
Consumption Solely.
D tab LEADERS QUOTE D
Should Not Change the Action of
Congress on PoIygamy.
PRESIDENT SHOWS WORDS

| City. Utah, who has for thirteen years
| been a Presbyterian home missionary
among the Mormon people and who is now
| editor of the kinsman, published in Salt
| Lake City, and who is in Washington for
| the purpose of taking part in the effort to
| secure the submission of an i-polygany
/ constitutional amendment, said today to a
| Star reporter, in reference to the recent
| manifesto of President Lorenzo Snow of
| the Mormon Church dated Salt Lake City,
| January s. 1900, that it was not nearly as
| strong as the manifesto by President Will
| ford Woodruff in 1880, as interpreted by
| the sworn statements of President Wood
ruff and Apostle tnow presidenD Lorenzo
| Snow.
President Snow calls attention to the
| fact said Mr.. Campbell, that the mani
| festo of President Woodruff was presented
to and unanimously accepted by our Nor
mom general conference the 9th of Oc-
| tober, 1880. and he might have added that
| the general conference of October, 1891,
| again unanimously Endorsed the said mani
| festo after it had been interpreted to in
| clude the prohibition of polygamous CO.
| habltatlOn as well as new polygamouS mar
| riages, which, if Mormon pledges mean any
| thing, bound the Mormon people, by solemn
| compact, for all time to refrain both from
| poiygamous marriages and from poiyga-
| nous Capitalization. In the testimony taken
| before the master in chancery in Salt Lake
| City in the fall of 1891 Mormon leaders
| stated under oath that members of the
| Mormon Church could not continue to live
| with polygamouS wives whom they had
| already married without violating the rule
of the church, which was based upon the
| w oodruff manifesto, and thus throwing
| themselves liable to church discipline.
In view of these facts, which are well
| known to all who are acquainted with Nor
mon history, the late manifesto by Presi-
| dent Snow is a very tame affair. You will
| notice he says:
The church has positively abandoned
| the practice of polygamy, OF the solemniza-
| ton of plural marriages. in this and every
other state. = Nor does the church
! advise or encourage unlawful cohabitation
| on the part of any of its members. If,
| therefore, any member diSobeyS the law,
either as to polygamy or unlawful cohabi-
tation. he must bear his own burden, or, in
other words, be answerable to the tribunals
OF the land for his own action pertaining
| thereto
ITO those who are aware of the fact that
President Snow has himself been openly
charged with living with a young polyga-
NOUS wife by the name of Minnie Jensen,
and has. it is alleged. begotten polyga-
nous child by her since statehood, not
wthstanding the fact that his legal wife
was living at the time his statement, nor
does the church advise or encourage I'M
lawful cohabtation on the part of any of
its members is absolutely worthless, but
as a means of deceiying those who are I'M
acquainted with Mormon falsehood and de-
ception it will serve temporary purpose
Mormon Interpretation.
1.-The dishonesty of this last Mormon
manifesto will become all the more appar-
ent if We take into account the interpreta-
ton which is being put upon it by promi-
nent Mormons in Utah. First, it might be
Well to notice a statement which President
Snow has recently been represented as
making to a reporter in an interview in
Salt Lake City, and which he has never de-
| MED After admitting that there were
100 poly gamiSts in Utah (Which is much
below the actual number, Mr.. Snow said:
L suppose they generally support their
wives and families. 1 should not think
much of them if they did not. They en-
tered into a solemn contract to do so; to
| become their husbands in this life and the
next. l believe many have not been living
with their plural wives as husband and
wife. Some, l doubt not. have been doing
so, and some have probably had children
by such wives. Such matters, however
| are left to the individual The church con-
J san,ed these marriages. II does not see
how it can restrict action of individuals in
regard to them now
I'm view of President Shows statement
that the church does not advise, nor en-
courage unlawful cohabita m, the Salt
Lake Tribune undertook to ascertain
whether this meant that, the church would
| hereafter discipline members who We're
found guilty of this crime. The, Tribune
| reporter made an attempt to secure state
ment upon this subject from Mr.. Snow
statement. saying that he had nothing to
| add to what he had printed in the News
of the day before.
THE reporter managed to secure an in
| terview with Angus NJ. Cannon president
| of the Salt Lake Stake of the Mormon
| Church. Mr.. Cannon expressed the opinion
| that the law against unlawful cohabita-
| ton is unconstitutional. and was incorpo-
| rated in the code through inadvertence,
and that the church authorities would not
| have the right to discipline a member of
no or &c int TOW.
they felt so inclined
This legal opinion of Mr.. Cannon is very
| significant as to the Mormon idea of the
jurisdiction of the evil courts in the view
| of the fact that the supreme court of Utah
| has decided that the said law is constitu-
| tional and rendered its decision in regard
| to an action which had been begun prior to
| the work of the code commission, which is
| here represented to have Incorporated the
said law through inaadvertence.' To the
| Tribune reporter President Cannon also ex
| pressed the fear that Some sneaking
| whelps might use the declaration of Presi-
dent Snow as a preteXt for deserving their
wives. And if they do he declared they
| are the fellows who should be disciplined'
| There is an admission that the said mani
| festo was intended merely for eastern con-
| sumption.
| George O. Cannon first counsellor IN
| President Snow, when interviewed by the
! reporter, expressed himself as follows:
| - think that President Snow meant to
| define the position of the church clearly
| and to discourage ii. AS to whether or
! not member would or might be dis
| ciplined for disObeying the law, | cannot
say. as that is largely a congregational
| matter
| by keeping in mind the fact that Presi-
| dent Snow himself is charged with living in
| unlawful cohabitation and that he has him
| self taken at least nine wives, you can
| easily judge how much the language of
| President Snow would be likely to discour-
| age the business among his own people
who are well acquainted with his manner
| OF life, especially in view of his own re-
| cent statement, in which he said such
| matters, however, are left to the indiyid-
| ual.'
| Elder Chas. w. Penrose, editor of the
| Deseret News, and counsellor to President
| Angus NJ. Cannon of the Salt Lake Stake
| OF the Mormon Church. expressed the opin-
| ION that no church member would suffer
so far as his standing in the church was
| concerned because he had been convicted
| (of unlawful cohabitation) No one had
| even yet lost religious prestige because he
| had been convicted in criminal court
| and so far as he knew, no complaint look
| ing to that end had ever been lodged with
| the proper authorities