The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-07

bered that girl longer than most boys
remember their first sweetheart.
Recalled by a Name.
Thirty years later George @. Cannon.
the Mormon delegate in congress from
the territory of Utah, walked over to
the desk of Joseph G. Cannon of HE
nois in the house of representatives,
and asked him to examine a petition
from the women of Utah Inc MOT
mon was fighting for his seat, and ne
had this petition from the women OF
Utah testifying to their happiness and
the recognition of their rights IN UJah-
Mr.. Cannon of Illinois glanced over
the petition in a casual way until his
eve caught a name ne had never heard
since he lost his sweetheart TO the Nor
mons. 1t was a given name-The faml-
ly name was not familiar. He became
Interested in the petition and walked
over to the Mormon desk with his fin
ger on this name
DO YOU know that Iady?' he asked.
The Mormon Cannon looked at the
name and replied:
Very well. indeed. She is the wife
of one of our disciples, and a remark
able woman. She is a physician and a
leader in Mormon circles Do you know
her?"
what was her name before she was
married, and what number is she-ftrst,
third, seventh or fourteenth Uncle
Joe asked.
she is number three, I believe
laughed the Mormon, and he proceed
ed to answer the other questions
Uncle Joe told the Mormon the story
of his acquaintance with the lady, and
asked to be remembered to her
Five years later, when both these
men We're out of congress and the Nor
mons were protesting against the per
secutiOn" they experienced under the
Edmunds law. Joseph q. Cannon made
a tour of Mexico with his daughter, re-
turned by way of the Pacific coast and
stopped off to see the Mormon city of
Zion on their way home.
George Q. Cannon, then a member
of the presidency of the church, shOweR
the visitors every attention while in his
city. and gave Uncle Joe his first op-
pOrtunity to study the Mormon church
and the social conditions which II ere
ated. He was not so mucn shocked as
he had expected to be, but he wanted
to learn the truth, and ne called upon
the lady who thirty-five years before
had told him in Indiana that she was
to be sold to the MOrmons. He found
a handsome matTOn of commanding
carriage and fine education and culture
She was such a woman as might con-
duct a salon in Washington or any
other eastern city.
She greeted her visitor cordially and
laughed over the incident of years be
fore. She defended the Mormon church
and plural marriages as Mr.. Cannon
had never heard even George c. Can
non the ablest advocate of the church,
defend these institutions. Her talk al
most convinced him that there were
two sides to this question.
Before he left Salt Lake Mr.. Cannon
was entertained at dinner by his friend,
George @. Cannon. There was only
small party at dinner, and afterward
there was g reception There were
nearly 100 people present. There were
middle-aged men of business affairs,
professional men and their wives,
Young gentlemen and ladies, college
graduates and college students, and al
together as brilliant a company as
could be found in any other city Mr..
Cannon did not understand why he had
been accorded this reception until the
Mormon leader introduced him to his
family. his sons and daughters, their
wives and husbands, their children and
grandchildren. 1t was a Mormon fami-
ly.
With this picture and the defense of
MormOnism made by the woman who
had. been sealed to a Mormon in his
memory, Uncle Joe had something of a
struggle with himself before he voted
to unseat Brigham Roberts, the Nor
man member of congress, a year ago.
But he did vote that way, because the
system represented a hierarchy and not
a republic, and he voted to unseat the
representative of. the hierarchy.