The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-08
A SALUTARY RULE.

President Joseph F. Smith is on the
right track at last and we hope that
| he may keep on I'm that good way, until
he sees that the permanent use OF 1t is
as good for himself as II is for others.
| At the conference of the Women s
Relief Societies in this city on Thurs
day, President Smith was very pointed
in his censure OF bishops who get pos
session of grain stored by the relief So
cieties, and make no accounting. He
says that this crooked work was done
| without the approval OF the church
leaders, and laid down the rule that In
all C-lses an accounting must be made.
The criticism and injunction came to
| the conference In the form OF letter
| from the First Presidency. which was
received with such unbounded surprise
| and satisfaction that II was read both
at the forenoon and afternoon sessions
| Of the conference. 1t intimated that
grain had been taken by some OF the
bishops without the consent OF the wo-
men, and that bishops at times failed 10
account to the relief societies for the
grain so taken. This robbery must
stop, says this letter from the First
Presidency; when bishops get grain
from the women's relief societies, they
| must either return it or pay its value
in money
1t would not be a violent assumption
TO say that while In terms the letter
applies specifically to grain, the true
intent of it is that no property Of any
kind shall be taken from the relief So
cieties without just compensation, and
that this rule applies to other church
officials as we'll as to the bishops And.
by the way, it was a right drastic and
strong arralgnment OF the f1lching bish-
ops who have been guilty of the rob-
berries which the letter so severely de-
nounces.
And now, since the First Presidency
has made such a just and such an un-
precedented ruling, why is 1t not a
good rule for the whole church official
dom? If 1t is a good and just thing for
the bishops TO account to the women S
relief societies for property obtained
from them, why isn't it n good thing for
the bishops to account to the people at
large for tithes and other contributions
sent to them? Why should the bishops
be required 10 account in only one case7
Why not account I'm all2 Bishops
should not be irresponsible robbers OF
the women's relief societies. 1t will be
said. and rightly, too; but no more
h1 i,-rp Of
anybody else; they should not fall TO
account for what they get, from every
source.
And a good and honest rule for the
bishops, this one is, would also be a
good and honest rule for the presidents
Of stakes; also. for the ecclesiasts all
along the line. from bottom to top The
doctrine Of accountability for goods and
property received is so good. safe. and
universally approved a doctrine. that
1t would be quite impossible for the
church leaders to go astray in making
it their own rule, and enforcing it upon
all the officials OF the church
1t is with unfeigned gladness that
The Tribune read the portion of the re-
port of the conference Of the women g
relief societies which contained the
summary of this admirable injunction
to the bishops from the First Presi-
dency. 1t IS with the hope that the
admirable doctrine inculcated In this
letter may be made the general rule OF
the church upon all OF its ccclesiasts
from low to high, that The Tribune thus
publicly and emphatically commends
this rule imposed upon the bishops