The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-06

have since been signed and ontedated
It is impossible for the outside world 70
| know just at the present time No
plain statement on that subject has yet
appeared; but. after a whilo several
plain statements Will be put forward
to square the public opinion OF the
country. And from tho varied lot the
commentator may choose one or none.
Inadvertently the Deseret News in a
succeeding sentence says that IT.
Cwhat it means by '1t' in this case It
is impossible Mt the present. time to de-
| tcrmine. but il uses "lt' In order that
it may construc that particular it
| according To any whim or purpose de-
| sirable for the future lit was mat
ter Of church discipline" Presumably
| the News refers TO the retirement ut
| Taylor and Cowley from tho apostolic
! quorum If this retirement were
matter of discipline, this is the first
time that the announcement has been
made public In any authoritative way.
| According to the presentation offered
| to the conference OF the Mormon peo-
pie. Taylor and Cowley voluntarily re-
signed; and their designations were
sorrowfully accepted by their col
leagues of the hierarchy That pre-
| tended proceeding, as 1t was made
| public, had nothing on earth to do with
discipline The Deseret News does not
dare TO answer to the Mormon people
nor To the world today this plain aues-
| ton; Were Apostles Taylor and Cow
ley excluded from the apostolic quo
rum for practicng polygamy?
The Deseret News denies that the
| congregation voted on Taylor and Cow
ley In obedience to Instructions from
the hierarchy. It's simulated indignn-
ton at the Interior for making this
charge is as amusing as the conse-
Quences OF its successful deceit on its
own people are serious. The consre-
gatIon of the Mormon people assem-
bled there solely to obey instruction,
that instruction was To be delivered by
the pretended motion either to sustain
Taylor and Cowley or to substitute
others In their place. The congregation
had no knowledge OF what was to be
done, and no right which would have
been recognized to interpose personal
opinion in the matter, No motion was
made, no second was made. no discus
sion would have been permitted, no
man Offering a contrary vote would
have been needed All knew that they
must obey counsel, and that any one
TO Sp ha n1nrkaI
man for life. To show that they were
obeying counsel and not acting In their
individual capacity 1t VIII be recalled
that just six months ago Taylor and
Cowley were sustained by the congre-
cation at the instance of the hierarchs.
and that this year without any eN-
planation, without demand for an ex-
planatlon (for no one attempted to rise
in the congregation and question the
hierarchs) these men were deposed 'as
a matter of discipline" to quote the
Deseret News, and others were substi-
tuted IN their place. To sustain what
the authorities request Is to receive and
obey instruction from the authorities.
The language is n peculiar one in the
Mormon church, but the idea IS the
same old unquestioned and priestly tyr
amy,
The Deseret News says that no for
NAL charge has ever been preferred
against Taylor and Cowley which
would Justify n trial. Then Reed
Smooth misled this country and he
stands before the Senate of the United
States as a violator OF his own word
of honor, In his testimony before the
Senate Committee on Privileges and
Elections he stated that he had brought
UP the question whether John w. Tay-
lor and Matthias F. Cowley would be
sustained as apostles at the general
conference of the church in April, 1906,
after listening to or hearing the tes-
timony that was given before this COM
mittee" Smoot also testified that Pres
ident Smith had promised that an in
vestigation should be made concerning
these men. The Deseret News knows.
and the Interior OF Chicago doubtless
knows. that under the discipline and
regulations of the Mormon church TO
question whether an apostle shall be
sustained is TO make a charge against
him. To investigate him is 10 try him.
If the News now tells the truth. Reed
Smoot falsifed to the committee as to
the form of the proceeding: and
whether the News tells the truth or not
in this particular matter Reed Smoot
unquestlonably deceived the committee.
for no investigation was ever reported
or ever made. The impression made
upon the Committee on Privileges and
Elections was to the effect that Reed
Smoot would pursue the case against
Taylor and Cowley. Instead of doing
this he fled before the conference OF
April. 1905, and Taylor and Cowley
were here ready to fight for their po-
lygamous rights with the rest of the
poygamous hierarchy in a polygamous
chnrph