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

| Descret News Editorial.
| AS q nnal effort TO square tho Mormon
| church with the public opinion Of tho coun-
try-a desperate resort to eave Senator Smoot
from losing his scat nj WoshinGton-the hrst
| presidency OF tho church Instructed tne annual i
conference OF Isattcr-dRy saints at salt Lake
City 10 vote for deposition OF Apostles Mat
| thiss F. Cowlcy and John w Taylor. me
| conference obcdlontly did 80. These are mo
, two apostles. out OF the whole board OF twelve
| who nro unmiStakably proved 10 have taken
| plural wives since the publication OF inc nlnn-
lfcsto aoolishing poySaIny AS soon as ,no
Smoot Investigation was commenced. SUD,
ever since that they have been mSsterlousIy
missinE. IL has never been possible Tor the
subpoena servers 10 discover their where
aboUts- When Smoot was put on INC stand
he was asked II he had ever protested 10 his
follow apostles against their violation of tho
laws OF the church and OF the state. and no
was OBLIGED TO confess that ho had not-n
point whusc unfavorablc effect the defense
realized At the annual conference year ago.
II was considered sufncient for Apostle Smoot
10 be conveniently absent when the characters
of these TWO were approved alons Win the
rest OF tho apostolatc Hut this year, nB mat
tcrs looked tar at Washington, IL was
deemed necessary 10 cast OF these incum-
brances md Senator Smoot ig now given tho
credit. for having ousted tho two defiant alb
scntecs. 1t ig hoped that this VIII convince
in the traIsgrcsslon OF the outlaws But un-
fortunately for tho Mormone. tho pubic an
nouncement OF tho vacancies was made In
terms stating that the Two apostles had re-
signed" which OF course implied that they
arc Ia communication with tho first presi-
dencys Thus President Joseph F. Smith nnd
his Immediate colleagues unwittlngly bring
upon themselves the odlum OF concealing the
Whereabouts OF tho offenders and shielding
them from tho call OF the Investigating com
ndttec at Washington. ns we'll as from tho
severer processes Of tho law
The foregoing is from the Interior, a
a paper published in Chicago but which
has not reached the interior Of the
subject OF its remarks Like most OF It's
contemporaries, II has slid along the sur,
face OF the matter and taken for granted
the superficial instead of inquiring into
the real, depending upon tho mIsreprescn-
tations of the enemies Of the Latter-day
Saints Instead of the plain statements
unsafe and unjust course to pursue, but II
is common TO a large body of writer's for
the press when the "Mormons" are in any
way concerned
Now. as 10 this alleged effort to square
the Mormon church with the public opin-
ion or the country IL is charged upon
the presidency OF the church that they
instructed the annual conference of the
LatteT-day Saints to vote for the deposi-
ton of two apostles. And 1t is stated
that the conference obedicntly did so"
1t Is further affirmed that those two apos-
ties were ''unmlstakably proved TO have
taken plural wives since the publication
Of the manifesto prohibiting polygamy."
Everybody who knows OF the course
pursued by the Mormon" church from
the very beginning, understands the folly
OF the assertion that the church. either
now or at any time. has endeavored 10
square itself with the public opinion of
the country" 1t has always proclaimed
its doctrines and conducted its affairs ir-
respective and often In the face of the
public opinion of the country" In the
case under consideration the action that
was taken occurred on the 18th OF Oc-
tober, 1895. 1t was not made public until
the conference was in session on April s.
1896 II the purpose had been such rs the
Interior lntimates, why were not efforts
made at once TO influence the public opin-
Ion OF the country when IL might have
had the effect supposed TO be desired? u
was a matter OF church discipline. and
was attended to after the order and
methods Of the church. on this point We
quote the following from the argument OF
Mr.. a. S. Worthington before the commit
tee on April Is After explaining what
had been done and reading a telegram
from Salt Lake City in answer to his In
quiries as to the facts, he said
You VIII observe. Mr. Chairman that this ac-
suspended Ions ago. but nothing was said
about IL. ] am not In communication with the
presidency OF the church. and cannot speak OF
my own knowledge. but II is perfectly ap-
parent that this done and kept quiet until
this time. so that II would appear they
not attempting To influence tho action OF the
committee; but since this last delay. which
was made 10 suit the convenience OF counsel
for the Protestants here. 1t has turned out that
this matter Ind to be consummnted before the
nnnl action OF this committee instead OF af-
terwaTd
So much for that. Where did the In
terror learn that "the Presidency OF the
church instructed the conference TO vote
for the deposition OF the two apcstlcs?"
Nothing OF the kind took place, neither
does IL appear IN any Of the reports
made concerning the proceedings on that
No such instructions were
given and no such vote was taken. either
"obedlently" or otherwise. The presi-
dency do not instruct people how TO
vote at any time The conference did
not take any action on that matter. The
designations. which were rendered In
writing nearly ex months before the con-
ference was held. were made to the coun-
ell or quorum to which those apostles be-
longed. and were accepted by that body
This was announced in the conference by
the president OF that quorum and the
vacancies that had thus occurred were
hlled by the nomination of two elders
who were sustained by the conference to
occupy those positions
The Interior cannot be very we'll most
ed upon the rules of evidence, when IL
states that those two apostles had been
Enthusiastically proved" TO have Violated
The marriage laws. for all that was ad-
juced against them before the commit |
zee OF the Senate was mere hearsay. Mr
W ortnington. in touching upon that !
point, said:
The testimony was very vague. md simply |