The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-15
If Hierarchy Did Not Dominate
Utah What Would
You Do?
WOULD NOT THE HIERARCH
BE VIGOROUSLY PROSECUTED
Why Is He Allowed Freedom
When Another Less Guilty
Is Sent to Pen.

Farley P. Christensen is the County
Attorney for Salt Lake county No
complaint can be issued nor criminal
action commenced in Salt Lake county
without he authorizes 1t. This Is the
law. No matter what the evidence, no
matter how many persons know or
crime in Salt Lake county, Farley Z.
Christensen is the one man who shall
say that prosecution must be instituted.
1t makes no difference how many per-
sons may have full information, no diff
ference how many eye-witnesses to a
crime, IL Parley 2. so elects no prose-
cution will result. In other words, the
law officer of county, If he so elects,
can stop the prosecution of crime when
ever he so desires, or whenever some
friend Of his happens to be caught In
the meshes of the law. OF course
there can be an appeal taken from his
decision through mandamus proceed
ings and the District court order ac-
tion begun, but this is seldom done. In
view of this, it shows the absolute
necessity of most careful selection In
the candidates for County Attorney.
Several days ago Charles Mostyn
Owen, citizen of Salt Lake, filed an
information against Joseph f. Smith,
hierarch, charging said hicrarch with
a statutory crime. The evidence which
he presented is plain, direct and ample,
The man charged with the crime has
testified under oath that he commit
ted crime and that he intended to CON
tipue committing it. DR.. Charles F.
Wilcox has certified that in this par
ticular instance q crime was committed.
That certificate is part OF the public
records of Utah. Documentary evi-
dence is the best evidence known. This
evidence is available to Farley P.
Christensen, County Attorney. He
might investigate.
Two years and a half ago, or, to be
more explicit, in March, 1904, Joseph
T. Smith, president of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day SAINTS,
prophet, seer and revelator, before q
committee OF the highest legislative
body on earth, testified under oath that
he was a awbreaker. He has since
repeated this statement, He has lived
here in Salt Lake in the open as law
breaker. Farley p, Christensen knows
this. The evidence in the case before
the Senate committee in Washington is
before him. He has read it. He prob
ably has investigated.
year ago James Campbell of Colo
RADIO, in the presence of his wife, took
her sister 10 be his wife. This was
done in the mountains of the Centen-
NAL State He and his wife and his
plural came to Salt Lake, to Utah, to
llve their religion. Farley +. ChrlSten-
sen was then. as now. County Attorney.
The facts were presented TO him.
Prompt inquiry was made. Campbell
was arrested. His trial and conviction
followed He was sent to the peniten
tiary. His wife was left penniless with
a family of little children. The plural
wife went 10 the Crittenton home in
Ogden, where she remained until her
baby was born. Was Campbell more
guilty than Joseph F. Smith, Was
the evidence stronger against him than
against Joseph f. Smith, Perhaps
Farley P. Christensen can answer.
Getting right down TO brass tacks. is
not this ignoring of sworn information
about the hierarch and other law
breakers in the hierarchy due to poll
tics? IF the band Of twenty-six did
not dominate the politics of Utah and
run the State as thew desire, would not