The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-15
THE SMITH USURPATIoN.

! lator OF the ploygamous cult-not be
| ing in good form to answer opponents
/ of his right TO the presidential success
sion in his church, has put up one
of the Smithlets; and for the same rea-
son that doubtful plays arc tried in
/ provincial towns before being trusted
in Broadway houses, the initial argu'
ment was opened at Ogden in the local
tabernacle there.
During forty years 1T was the prac'
tice of the Utah Mormon church, TO ig-
more tho Reorganizcd church, refusing
debates to its elders and assuming an air
Of superiority and conclusiyencss in the
matter of the succession. Evidently
the carrying of the war into Africa
by the Reorganized elders has set the
Joseph T. Smith family all atremblc
for their crown; and silence is no longer
deemed to be sufficiently effective.
The argument Of the Reorganrzed
church is that the Utah church has
never had the right of succession to
the presidential office; that it was be-
slowed by revelation to the original Jo-
seph upon n son of that Joseph. A pc
culiar confirmation of this idea was put
forth by Joseph f. Smith himself. in
the special conference which was con
vened in the big tabernacle IN Salt
Lake City on November 10, 1901. As
reported in the Deseret News, the fol
lowing is part of Joseph +. Smith S
address on that occasion
! desire TO read a little from the reVe-
lation in relation 10 the order OF the holy
priesthood. that you may understnnd our
views concerning adherinE as nearly as
we can To the holy order OF government
that has been established hy revelation
through the Prophet Joseph Smith III inc
dispensation Of the fullness OF times. we
cannot deny the fact that the Lord has
effected one of the most perfect orSanl-
cations in this church that ever existed
upon the earth. do not know OF any
more perfect organization than exists III
the church Of Jesus Christ OF Latter-day
Saints today, We have not always car
ricd out strictly the order of the priest
hood; we have varied from II To some
extent but we. hope In due time that by
the promptlngs OF the Holy Spirit we Will
be led up into the cNac' channel ana
course that the Lord has marked out Tor
us 10 pursue, and adhere strictly 10 the
order that he has established [ VIII
read from n revelation that was given 10
the Prophet Joseph Smith, AT Nauvoo.
1891, which stands as the law OF the
church in relation TO the presentation OF
the authorities of the holy priesthood as
they are established in tho church, and
from which feel that we have no right
to depart Tho Lord says
First ! give unto you Hyrum smith.
TO be a patriarch unto you, to hold the
sealing blessings OF my church. even the
Holy Spirit OF promise. whereby ye are
sealed up unto the day Of redemption
that sc may not fall, Notwithstanding the
hour Of temptation that may come upon
YOU"
1t may be considered strange that the
Lord should give first of all the patriarch:
yet do not know OF any law. any reve-
the contrary, that has ever been. given
through any OF the prophets or presidents
OF the church. AT the same time we well
know that this order has not been strictly
followed from the day we came into
these valleys until now-and we Will not
make any change at present. But we
Will first take II into considera ton; we
Will pray over it; We VIII get the mind
of the spirit OF God upon IL. as upon
other subjects, and be united before we
take any action different TO that which
has been done,
Significant in itself, the utterance
acquires additional emphasis from the
well-known fact that the Smiths had
been jealous of the Youngs and all other
successors to The presidency, from the
time of the death of the prophet Joseph,
the founder Of the faith-until the day
when Joseph +. came TO the throne ard
when Hyrum, his own son, as prince
imperial, was seated on the steps of
the throne, ready TO seize the scepter
when it should fall from the hand of
his venerable sire. That jealous feeling
and the long and sullen rage with which
Joseph +. waited for mis- day, arc we'll
known TO old-tlmers in Utah. The re-
marks of Joseph T. at the special con
ference must be read with the undcr-
that he felt that the crown
had been placed upon his own brow
after years of usurpation by unautho-
rized kings and prophets, If the right
order had not been followed, as he
claimed, then the wrong order must have
been followed; and, as he intimatcd, the
presidents intervening between Joseph
and Joseph i. had been usurpers. SO
far then, Joseph T., the prophet, sus-
tains the case of the Recognized
church against what the Reorganizcd
element calls the Brighamite church
Joseph +. Smith was willing TO dis
credit the reign of Brigham Young
and his successors, but was not willing
TO impeach his own title; and there
fore, he harked back 20 an old aud al.
most forgotten pretended revelation in
which his own father was set at the
head Of things in this dispcnsation by
the pretended voice of the Almighty,
Joseph +. came to the presidency as
n successor to Brigham 8 successors
and, with Brigham s title overthrown,
Joseph F.'s title would 90 with the
overthrow but for his discovery OF
another and antednting Legitimacy of
title. Having fixed the right within
his family to rule; he clumsily left the
question, with the intimation that he
would proceed no further with the res
toration of the proper order until such
time as divine cnlightment should come
The manner indeed was clumsy. but the
was cunning If the right TO