The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-07
CONsECRATED TO LIES.

When the Deseret News looks about
for cause for the present controversy
in Utah it would better pay more at
! tention to historical facts than to it's
own feelings of hatred OF everything
that is American. Recently tho News
asserted that "nothing had happened
in Utah to Justify new crusade;
that the warfare was due solely to the
disappointment Of certain ambitious
individuals; and that "there is no
other casus helh, whatever may be al
legged TO the contrary Some time ago
it falsely stated the situation in these
words:
We again emphatically deny the con-
| tention OF Tho Tribune and Its party
that the church leaders have broken any
pledges. And that denial is at least
| equal TO any assertion The Tribune can
make. No pledges have been broken by
the church leaders, or by their permis-
| sion.
Such is the nature Of the contention
Of the ecclesiasts and their political al
lies in face of the contrary facts. To
the ordinary person it would seem that
no better authority could be quoted in
| this matter than Joseph T. Smith, the
| chief of the church leaders. But there
may be permitted some doubt as to
whether his word. or that Of his person
al organ, can be taken and accepted for
| ANYTHING, in view of what has been
said by both during the past few years,
and in view of the occurrences within
| that time.
But take him as a truthful authority
on this subject or as willful falsifer
| (and the Deseret News may have it's
choice of the two), his view Of the case,
as expressed by him, is in direct and
radical opposition to the foregoing SEN
tences quoted from the church organ.
This is a part of his sworn testimony
at Washington in March, 1904, during
the Smoot investigation:
wish to assert that the church has
obeyed the law OF the land. and that II
has KEPT IT'S PLEDGES with this Gov
dividual, and have taken that chance
myself.
The manifesto declares positively the
prohibition OF plural marriages. and In
the examination before the master In
chancery the president OF the church and
other leading members OF the church
| agreed before the master in chancery
that the spirit and meaning Of that reve-
| lation applied 20 unlawful cohabitatlon
| as well as 70 plural marriages.
Under these circumstances of proved
falsehood it would he difficult for either
the hicrarch or his organ TO come before
the public with clean hands.
However-but not as tending to show
that the Deseret News has any veracity
the hierarch has demonstrated in
other respects his utter abandonment Of
all truth and his conservation to the
father of lies.
Notwithstanding those explicit state
ments hy him, made before commit
tee of the United States Senate, he de-
MED his own words when he appeared
before the Third District Court at Salt
Lake TO plead guilty to unlawful CO.
| habitation, and he stated in effect that
when he accepted the manifesto of
| President Wilford Woodruff he did not
think that he was to abstain from po-
lygamous living, or unlawful cohabita-
ton, as il is called. He was pleading
guilty to law-breaking in that respect
and was then and there fined three
|
That statement was n Smithism, pure
and supplement ming a falsehood Of the
most bra7en character. When the Nor
mon church was seeking TO secure the
return of the escheated church property
Joseph f. Smith and other officials of
that organization testified before the
master in chancery as 10 the scope and
| inf nj nf ha
! if he construed it to nhibit polygamous
living as we'll as new polygamous mar
riages. Joseph F. Smith answered: ''I
| don 4 sec how the effect Of il can he
| otherwise. President Wilford Wood.
ruf, who issued the manifesto. when
| asked if that document covered polvp-
amous living, said eyes. sir; chat has
been my View" and again. eyes, sir;
| that is, to the obeying of the law
| Apostle Lorenzo Snow was very explicit,
stating that the inhibitions Of the mani
festo embraced "'the present condition
of those who had previously entered
into marriage Apostle Anthon H.
Lund also construed the document that
! way.
|
| the manifesto exists than in the prac-
tee of tine men who issued and con-
strued it, as testified to at Washington
| by Joseph F. Smith himself, when he
said TO the Senate committee:
! II YOU please, I will state. having been
| intimate with these gentlemen, that
| President Woodruff and George Q. Can
| non and President Lorenzo Snow, who
| afterward succeeded Wilford Woodruff
! in the presidency OF the church. abso-
| lutely obeyed the law Of the land.
These men were sincere in the max.
| ing and observance of their covenants
with the country. When being ques.
toned at Washington as to his own be-
havior under the manifesto, Joseph L.
Smith confessed, ~ presume 1 am the
greatest culprit.'
That is one of the many reasons for
the battle in Utah, and the organ of
polygamous snobbcry in this State
knows it. But being hypocritical, and
| being melted 10 falsphood hy reasou of