The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-03
THE PERSISTENT DUPLIcITY.

Perhaps it would be well to recall
to the mind of President Joseph +.
smith a certain official statement which n
he signed and issued in April, 1904, and
winch was adopted by the church as
sembled in conference The document
Is of sufficient importance to iustify
ITS reproduction here in full, as fol-
lows:
lnasmuch as there are numerous re-
ports IN circulation that plural MARRIAGES
nave been entered into contrary to the
OFFICIAL declaration of President WiIford
Woodruff, OF September 26. 1890 com
monty called the manifesto. which WAS
issued by President Woodruff and adopt
co oE inc church at Its general confer
ence, October 6, 1890, which forbade any
marriages violative Of the law Of the
lana l. Joseph T. Smith, president of
the Church OF Jesus Christ of Latter
day Saints do hereby affirm and declare
that no such marriages have been sol
emnized with the sanction. consent or
knowledge OF the Church Of Jesus Christ
or Latter-day Saints; and
! hereby announce that all such mar
rlages are prohibited. and II any officer
or member of the church shall assume TO
riaSe he Will be deemed In transgression
against the church. and will he liable 10
be dealt with according TO the rules and
regulations thereof and communicated
therefrom.
In his remarks concerning this docu.
ment. the prophet informed the saints
that he had presented it in writing so
that ne could not be misunderstood nor
misquoted. He further told the big as.
scmblage that the church had been
charged with violation of Its compact
in this matter of pojygamy, and that
he desired 10 see If the members of
the church would not 'seal these
charges as false by their VOTE
President Lyman Of the quorum of
the twelve apostles presented reso.
luton, endorsing the statement of Pres.
ident Smith and plcdging all the saints
TO support the church courts in the en-
forcemcut Of the expressed determine
tion. Elder 3, H. Roberts seconded the
resolution, among his sceonding re-
marks being the statement that "The
adoption by the church Of this resolu-
tion should put to silence those who
have accused us Of being covenant
breakers The conference adopted
the resolution unanimously-and that
seems TO have been the end Of it, For
there have been new polygamous mar
rlages within the church since the man
ifcsto; and not single case Of dis
cipline by the church therefor is known !
to the public
In April of this year the first presi-
dency issued a signed document, and
1t was adopted by the conference, which
made confession that certain over-zeal-
GUS individuals had taken new wives
since the manifesto Tho first presi.
lency of the Mormon church know the
particulars in these eases, as well as i
the identity of the offenders. But how
about the promise Of l904-that any
such law violators should be "dealt
with y and 'eXcommunicated from
,he church? Absolutely no action has
oecn taken in these new cases, except
where the protection of Apostle Smoot g
made it necessary, these
being with reference TO Tavlor and \.
Cowley And even these men wcre
charged only with being "out of har
nony' with their quorum. What that
means the world must guess. IL may
,ave been that Taylor and Cowlev had
insisted that Joseph +. Smith should
i've within the law, and that the other
members of the quorum voted to let