Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-11
AN ININiICAL ELEMENT.

Among all the Munchausen stories
the Tribune draws its supply. none is
more palpable than the charge that the
Church is '.importing girls" No false
hood is easier to disproye by figures
that do not le," and yet the canard
Is going It's round, and Is even cabled
across the Atlantic, and the effect Of
1T Is that the material interests of
Utah are damaged to q larger extent
than some people realize.
The Church Is not importing any
one. 1t Is not assisting immigrants of
any class or for any purpose. and this
was demonstrated in the recent inves-
tigation at Boston. AS for importing
girls" in the company that arrived on
the Republic. twenty-three were child
rem under twelve years of age, under
the care Of parents or guardians; thir-
ty-seYen5 were men, and the remaining
forty-six included married women,
some going to Join their husbands;
several widows, and five young wo-
men going to join friends and rela-
tives In this country. i And the entire
4cOIlpdiy -coIlSiSlsu u q supeIioi CLASS
of Immigrants, from every point of
view.
The silly story about the Importation
of girls was autographed to every part
of the United States. 1t was cabled by
the Now York correspondent Of some
English journals. to their papers and,
we have no doubt, it found it's way
to the Continent. The story was
promptly endorsed by the Tribune as
true, for the temptation to direct a
body blow against the State Of Utah
could not be resisted by that notorious
knocker, for political purposes The
entire story was disproved by the Off;
cial investigation, but the Reputation
of 1t was not spread broadcast except
In very Indirect way. The Tribune
did not retract it's libelous charges.
The effects of the advertising Utah was
given through the Mormon
agency, remained.
Some of our citizens may consider
the infamous falsehoods circulated
about the Church as being no concern
of theirs. But the fact is that they
injure the State more than the Church.
People all over the world to whom
those falsehoods are repeated receive
the impression that Utah is not a. de-
sIrabIe place In which TO live. Utai,
and the Church are 50 closely inter-
woven in history that although church
and state are separate In everything,
the agitation that Is directed against
one must necessarily have its detri-
afr no NIL
that reason anti" Mormonism" must
be treated as an element inimical to
the State, History proves that wher-
ever strife has been raging over relig-
ious issues, temporal development has
been retarded Under perfect freedom,
and consequent harmonious relations
between citizens, development has be-
come rapid, Utah today is much less
populous tilan Colorado, California.
Oregon, Washington, Nebraska, etc.
The cause is not lack of resources, or
enterprise, but the anti-"Mornon" cru
sades. The progress made here Is due
to the splendid defense of Utah made
in all parts of the world by the Latter
day Saints, and to the enterprise of
citizens who take no stock in the
stories emanating from asti-"Mormon''
headquarters. What the progress
would have been had the state been
free from the curse Of anti-"Mormon
ism" may be conjectured from the con-
dition of other and younger states
with no more attractions or resources
that Utah has.
An 3 erial hnnt for a america Is ns vet