Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-08-06
MURRAY.
SUCCESSION IN PRESIDENCY.
Continuation of Sanders-CurtisD Debate
On Successor to Joseph Smith.

Special Correspondence.
Murray, Aug. 5.-The Sanders-Curtis
discussion on the legal succession in
the presidency of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints was con-
tnued last evening. The Murray Opera
House again was provided There was
better turnout than the night previous
and a great deal more interest mani
tested In the controversy. To the sur
prise Of the listeners they had real
treat and not a repetition of Tuesday
night as expected. The speakers held
strictly to the question and with cour-
lesy and respect of feeling presented
their contentious in a forceful and able
manner
]. F. Curtis led in the affirmative.
holding that Joseph Smith. the presi-
dent Of the Reorganized church. was
the legal successor of his father.
"fhe PRIESTHOOD" said he, referring
10 the MelChisedek, was one of "A line
4 age handed down from father to son, TO
he first born, and quoted from Sec. 81.
nctrine and Covenants, contendinG
lat this had always been the order
IUm Adam to the present time, and in
this his church was in harmony with
| The law.
He called attention to the case of
Moses receiving the priesthood at the
bands of his father-,n- law Jethro, and
|hmilar incidents down through history
\ 70 the present But in case of trans
Epession the right to the priesthood
was forfeited; claimed that young Jo-
Hph did not need to be endowed with
Il he priesthood by his father, and that
Il would be necessary only for him to
tt endowed by some competent au-
q h.YitN- This Rnn1n.atAnf Ia
hen proceeded to show, existed among
h men who had been priests under
prophet and still retained their
{IEesthood after the disorganization of
! hi church, following the death OF the
|prOphet and after they had left the
Church and joined others,
Elder Sanders met every point made
tty the affirmative, quoting largely
E,r0m Tullege's history Of the Reorgan-
wed church, a work approved by that
|hurch but which Mr.. Curtis wanted to
[iepudiate Mr. Sanders proved beyono
ID question OF doubt that every key,
Bower and authority held by the proph-
IN was conferred ON the twelve, ana
4 Plat they were to carry on the work.
Llaking up the lineage of the priesthood,
Ia showed from the Bible the Irregular
LIN In handing down the priesthood
II Next Elder Sanders took up the
fse Of Nh Marks who "graclously
t;resented the Church to young JOS
3nh' l6 years after the death of the
prophet, after having affiliated with
.<3Ven or eight different churches or
"a euons. Mr., Curtis held that this
Ian received his authority from the
|tiglnal Chuhch and carried IL with
klln through all these churches and
gien conferred it upon young Joseph.
Xtuer Sanders showed that this was
Ky only unreasonable but impossible
d That the idea would have to be
S4haohcd' Another ludicrous lncon-
,ency IN Mr. Curtis's argument was
all these men that conferred the
es'hood and authority upon Young
seph mad the priesthood from the or
nal Church, while at least ono of
gn had to be baptized in this re-
galized church after he himself had
pea FeolGanize" Il!
Nholher proposition about as well
unued by the affirmative was that
Chureh was dlsorganized nj the
Ealn OF the prophet (and for this very
''" IL was reorganized by his