The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-17
Mrs. Aliens Statement.

CORINNE NJ. ALLEN.
Mrs. Allen S Statement.
Mrs. Allen made the following state.
ment IN explanation of her action and
that of her committee:
''Mv committee and myself are
unit in expressing the view that we can
not stand for Joseph +. Smith, a polyg.
amist and q violator Of the laws OF his
country, as an honored guest of these
societies.
"Our society is organized 10 protect
the sanctity of marriage and the home.
Joseph T. Smith represents all that. is
antagonistc to the principles 10 which
we are pledged
"Thereforc. it would be uniting for
us 10 participate In social gathering
i'm which he and the other members OF
the first presidency Of the Mormon
church would be the guests of honor.
"Wc took this means Of publishing
TO these women who Will come here
that the Christian women of Salt Lake
City do not condone nor approve OF the
social ulcer which exists here.
Rights Are Usurped.
II developed that tho Mormons
ususped the rightful offices of the local
Gentle women in taking charge of the
reception committee and conducting the
entertainment. Mrs. Lillian NJ. Hol-
lister, national president Of the Ladies
of the Maccabees. appointed Mrs. I'm
incline y. Wells, who is secretary or the
Utah state council. as chairman or the
committee. Mrs. Hollister did this IN
the capacity of corresponding secre-
tary OF the United States National
Council of Women. but she wrote an
explicit letter from Detroit. expressing
her wish that the Gentle women OF
Salt Lake City be prominently recog:
niZed in making up this committee, and
specifically directed that Mrs. Allen be
made one of the principal members
The announcement that the first pres
idency of the Mormon church would
figure prominently in the reception
caused almost all of the Gentle women
OF the city 10 withdraw, The members
of the W. c. T. T., representatives of
the Mothers Congress, the Baptist
Women s Union. the Women's Relief
Corps of the G. A, r., many Ladies of
the Maccabees. and the National Chris.
tan League for. the PROMOTION ot
Purity, refused absolutely TO be Off
cially connected with the affair un-
less the Mormon leaders, including
President Joseph +. Smith, Apostle
John Henry Smith, Counsellor John X.
Winder and Counsellor Anthon II.
Lund. would publicly signify their con
sent to step aside, This the first presi-
dency refused to do,
AS n result. the affair was managed
throughout by Mormons, including the
first presidency, and the Mormon
women IS organization. of which the fol
lowing participated; The Women s Re-
lief society. a greater part of the Utah
State National Council of Women. and
the Young Ladies National Mutual
Improvement association.
These Mormon women : organizations
! - ba
gramme, and crowded the Gentle or
carnations ont Of the reception COM
mittee openly.
In Ahead Of Time.
In the first place. it was announced
that the visitors would arrive IN thls
CITY from Ogden, over the Oregon Short
Line. at $50 clock in the evening.
But Miss Anna Wells Cannon and Mrs,
Ida Smoot Duscnberry went to Ogden
carly in the afternoon, where they met
the train which arrived IN that city
with the visitors, leaving at 3:4o
/ o clock Miss Cannon and Mrs. Dusen-
berry had the train switched TO the
Denver G. Rio Grande road, and 1t was
rushed TO Salt Lake City. arriving here
Mt = o clock, lust an hour and ilTty m1u-
utes ahead Of the scheduled time,
The most peculiar feature OF the
whole transaction was that apparently
| all OF the Mormon women "eTb HDLl'
fled Of the change III the time for the
trains arrival here, but the GENTLE
women never received notice of the
! change, and. as result, there were very
! few Gentle women who were able 70
greet the visitors at the depot when the
train came in. But H. was 4 noticeable
fact that the first presidency of the
Mormon church and all Of the women
on the reception committee were on
hand promptly as the train rolled IN.
Incensed at Insult.
The Gentle women we're jnceDsed at
the insult, and. matters grew worse
when the first presidency openly took
charge, and rushed the visitors to the
temple grounds. where they were har-
augued on the alleged virtues Of Nor
monism for an hour, after listening TO
an organ recital by Prof Ed. Kimball
in the tabernacle.
The Mormons failed utterly in pro-
yiding proper accommodations. and
ilJy.acted their role of self constituted
hosts. The Gentle women Of the re-
ception committee had arranged for
more than enough automobiles to carry
the visitors about the city and over to
the Saltair depot, but owing to the
sudden and unannounced change in the
time of arrival. there were only two au-
tomobilcs ready, and the visitors were