The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-06
THE GREAT "TRUTH-TELLER. 3

| al lHS llUle.
THE GREAT "TRUTH-TELLER."
While slandcrs have been circulated by
| The Tribune and all It's followers. the
| slandered people by the thousands every
year have gone out into the world and
told the truth about Utah.-Dcserct News
| editorial, April 20, 1903
Now. the chief truth.tcllcr" about
Utah, VIC presume the News will adj
nit, is the president Of the church. At
least, he should be given the distinction
of being such by people who regard him
| as the one man on enrth who has the
power and the authority to deliver the
will Of heaven to maknnd. What is the
nature of the rcpute given to this State
and its citizens by this man7 When
he testified at Washington in the Smoot
case he had opportunity to give the
widest publicity to his uttcrances con-
corning the people here, and he took
advantage of it to say great many
| things about Utah and her citizens.
First, he told the country that there
were certain laws upon our statute
books, inhibitlng one Of his favorite
practices; but lie assured the Senate
| committee that there was no disposition
| on the part of the public TO see those
laws enforced; that they winked at
| his offenscs, and that practically these
statutes had been passed merely as
| bluff TO make a showing TO the world.
| He said that he was quite willing to
| stand by the consequences of his I'M
lawful acts, and that he had announced
| his readiness to answer to the law on
| account of the same, but that the of
| fcers of the law and the citizens gen.
| orally condoncd his immoral conduct,
and for that reason lie Was permitted
| to go his way unmolestcd-to keep on
! SHINING and lawbrcaking simply be-
cause he had got into the habit Of 1t,
| and they couldn u very we'll expect him
to break himself of it at his age. He
admitted that he had brought into the
world eleven children whom the law
would not recognize IN Legitimacy, and
that he would not make any effort what
over 10 abstain from adding to these.
His testimony was to the effect that he
thought it was all right TO help fiji the
community with these illegitimates and
that the people here did not look upon
it as anything startling that the unfor
tunates should bc scattered about
among the legitimate children Of
monogamists to intermarry with them
ipdiscriminately He stated that there
were hundreds of other men in his po.
sition, and that ali these were adding
to this class of population in the rising
generation: that the public looked upon
this as perfectly natural thing, and
raised no question as to the proprietv
of such conduct. All of this was, of
course, intended TO boost Utah and her
citizens from the hierarchical pom! Of
view; but most Of us would prefer that
boosting of that sort be left undone.
Then, there was that declaration
made and signed by the first presidency
of the church-tbe very highest author
ity in that organizaton--and adopted
by the April conference of 1907. al.
vising the whole world that there was
new polygnmy in the church, notwith-
standing the laws against II and tho
solemn promise authoritatively made
that no such thing should ever occur
after the year 1890 Instead of IN any
way exhibiting q spirit and disposition
TO bring this class of offenders TO au
accounting for their crimes, il made
deliberate effort 10 offer excuses for
them,
Suppose. now, that The Tribune does
no more than TO call attention to these
very things, Immediately the News and
the chief priests cry out that this paper
is slandering the State and its citi.
zens and the Mormon church aud the
Mormon people. At once it calls upon
the business men TO boycott The
Tribune and 10 denounce the paper TO
all their friends and acquaintanccs else.
where as being untruthful and un
worthy of belief in any respect And
all this merely because we present
faithfully and truly the sworn tcsti-
mony and ''iuspired utterancesn Of
prophets, seers, and revclators,'
However, the public knows that the
campaign lnauguratcd and conducted
by this paper has been the means Of
bringing here hundreds of new resi-
dents and millions Of outside capital TO
help develop the State: and the pro.
gressivcs here feel safety and assur.