The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-16
ITS GIVE-AWAY DEFENSE.

1t is great thing TO be able TO rise
to an occasion. The Deseret News has
ariscn-the occasion being Elder b. f..
Grant. Il comes to that gentleman S
alleged defense in the following words;
In public addresses delivered by him
I'm Utah and Idaho since he united with
the church some twelve years ago he has
frequently referred 10 the fact that he
ran q saloon at Milford thirty years ago,
and that his experience has enabled him
to understand the evils which surround
such business FAR better than could any
Information obtained from hearsay.
He has been SO openly and unreservedly
frank In his treatment OF these matters
that there was no call for The Tribune S
attack and certainly no excuse for Its Will
ful Interpretations
1t must be said of the News that
herein it out-franks the frankness Of
Mr.. Grant, 1t could scarcely have in
timated more plainly that IL believes
that "therc is none so virtuous us a
reformed harlot;' and that to become
most vlrtuous one must first be most
unvirtuous in order to understand the
evils which surround such business far
better than could any information OBJ.
tained from hearsay.' But let us cX-
plain the circumstances.
A few days ago we made a little
comment upon an address which the
Deseret News said Mr.. Grant had deliv-
cred in the Pioneer stake hall week
ago last Monday night. In that com
ment We said that at ono time Mr.,
Grant kept general store, at which he
sold much liquor, at Frisco, Utah. Mr..
Grant wrote us letter, which we print
ed in full, in which he denied absolutely
that he had ever kept such store or
booze Joint at Frisco. Thereupon The
Tribune admitted that it might have
been mistaken as 10 the name Of the
town, and that IT might have been Mil
ford, and not Frisco. Still later we
find that il was at Milford as the News
says, and not at Frisco. We find, also,
ca fact TO which the church organ makes
no allusion) that in addition 10 selling
general supplies and liquors, Elder Grant
conducted a gambling den.
And now, US to Mr.. Grant IS frank
ness. In that letter which he wrote to
The Tribune lie simply denied that he
had ever engaged in the business men
toned at Frisco, never mentioning the
fact that he had done 80 at Milford
His evident intention was to leave the
impression in the minds of the people
that The Tribune simply falsiGed, and
that there was so semblance of truth
in our statement IL remained for the
News, Mr.. Grant champion, to admit
the truth for him frank as he is.
But the moral lesson which the church
organ reads. is the one thing that proves
TO be most interesting. 1t is practical
ly To the effect that if one would sue
cessfully fight the saloon, one must first
become saloonkecper to understand
the evils which surround such business
far better than could any information
obtained from hearsay.n The same
with the gambling den, According to
the logic OF the News, one must become
n robber by means OF liquor and the
gaming table in order to perfectly un-
derstand the calling of the robber in
these vocations before one may sue
eessfully cope with such gentry In
other words, and in fine, it is neces.
sary to "set thief to catch n thief
but first become thief
The Tribune made no "wilful mis-