The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-17
MRS. ALIENS SOUND POSITION.

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visited this city yesterday, it is plain
that the intrusion of the first presl-
dency Of the church, unexpected and
unconsidered was the disturbing Gle
mcnt Mrs Allen and her co-workcrs
had met with the leaders of the Mormon
associations amicably and III n helpful
! spirit, in preparing 10 receive these dis
! Itincuished visitors. Several meetings
! had been held and nothing was said
about any proposal TO intrude the law
breaking leaders Of the Mormon sect
! into this entertainment Of the dlstin-
guished lady visitors.
! It had been tho aim to have Governor
Spry and Mayor Bransford take part in
the exercises. as their official positions
would warrant them in doing without
offense to anybody. 1t transplred,
however, that neither of these officials
could be present, and that then the Nor
mon contingent, without consulting any
other Of the committees in charge, ar
ranged TO have the first presidency of
the Mormon church represent tho Of
ficialdom of the State in the hospitality
10 the visiting ladies,
That this would be offensive 10 the
law abiding portion Of the ladies TAX
ing part, and especially offensive to
the non Mormon ladies who had with
good will taken part in the prepara-
tions, was necessarily sure. For Joseph
+. Smith, by his own confession, is
! lawlcss lcchcr who lives n life in def
auce of the laws of God and Of man,
and under oath proclaims all this and
announces his intention to continue to
lead such a law-defying life to the
end
Right there, Of course, 1t was neces-
sary for the loyal ladies 10 stop. They
had not been consulted in the PROPOSE
tion to invite this law deficr, this out
rager Of women, to officiate in these eX
crcscs. The refusal to consult them
was probably because their opposition
was expected. They had right 10 he
consulted, however, and ii was their
right to insist that no such characters
should he put forward as this law de-
fying Smith, whom the Mormon ladies
insisted upon making their particular
chosen representative and preferred
guest. When asked why it was that
! these persons were invited TO take part
| in the reception, the report is that Mrs,
Wells answered, "Becauso they are
what they are And that is Just what
is the maticr-they are what they are
and they do what they do; therefore,
they are not fit persons TO have any
thing to do with exercises Ike these.
The visiting ladies' would surely con-
slider it an affront to them IL they un-
dcrstood the relation of Joseph +. Smith
and his polygamous followers to the
women Of the country and the opposI-
ton OF Smith and his class to what is
known everywhere as the Christian
home 1T is impossible that they could
view with anything but abhorrencc the
lintruding in this reception OF President
Smith and his fcllow-lcchcrs and de-
fiers of law, human and divine
Mrs. Allen, in emphatic words, wrote
to Mrs Wells. protesting against this
impudcnt intrusion of the law -defying
Ipolygamists on this occasion, an oc-
caslon which should be emphatically
free from any such cntanglements and
denominations in the entertainment of
the ladies in these exercises. In doing
! this, Mrs. Allen was not only justified,
but would have been culpable if she
had done anything else. Acquicsccnce
in such an abominable outrage would
have been the height of complaisaut
cowardice. But Mrs, Allen stood true
| TO her principles. and these principles
absolutely forbid the idea Of her acque.
scence in any manner, or from even
seeming acquiescencc. in the abominable
intrusion of such a person as Smith as
the guest of honor and chief figure for
Utah in the entertainment of women of
national and world renown, splendid in
character and eminent in virtue. IT
is impossible but that those women
should feel rs though they had been in
suited in the house of their friends by
the bringing in in a prominent ca.
pacity Of a lecher and law defying
polygamist such as is President Joseph
+, Smith. Words are feeble to express
the horror and revolt of feeling that
must pcrvade the breasts of self re.
specting women upon being put in the
position that Mrs. Wells put these visit
ing ladies. 1t was worse than n cal
lous blunder-it was a vicious crime.
And the trick of going TO Ogden,
taking charge Of these visiting ladies,
and bringing them in here nearly two
hours ahead of time so that Tho nan.
Mormon women would have no op.
portunity to meet their friends on the
visiting delegation, was characteristic
Mormon trick, which adds treacherv 10
insult. IT proves emphatically the hol-
lowness and falsity of the pretense so
loudly vaunted at times, that the Nor
mons want harmony and affiliation
with their fellow citizens here They
want nothing Of the kind: but are de-
termined by hook or by crook TO have
all things their own way, no matter