The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-06
NEW MANIFESTO
UPON POLYGAMY
1t Is to Be Promulgated During
the Semi-AnnuaI Conference
Conyening Today.
WILL BE RETROACTIVE
IN ITS GENERAL TENOR
Exposures Made by The Tribune
of New Polygamists Are
the Cause.

nclc VIII ne SOncCnlnG uOlnG dI InB
conference of the Mormon church
which convcnes this morning in the
Tabernacle, not perhaps this day, but
during the session Of the conference.
This something, so The Tribune is in
formed, will be manifesto, or it may
come in the way of q sermon upon the
subject of polygamy. and it will date
back to 1904, most likely.
Since The Tribune has been printing
the names of new polygamists, that is,
Mormons who have taken plural wives
since the Woodruff manifesto was is
sued, on September %, 1890, and
sustained unanimously by the confer
ence of the church on October 6. 1890,
the church authorities have become
alarmed over the effect the exposures
are having throughout the country. Re-
suit, something must be done to dis.
tract attention from the many and
notorious violations Of the law, both Of
God and man.
Magazine articles showing the action
I of high ecclesiasts in taking plural
church authorities are more alarmed
more frightened than they have been
for years. The Tribune gave the facts
TO the world, and one of the great
magazines sent a representative to
Utah to check up and verify the stories
which The Tribune printed. In every
instance this representative found the
statements Of The Tribune to be abso
lutely true, and two articles based upon
conditions here have thus far appeared
in this magazine,
The eyes of the world have again
been turned toward the Mormon church
and the lecherous practices of the &C.
clesiasts in their polygamous relations,
which the Woodruff manifesto declared
was no longer u tenet of the church
This manifesto, it should be said, was
not printed in the Doctrine and
Covenants until within the past two
years, while the original revelation
upon polygamy was contained therein,
and is today.
1t should be said in this connection
that few members of the church have
ever read the Woodruff manifesto care.
fully, The reason for this is due to the
opening sentence, which reads: ''To
whom it may concern and many of
the members Of the church having
polygamous propensities-The Tribune
has printed list of 200 of these-have
held that It did not concern them at
all, especially so long as the Offices in
the several counties in the state of
sheriff and county attorney were held
|
| Again other members of the church
have held that the Woodruff manifesto
only applied to the United States,
Other members again have believed
that whatever the terms of the mani
festo itself, and whatever its origin be,
If human or divine. that the amplifca-
tion given by President Woodruff,
Joseph F, Smith and others under oath,
was only their individual opinion as to
its scope and intent.
| Most of all those highest in authority
have openly scoffed at the entire docu-
ment as being prepared solely for the
purpose of fooling the Gent,les, as the
revelation. that is the manifesto. which
was claimed TO be divine revelation,
was handed TO committee Of three,
viz: George Reynolds. John Nicholson
and Charles w. Penrose, to be by them
edited for punctuation and spelling.
People Fooled Once Too Often.
But the people of the United States,
having accepted the Woodruff mani
festo of 1890 in good faith, and having
Joseph T. Smith and other high ec-
clesiasts, in the Smoot hearing before
the senate committee on privileges and
elections, that the faith and honor
which was pledged by the shepherds of
patient and suffering flock, was punic
in its character, again turned their eyes
upon Utah and the Mormon church.
Now that the people of the country
have again, through the exposures
made by The Tribune. discovered that
they have been fooled once more, the
high ecclesjasrs fear that drastic results
may follow through congressional action,
hence something has to be done, This
something Will be. As said, in the nature
OF a manifesto, or through Il sermon in
I II l,a IN,
substance as follows:
Declaration in Substance.
In view that many members of
terms of the Woodruff manifesto of
1890. decmng it only advisory and not
mandatory, leaving the practice of
polvgamy and unlawful cohabitatlon OPP
tional with the membership. accord
ing to their desires, that the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
through its presidency, now declares:
That in view of the Official docIara-
tion of the first presidency. made in
conference of April, 1904, sustained by
the members there assembled, that any
person holding membership in the
church would be liable in his standing
for any violation of this declaration
should he either marry in polygamy or
perform such ceremony, and that any
| sou holding the Mrlcbisedok priest
hood, by whomsoever delegated, is
| hereby withdrawn. cancelled and uul.
! lifted, and that hcncoforth no person,
not even the president of the church
himself. shall have tho ri"ht, power or
authority to enter into such relations
for himself. nor may he authorize, under
any circumstances. any such marriage
between any member of the church,
under penalty OF communication.
1t rs not to be expected that the
/ terms Of this declaration will be as