The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-07
RECITAL OF A PLEDGE.

Among other good wishes for the
welfare of the State of Utah, The Trib
uuc rests in the hopc that the officials
Of rhc Mormon church bave concluded
to keep 10 the letter the pledges which
they delivered TO secure peace for this
commonwealth.
10 those who have had experience in
politics and in governmental affairs. il
IS known that not all pledges and con
tracts arc made publicly; and this rule
applies in tho situation here. As TO some
Of the covenants made by the Mormon
lenders of that day there has mover
been more definite public statement
than that made by the Hon Frank y
Cannon IN speech which he delivered
in 1905, and which was reported in The
Tribune in its issue Of September % of
hat year. HIS recital therein is of the
utmost value. because Of the fact that
he was one of the active participants in
the movement to compose the dificul
ties ihcn existing between the Nation
and the church. We here reproduce that
statement that all maY know The nature
Of the duty of each and every citizen
Of Utah in bringing about complete
fulhlmcnt Of the promises made. Mr..
Cannon said;
s. am going to tell YOU a chapter Of
Utah history which has never been put
before the public before; aud I am the
last living witness 10 it. In 1854. after
my FIRST service in Washington. came
back TO Utah and / spoke to him who
sent me- there may state that was
there as secretary to the delegate in
Congress. Hon. John T. Cainn, and
had gone there at fhe same direction
which had sent him there, the dircc-
tioD which VIC who were Mormons ac
ccpted at that time. While / was in
Now York tbe telcgraphic instruction
came for me 10 90 TO Washington. After
the session was ended / came back, and
TO the courteous and dignifed gentle
man who stood at the head of the
church in those DAYS, John Taylor,
said: President Taylor, YOU must give
up polygamy. The Nation viii not al
WAYS endure it. And impatieutly. and
with that splendid arrogance which set
so well upon him, he set me aside and
said: That is in the hands Of God. ,
Many of YOU know exactly what that
meant to me, and many Of YOU don 7
know.
six years later | received from the
then president of the Mormon church.
gentle Wilford Woodruff the authority
TO say 20 the leading men of the Nation
at Washington that if they would save
us from the pending bill TO take our
franchise there would be a complete
inhibition of polvgamy.
''In the summer of 1890 I went to
Washington, taking that pledge. With
me, not openly, there were two or three
prominent men of the chuEch. The bill
had passed the committee of one house
and was on the calendar of the other
house, and was about to be passed to
the. calendar.
81 went TO James G. Blaine and gave
him that promise, in the most solemn
way made to me by the president of the
church, that there would be an abso-
lutc inhibition Of polygamy in Utah,
and that never again would we afflict
the Nation, never more would we seem
10 be the unruly child AT last we
wanted 10 he Americans We wanted
10 keep our franchise, We had come
within the demands of the country.
went TO Platt of Connecticut and told
him the same thing; 10 Struble of Iowa.
to Cullom of Illinois, and told them.
''Blainc put his arm around my
| shoulder and said: Tell your people