The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-12-03

EX-SENATOR CANNON TELLS
WHAT NE is-AscRiBES HIS
ejCOTRY AND FANAltCjSM
LARGELY TO HIS BITTER REC
Objections OF THE MURDER
OF HIS FATHER AND UNCLE.


Of an absolute throne and dynasty
BY one American citizen over half a
million Others" has been written BY
Frank J. Cannon. ex-Mormon, ex-
senator from Utah. son CT the emf
nent George O. Cannon.
It is an inside story" told calmly
and dispass!on ately by the very man
whose brilliant diplomacy won the
compromise which admitted Utah to
statehood under the hypocritical
Mormon pledge to abandon polygamy
a man who writes tenderly Of the
Mormon people themselves as his
own people and who 10 bound to
them in affection by all the ties OF
life"
Excommunicated and ostracised by
the Mormon leaders because he at.
tackled them boldly when they broke
faith with the United States, he now
sees IN the new insurgency pos
sible emancipator Of Utah from its
sla-ery to Joseph F. Smith. and his
close ally. the Plunierhound. The
firs. chapter of this story. appear
ing IN Everybody's magazine for De-
cember, 10 prefaced with this char
acterization Of Prophet smith, the
present Mormon despot:
"A religious fanatic of small and
bitter mind, giving commandments OF
perfidy as the divinely ordained,
'mouthpiece Of the Lord'-living. like
the Grand Turk. evith five wives.
openly, against the temporal law of
the state, aginst the spiritual law Of
his kingdom Of God and in viola
ton Of his own solemn covenant to
the country.
ITO him the Mormon people pa,
a yearly tribute Of more than two
million dollars tn tithes; and he uses
, that income to his own ends. without
an accounting. He is president Of
the Utah branch Of the sugar trust
and Of the local interpretations of the
salt trust: ard he supports the ex-
actions Of monopoly by his financial
absolutism, while he defends them
interdict and excomnunication. He
; IL presiden. Of a system Of 'comuany
stores from which the faithful buy
their merchandise: Of a wagon and
machine company, from which the
Mormon farmers purchase their We
hicles and implements: # life insur-
ance and fire insurance companies,
banking institutions. Of a railroad, of
g knitting company, Of newspapers
Writing Of the great mass Of the
Mormon people, Senator Cannon
says:
"! know them to be great In their
virtues, wholesome In their relations
capable Of d hero: fortItuie, living
by the teEderest sentiments Of fra.
terr!ty, as gentle as the Quakers. as
s.aunch as the Jews.
"Rut II Is even through their vir
tue and by their yery strength that
they are being betrayed. Their lead
ers. reaching for the fleshpots fol-
which these simple-hearted devotees
have never sighed. have allied them
iselves with all the predaceous 'in
terests' OF the country and now use
the srperhuman power Of a religious
tyranny to increase the dividends OF
q national plumber"
Senator Cannon says ,kat the Nor
mons, at the time Of the federal in
reference. had worked out logically
the principles OF cooperation, con
tribution and arbitration.
by cooperation Of effort they hat
realized that dream Of the socialists
equality Of opportunity for each in
|, dividuai t." develop himself to tn,
last reach Of his power. BY contri
""tion--Oy occurring each man Il
give one-tenth OF his income to
conrIcn fuEd--they had attained tn,
abolition Of poverty. and had adjust
ea the straps OF the community bur
! den TO the strength of the individual
to bear y. BY arbitration, they ha,
, effected .he settlement of every dis
p,:s O. every kind without litigation
! While presenting Smith as com
! pos,te ~ narrow bigotry. avarice
cunning, hatred and despotism, Sena
, tor Cannon explains in part the al
titude Of the present head Of the Mo,
mon church by recalling his bite
. recollection Of the murder OF hi
father and uncle in the Jail at Cal
thage. H.. and he latter privation
and prosecutions Of the Mormons. an
says;
HE had been taught, and he firm
~ believed, that the Smiths had bee
divinely appointed to rule. in tn
{ name of God. over all mankind. II
: believed that he-ordained a rule
over this world before ever the worl
IS was had been prosecuted by tn
3 hate and wickedness Of men. He be
lierel II literally; he preached it lii
= orally; he still believes and stil
s breaches it."