Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-10
ONCE MORE THE UTAH.

| Tho anu-"Mormon" organ prints,
with the satisfaction a practical Joker
must feel when he succeeds in playing
q mean trick upon his friends. an
article said to be from the Rochester,
| IN. V, Herald. in which that paper
refers to the launching of the Utah
as Revival OF Polygamy''
The paper, If correctly quoted (nnd
for that VIC cannot veuch, having only
the word OF the Tribune for it). says
that Senator Smoot was scheduled to
have conspicuous place on tho pro-
gram Of the exercises" and then quotes
him as having said:
isn't 1t happy coincidence that this
| suspicious launching of a great battle
ship named Utah should be made on
the anniversary of the birth of Pro
phet Joseph Smith, who first led the
Mormons toward the State OF that
name2"
II then states that there we're present
some lovers OF decency" who started
a fire under the Navy Department"
which dlsclalmed having any knowledge
of the Significance of the day. That,
the paper admits, Is true. but the truth,
In the -opinlon OF Its philosophic scribe,
does mot absolve this administration,
or the two previous administrations.
from culpabllity In the matter of
winking at polygamous Mormonism
simply because the political influence
OF the Mormons has been OF value to
the party"
No wonder the local sheet reprints
that rot with glce. Having failed to
prove its accusations, defeated and dis
credited. the Tribune started the story
that the government was "winking at
polygamy."i and that tho result of the
famous Senate investigation was infiu-
enced by politics Knowing what kind
OF stuff the Tribune prizes, CORES
pondent IN Washington telegraphed the
yarn about the speech by Senator
Smoot on the occasion of the launchins.
of tho Utah. 1t IS an old trick. The
Tribune started the Bishop West 'Red.
hot Address" that preceded the mur-
der OF Mormon" missionaries in Ten
nessec. 1t started the falsehood about
Gov. Spry and President Taft, which
went its round in the papers, and
finally appeared In the Philippines. It
is but natural for It to laugh in its
sleeve when It succeeds in having It's
anti-"Mormon" offspring adopted and
coddled by other papers
This is how 1t works. The Tribune
inventS, and circuIate5 q falsehood
Other papers. not aware OF the char
acter of the source, reprint It and COM
ment on 1t. Then the Tribune reprints
their comments And thus there is an
otornnl round. But tho Tribune re-
printing anu-'Mornon" stuff from
other papers does In fact, no moro than
engage in the game of a cat chasing
It's own tall
The story as credited to the Ro-
chester paper bears the evidence OF 1t.
falsehood on It's face Senator Smoot
could never have said that the Prophet
Joseph FIRST led the Mormons toward
the State of that name [Utahl."
But suppose Senator Smoot should
have made the remark to a friend
or group of friends. that the launch
Ing of the Utah happened to occur on
the anniversary OF the birth of the
Prophet, would that remark Justify
any sane person In raving about poly
gamy and political influence of the
'Mormons." as The Tribune docs?
Peary claims to have reached the North
Pole on the 9Th of April the annivcr-
sary of the organization of the Church
That Is another coincidence. Why not
accuse Pcary. and the Navy Depart
ment since he Is In the service OF tho
navy. OF coIlusion with the awful
'Mormons' TO have that great achieve
mont coincide with n most important