The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-22
they had accepted the pledges given l.
Mr. Dubois In our behalf.
No nTacit Undarstanding.'

| they had accepted the pledges given by
| Mr. Dubois In our behalf.
No ''Tacit UNDERSTANDING
| They recognized that the church and
| the community ought not to be held re-
ssponsble for few possible cases OF in
dividual resistance or offenBe, SO long
as there should be strict adherence by
the church and Its leaders to their per-
sona and community covenant I en-
| probation of our difficulties, because the
present-day polygamists in Utah claim
that there. was "tacit understanding"
and the agents Of the church. to the ef-
Z! feet that the polygamists Of that time
might continue to live with their plural
| wives. This is not true. There never
was any such understanding to my know
| ledge. And there could not have been
one, in the circumstances, without my
| knowledge. For though l. did not know
what Delegate Rawlins, and former Del
egate Caine. and our attorney, Mr. Rich
ards, were saying in their private inter-
views with senators and congressman,
sations ! had with them | never heard
an intimation of any ''taclt understand
ing beyod the one which have de-
fined.
Greatest Faith Entertained.
For my part, was more than eager
TO have ali our political disabilities re :
moved the church property restored.
and the right of statehood accorded
believing implicitly In the sincerity OF
the Mormon leaders. I knew President
Woodruff too well to doubt the pellucid
character Of his mind and purpose.
knew from my fathers personal assur-
from that time to the day OF his death
that he was acting In good faith. /
knew that the community was gladly
following where these men led I saw
no slightest indication that any reaction
airy policy was likely to be entered upon
In Utah, or that our people would accept
1t II II were.
The churchs personal property was
tober 25. 1893, but It was stipulated in
the act that the money was not to be
buildings In which tho rightfulness OF
the practice OF poygamy" should be
taught, Similarly. when the enabling
too. provided that "polygamous or plural
marriage" was forever prohibited, The
next spring a constitutional convention
provisions of that act. and a constitution
was adopted IN which 1t was provided
that ,polygamous % or plural marriages"
os aws against were ne to be
continued In force, that there should be
mo union OF church and state" and that
or interfere with its functions" Upon
no other basis would the nation have
granted us our statehood; and we ac-
cepted the grant knowing the expressed
A Great Gift.
But there was one other gift that came
to us from the nation-by congressional
enactment and later by Utah statute.
as consequence OF statehood: and that
gift was the iegitlmlzing OF every child
1896, The solemn benignity Of the con
cession touched me, as IL must have
touched many, TO the very heart of grati-
tude, BY 1t. ten thousand children were
nf IJ
worlds conventional exclusion and placed
within the honored relations Of mankind.
II was a a tribute to the purity and sin;
borne the cross Of plural marriage. be-
Heving that God had commanded their
suffering. II recognized the holy nature
and honorable Intent of the marriages of
these women, by according their chill
dren every right OF legal Inheritance from
theIr, their fathers. If all other covenants
Grated. this should remain Utah's
pledge OF honor-sacred for the sake of
the Mormon mothers. holy In the name
OF the upllfted child.
Here we were then Gas saw the sit
uation), assured of our statehood. rid
OF polygamy; relieved OF religious con-
energies TO the development OF the land
and the industries and the business OF
the community.
Getting Out of Debt.
But both the church and the people
had been involved in debt by conflscation
and prescription; and 1t was necessary
work my father undertook in behalf of
the presidency-for the presidency OF tho
Mormon church Is not only the prophet
seer and revelator OF God TO the faith
iu; he Is also ''the trustee in trust" of
all the churchs material property. He
is the controller, almost the owner OF
everything IL owns. He Is as sacred In
his financial as In his religious abso-
iutism, He is accountable to no one
President Woodruff called on me to aid
In the work. So l came into touch with
development Of events that did not
seem to me. then, OF any great import
ance; yet II drew as It's consequence a
connection between the Mormon church
and the great financial Interests of the
east-a connection that is one of the
strong determining causes of the perver-
sion OF government and denial OF poltl-
cal liberty in Utah today.
Innocent Financiering.
/ wish, here, simply TO foreshadow this
connection. II will reappcar in the story
again and again. and 1t is necessary to
have the significance OF the recurrence
understood In advance. But. at the time
OF which write. there was no more than
an innocent approach on our part to
eastern financiers to obtain money for
the church and to concentrate our debts
In the hands OF two or three New York
banks.
for example tnc church nad loaned 10,
or indorsed for. the Utah Sugar com
pany to the amount Of S325 900; and my
father had personally indorsed the gem
eral obligations for this and other sums,
although he owned only $4,000 OF the
companys stock. He supported the fac
tory with his personal credit and as
sumed the risk OF loss (wlthout any cor
responding possibility Of gain) In order
to benefit the whole people by eDcour
aging the beet sugar industry a vain
attempt had been made to sell the bonds
in New York. Finally. the church bought
all the bonds OF the company for $685.
600 (of n face value Of .000), and we
sold them for the church. 10 Mr., Joseph
Bannigan, the rubber king OF Provi