Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-10-20
CANNON ON MORMONISM.

Hon. f. j. Cannon opened the citi-
zens lecture course in this City Mon
day evening before splendid audi
ence and he won the heartiest sym
pathy and approval by his plain,
strong, earnest appeal for justice in
dealing with the Mormon church, a
trust, combination in restraint OF
trade, religious combination that
has defed the laws of the nation
since the beginning OF the Mormon
settlement in the Utah wilderness.
He intends to make it plain that con-
gress can settle this iniquitous cond1-
tion by applying the power OF the
Sherman antitrust law, and when
the property of this infamous trust Is
destroyed as centeral power by dis
solution, the power OF the leaders Will
be destroyed. No man can go into
Utah. outside of Salt Lake City, and
do business or make a home unless he
bows to the Mormon power, and no
man. however strong or brilliant, can
succeed to any political office in Utah
unless he submits to the unwr1tten
law of the Mormon chiefs. Mr.. Can
non is engaged in combat with the
Norm On church and he is warrior
who is afraid of nothing. The Editor
Of the LEADER had the pleasure OF
an hours chat with Mr.. Canton Mon
day afternoon, and found him man
fit to lead in this modern reformation.
He Is deeply in earnest and he Will
win. An article in the Sioux City
Tribune on Mr.. Cannon and his work
is worth reading.
Frank j. Cannon. former United
States senator from Utah and now
managing editor of the Rocky Noun
tain News, of Denver, will open lee
ture tour in South Dakota at Canton
tonight. Later he will cover Iowa.
His lecture is a message warning
against the growing menace of Nor
mOniSm in the politics of the United
States, through it's alliance with the
sugar trust and other big business in
terests. 1t is message tn at comes
straight from the heart of man who
has left the church Of his fathers IN
the belief that it has broken its coven-
ants with the nation, that it is essen
TALLY an un-American institution,
that its purposes and methods consti-
tute a real danger to the integrity OF
the government.
Mr.. Cannon is one Of the most re-
markable men the west has produced.
He is an orator of power and elo-
uuence, a writer of picturesque force
and skill, and devoid of either intel
lectual or physical fear. He was born
in poygamous Mormon household,
his father being the actual though
not the titular, head of the church
for 20 years after the death OF Brig
ham Young. He studied law, learned
the newspaper business and entered
territorial politics. Utah finally made
him it's delegate to congress, and it
was he who secured from the govern
ment the pledge Of amnesty for the
Mormon people and statehood for
Utah, in return for which the church
agreed to abstain from polygamy In
the future and to keep it's hands out
of politics.
The government granted amnesty
and statehood, and Mr.. Cannon was
one Of the first senators from Utah.
He got mixed up in the free silver
fight in the west and followed Senator
Teller, of Colorado, into the demo-
cratic party. His church defeated
him for reelection, but he remained
a loyal layman within its ranks for
several years, until, as he charges,
evidence became irrefutable that
polygamy was being practiced, while
the election of Apostle Smoot to the
senate demonstrated that the pledge
to abstain from political interference
was broken.
Mr.. Cannon takes the position that
it is his duty, as the man who made
the Mormon compact with the govern
ment and pledged the faith Of his peo-
, pie, to protest against the violation OF
that pledge. He has taken a years
leave OF absence from newspaper work
and following an interesting story OF
"Mormonism which has appeared in
Everybody Magazine, has taken tc
; the lecture platform. Those who
hear him will have the pleasure OF
listening to one of the best platform
l speakers In the country, and no one
will depart from one of his meetings
J In the belief that the speaker is n OF
profoundly impressed with the seri'
BUSINESS and Importance of his mess
! age and mission"