The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-21
THE VARYING VERSIONS.

l
The Tribune published the News's ap-
parently stenographic report OF the
paragraph in President Smith IS address
TO the April conference, which has
caused so much dispute. Yet the fact is
that The Tribune copied literally the
apparently stenographically reported
paragraph referred to from the church
organ, as found on the first page OF
that paper, in the second column, on
the evening Of April 6, 1911, as fol-
lows;
And another thing. We ought to obey
the rules OF the church with regard to
| marriage. Eleven hundred marriages
were contracted last year not In accord,
| time and time again at these conferences
plural marriages have ceased in tho
| church. There is no man who is au-
thorIzed to perform a plural marriage
! No man and no woman have the author
| ity TO have this ceremony performed tor
them. We have, been doinE all IN our
| power to stop this. We have been doing
all we can TO trace the men. who are
performing these ceremonies 1t is hard
| to locate them, but when We DO hnd
| them we deal with them,
The News claims, however, that The
Tribune ought to have copied in that
same connection the following para
graph; l
There were 1850 couples married in
| the temples in 1910. There were llO0
couples, members OF the church. married
by civil ceremony. During the year 1910
| there was one divorce to each 1000 church
| membership. The average divorce rate
| in the United States Is one TO each HOO
souls. This shows that our divorce rate
| Is only about one-fifth or the average
rate In the Nation
But since this latter paragraph pre-
ceded the former at a considerable dis
tance, there being ten paragraphs on
special and general subjects between
the two, there was, of course, no rea-
son to print that paragraph in counec-
tion with the one that we did, any more
than any other of the paragraphs In
the address.
Evidently, however, the shrewd
church politicians saw that the report
of that paragraph in the Deseret News
was liable TO start confagration, was
likely to be interpreted precisely as
The Tribune suggested that it might
be, while, at the same time, we point
ed out that this could not be Presl-
dent Smith s real meaning. That the
natural Interpretation was put upon 1t
is evident by the fact that the Los
Angeles Examiner of April 7th' copy"
ing exactly from the Deseret News OF
the previous evening, so interpreted the
language of President Smith
The church politicians, therefore. got
together and cooked up version OF
President Smith Is address, expanding
the paragraph to the following proper
tious, as it appeared in the Smoot pa
per of April 7th:
Another thing, we have to obey the
ma rriages or at least we ought 10 do so
we DO not all do 1t. You have heard
here that during the last wear llOo mar
riaees have been contracted and sol
ennised In a. manner not provided for In
the law OF God, so we do not all do our
duty yet with reference to that. AND
still another thing. as we have announced
in previous conferences. It was an
nounced by President Woodruff. as II
was announced by President Snow and
brethren and cofirmed by the. Church Of
Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saints-plural
marriages have ceased In the cnMrch.
They have ceased" In the church Inere
where that / know OF. who mas apthorllN
70 solemn!ze plural marriage-not one
not one. There is no man or woman IN
the Church Of Jesus Christ OF batter-day
Saints who Is authorized to contract a
plural marriage with each other. 1t is
not permitted. and we have been en-
TO prevent men from being led by some
designing person into an unfortunate
condition that Is forbidden by the con-
ferences OF the church and by the voice
~ he hi calcll-
lated TO be and is the means. TO some ex-
tent at least, Of bringing reproach upon the
people. I want TO say that we have been
doing all In our power TO prevent 1t, TO
stop It, and in order that we might do
this we have been seeking TO our utmost
TO find out the men that have been IN
agents and the moving cause OF leading
people into II. We find II mighty diff
cult thing to trace them I'D. but when
we do find them. and can prove 1t upon
them. we will deal with them as we have
dealt with others that we have been able
to find out IN the past.
This was claimed to be a verbatim
report, and undoubtedly this report, be-
ing fixed up by the shrewd church re-
visers, formed the variant which the
official stenographic report was made
to take in the official pamphlet giving
the proceedings in the case. In that
pdmpuleI Dne 1olloWiuR 10 tpe olucldi
version Of the Smith talk on this
point:
Another thing. We must obey the rules
| OF the church with reference TO mar
riage, at least we ought to do so. We
| do not all do IT, You will see by what
| ! have stated that during the last year
eleven hundred marriages of our people
| have been contracted or solemnized in
manner not provided for in the law Of the
church. I refer to civil marriages, 80
that we do not all do our duty yet with
| reference to that. And another thing,
| as we have announced in previous con-
| ferences-as II was announced by Presl-
| dent Woodruff. as It was announced BY
President Snow. and as II was rean-
nounced by me and my brethren. and
confirmed by the Church of Jesus Christ
| Of Latter-day Saints, plural marriages
have ceased In the church. There isn't
n man today In this church, any,
where else outside Of II who has author
| ity TO soleuniZe a plural rparrlage-not
one! There Is no man or woman in the
| Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter day
Saints who is authorized 10 contract
plural marriage. II is not permitted. and
we have been endeavoriug 10 the utmost
OF our ability 10 prevent men from being