The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-08
PRESIDENT SMITH s STATEMENT


special representative 10 Utah TO make
they exist here, That representative
Mr.. H. Perry Robinson. has been here
for several days investigating matters
and has seen good many church au
thorities, including President Smith
and Others of the leading church peo
pie. His first effort, so far as we
have seen. is his move in cabling to
the Times a statement from President
Smith, which we find prominently dis
played on the first page Of Saturday
evening s Dcserct News. We trust
that there will be no recrimination
about the accuracy of this statement.
as there was when we copied from the
News another outgiyiDg of President
Smith, the same being portion of his
address at the April Conference, Here
is what was in Saturday evening s
Deseret News on this subject:
H. Perry Robinson. special corrcspon-
dent of the London Times on his ar
President Joseph F. Smith for publica-
ton in the London Times. which was
| GaDlcu To lne Times IaSts saturday night
and appeared in the English journal the
| following Monday morning. The cable
gram sent by Mr.. Robinson follows:
| Times, London:
The president OF the Mormon church
| has given me the following for pubica-
| tion in the Times.
To Ministers OF the Gospel of all De-
nominations and 10 the Public of Great
With view to counteracline the mis-
| representations now being made in Eng
| land and in the hope 10 establish the
| ruth, | declare that during the nine
years Of my presidency of the Church OF
Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saints no man
| In the church having one wife has been
| permitted To take TO himself another
and no one in authority in the church
| has been permitted TO perform such a
| marriage under pain OF being eNeom-
| municated from the church, No person
| in any land is invited to become II mem
| her of the church with the expectation
| OF living in any other marriage state
than that which obtains in all Christian
countrics;. but all persons are invited
only To Join us as brothers in Jesus
| Christ and to share the fullness OF grace
vouchsafcd TO us as we believe In reve-
laIions. The church enjons on all its
members obedience to the laws and 10
all properly constituted authority. Any
statement to the contrary or which
ascrbes TO the church any willingness
of immortality or loose living whatsoever
Is false and will bring condemnation on
IT'S dulnOfS- we ASK You TO unite with
us in opposition to all appeals TO passion
or prejudice at this time and earnestly
solicit the most searching investigation
into the conduct of our members In
pledge ourselves to do al in our power TO
assist In such investigation, May the
blessing OF God be with You always.
The above was also read and approved
by Presidents Lund and John Henry
Smith who. with President Joseph r
Smith, constitute what is called the
is therefore official to the fullest ex-
cont. All unite in requesting me TO
impress through the Times on the
English people the extreme desire of the
leaders Of the church for an exhaustive
and dispassionate investigation.
The spirit and apparent candor of
that statement from President Smith
and his council are commendable Still,
it is to be Kept in mind that it is
only one side of the case. and those
conversant with affairs here will re.
greet to see that il falls very short of
completely covering even that one side.
On the other side. there should go
along with this statement of President
Smith S the fact that he is living con-
tinuously with five women as his
wives; that he has announced his de.
termination to continue so to live; that
he admits that this conduct of his is
violation of the Manifesto as inter.
preted under oath by himself; that he
admits that it is distinct violation of
the law of the State.
1t should be kept in mind, also, that
there is but one man on earth at any
one time who has the 'key" to the
administering of the polygamy ordi-
nance, that man being the head of the
church, 1t should also be kept in mind
that there is "a complete genealogical
record kept of all the families of the
members Of the church. If any polyg-
amous marriages are celebrated the
requirement is that the record of the
same must be made complete. There
fore those who have entered into
polygamous relations without the
knowledge or the consent of President
Smith are simply adulterers, having no
standing, through the illegal marriage
relation either in the Mormon church
or otherwise, while being under the
express condemnation of the law They
are condemned on every account.
1t is also 10 be noted that the au-
thorities of the church do not reject
the "doctrinen Of polygamy. On the
contrary. they claim and constantly
assert when the matter is up for dis
cussion, that while they have sus-
pended practical compliance with the
polygamy ordinance, they still believe
it as much as ever TO be divine com
mand and correct principle according
to divine law; and also that they hold
to the proposition that, in order TO OBJ
tain exaltation in the next world,
polygamy must be practiced, and that
only polygamists will receive such e1.
sltation.
is necessary to keep these facts in
mind, in order to obtain the proper