HEADS OF THE CHURIA 11 interview intern bew with president fl and arid president cannon on the present political situation in utah ABSOLUTE GOOD FAITH PREVAILS I 1 I 1 the leaders of the church in unequivocal terms declare that there is i s no desire to reestablish re establish old conditions I 1 r f polygamy is a dead issued issue t the church will not attempt to exercise any control over its members in political hauen the 10 0 93 present status of affairs 11 k cifoni font the salt AM lale times of june the tae aly argument put forward in OP opposition PO to the organization of partie parties ou national line in utah la 11 that the peoples party is not sincere in the dim dissolution littion that baa bits been effected and that a plot bag has been I 1 laid aid by which the liberals are to be divided divid pd alq ani tle politIC 1 41 control of utah placed in the banjo of the mormon people for pur poses adverse to efte interests In of the G entile gentile element it haa has been urged that the mo movement therit tn erit so far As the are ounce concerned pied is baing 0 en gingered gine ered by the church and the tile demand has hu been made that iho the heads of the church should define their po fention itlo 1 in connection with tho the subject boo boorem rep 10 fiedt should 44 asked to believe that bat the te meba s of the organization ace are sincere in brief it has been claimed that it is the purpose of the church to secure statehood cor utah and through the alle alleged ed political control of its mem mern bafs her beje nil all the te apo an d carry carty on in the interest of N sva ligal against pst the interest of a non cormons mormons it Is held lem that the church claims the right to exercise absolute oi er its members in all matters and that this extends to tp dictation as A to 0 tho they Y glouid vote for at all time times wo we are told that those nho who have joined the democratic and republican parties have bave done so at the direction of tbt heads qa q the church tha tho tap log party xa was dissolved cd at it aluir dictation and that its ment members her will be subject at all times in tha future to their absolute at control we are told further has 9 jos P abw to be in the future brider the protection of state laws enacted by mormon MOrtA le legislatures and that these legislatures legisla turc s elord br the te aff decree bep I 1 tao church will 1111 pan pasa other laws intended to oppress gentiles and work confiscation r fis cation ot of their property there are thru thousands sands of earne earnest st gen a tilea who do naj w believe 4 one ane I 1 word of 0 f the chaba of bad faith that are am put forward in connection with this antler matter but there are am others who are am frightened en d by the ril 1 rca painted I 1 before beir their and who are honestly looking tor for further further ei c idealea of good faith on the part ot of the BOBS before joining tho tile present move beat meal the he cot controversy turns question estion of Ot good falth a 1 1 1 I opo upon anthis this lu 1 the of th abe ex V organ was pa shown down by bt treat ets when it decI declared AMI in its issyk of jane 12 that t if would yield to party division it any eri evidence dence caula bo adduced that would be received in court of baw that a dissolution of the peoples porty waa was ancene the tidies has hed held that the e ei idenie of sincerity on the part of the Mor mormon monk Is a abundant and anti i bat bufu li has up desired to satisfy all sincere doubters and for that reason it determined if possibly to secure expressions pres froia frota president woodruff and president george Q cannon upon the disputed paint such expressions have been secure secerel t they appear arc connection herewith and they must clear away the last vestige of doubt from the mind of every nun man who is 9 willing to I 1 aed jelte jq a noo airo an it is s no often eA that highest of 0 the b consent to undergo the modem process of interviewing but when the times coo con feyd its desire to them AR nd represent the public importance of the subject which it wished to boier they conned q Q toivo its depre e when tho the latter called at church headquarters in company with will h a gentleman who had consented to introduce hemf him president cannon step stepper I 1 injo jl ho reception room to tr gehis greet his visitor tho the newspaper man was wits ini incited cited to take a seat in tho the office and anti state hia his business pres ident dent woodruff was absent at the time but president sug sted that uie points in j whick it wag was dialled to cover mig might hirbe be pula the form of interrogatories anterro ga tories which could be taken up and answered in deball this was done and the 1110 tien which IR q thit interview were pro pounded the first counselor expressed his personal opinion that there them was no reason why the queries could not lq and undertook to lay theia before president wood ruff when that gentleman should be able tu to again appear at the office the talk at that time ran on for balt ha ap hour and the pres was impressed by the manifest earnest nesa and sincerity of president can nan it was evident that he to waa was deeply interested in securing curing ne the establishment of conditions tb tart 4 t would forever remove bh lili church from the contentions of politic and that would leave its people free to ally with the th national par parties lie told the story of 0 the agitation within the church that up to tbt 4 of polygamy and it w was made apparent thai thal that renunciation could not be otherwise than that absolute and final va annon promised to h hio x a lio the matter taken rp at tit the earliest curliest possible moment and anil to notify the rimes when lien the answers to the ques eions should ho a ready really the were laid belbru ires I 1 dent woodruff ant ave bo he and stud president cannon jointly gho glo the almes the following as their deliberate ex pressed view views on every question touched upon it Is deserted asserted that the peoples party was dissolved by direction c of the church Is I 1 there fabj foundation on for that charge tho thu people a party was discoll ed as no understand by the ot its leading members they have elated stated tou to us their convictions that tho timo time had bad como come for a division en on national party lines there them IM ia I a been a growing felan feeling in that direction for or a long tong time and the dissolution of 0 the avo party Is tho the remit result of that senti ment went and not tho the fiat flat or instruction of ofalia the church tho intimation we had of 0 dividing on party lines camo came to us from front ogdon ogden there ie is therefore tarco to no foundation for tho the charge that the church brought about tho the of we peoples part doe dock the church claim tho the right to dictate to its member members in o 0 political matter matters I 1 the church docs does not claim any tuch inch right tight the times baa las held that the ap bearance pc pe aranco arance of church management of the people peoples party during recent times resulted purely from tho the fact that tho the party was composed almost entirely of members of the church with prom ineat churchmen taking part in its aff affairs hIrs and that there has not been church rule as charged i this view correct I 1 the times IM tins correctly stated tho the facts connected with the appearance of church management of the pe part that party having been cor composed 4 principally of of the church nud having compelled thein to consult together and to decide the best steps to be taken to preserve their right rights some color has been gh gli en eu to tho that it wiy its ft church part has not been done in IQ 0 4 church oa alea non have had influent e ein in that party and anti been listened to to according corringto to their experience and not because beuse be use of their official portion J fu u the church that being true are we to understand that ala church mil cot cat amort assert any right to control the political action of its members in the future this is what we wish to convey and have 3 ou on understand As officers of the church we di dicair caig 9 the fight rightly t control the political Rs aion of at the mer members abers of our body will there be any reason why members of tho the chirch ch should como come together and anti voto vote solidly eolida eo lidl it if political eAl conditions hero are ae similar to those tach prevail clee where 1 0 we cannot perceive any tiny reason why they should do this in the future if as no 3 ou say ty political conditions should list e hac as they prevail 0 elsewhere he re 2 would leaders of the church counsel tho the support of tho the church charch members irrespective af 0 patty parl anilia 11 cul it Is 9 not probable that the leaders of the church would give any counsel upon such subjects and certainly certain lf would not against equally sul shube tAble cien men because they were not mcm csc sabera bem of the chamb life rie wald would be in favor of voting for sui ant able ra roq ran n regardless of their a beliefs or I 1 do rdo you understand under tAnd that those who join the republican nd democratic parties will voto vote and work for gentile candidates of those par patties ties as freely as tor for mormon candidates this is certainly our understanding and wo we fully expect that former men mem bers hereof of tha party wh ahn join the two national paries par lea will be true to their party condic alons and sustain abo nominees of their respective par lies ties though they may a not act bo be moin here hers of the mormon chu church ach ain A in it bour our intention to adelso of 0 the ilia mormon church when tho peoples wo ples party members laic divided and after the liberal party las been broken up to unite in lit favor of 0 the mormon church anil and against tho tile gentiles do you know knorr of aay any intention or understanding on the pait patt of tho the heads of tho the church churell to advise the members of tho the church it statehood should bo be obtained to counte te and operate cooperate co in respect to tho the inter esti of tho the church against the gen tile wo we have haya refrained from Inter intermor for tog ing in political matters became because position we cursoli es not lia hazing ing r voto veto but we would consider it the height of folly cien if it we had hall a it dis position to direct the member members of our out church upon political matters in nd vleo visa them to unite in fin faor or of our church and anti against tho the non members there thereof bt if it tho the present political movement should continue wo we see no good reason if it the liberal part should brenk up fornuy for any such division as its has heretofore hereto fore existed between mormons and non von cormons mormons Mor mons wo we hanc deplored tho the existence of this class feeling and anti believe it W o 0 been ft a fruitful source of trouble wo Wei hall ball with unfeigned tho the time when tho the people of utah with out agard to their religious view views can unite as citizens and labor tor for the advancement and prosperity of the territory it statehood should over bo be obtained all tho the influence we could ua u a o to break down tho the dist distinctions lic t ch ich lai inno 0 created such bit ia in the past would be ex erow crac I 1 I 1 ido do ou believe that it utah should bo be as antane ft slats the mormons will kubite in selecting members of tho the church to the legislature and anti that the ickis aure will make laws favorable favor ablo to the Mor and tint unfavorable morable to the non mormons cormons Mor mons aas ae wo we have already what influence wo we can use will bo lie ex arted in favor of legislation that will be in tho interests and for tho the benefit of tho the whole people it would be most unfortunate it if any attempt were mado made to pato laws favorable to the mormons aid ald to the non cormons mormons Mor mons any sua attempt would ba bure u to bring upon the mormon normon paole e ei Us ils which they are Ocal rous of a erting it ie Is to our interest to furnish no pretext for the formation of an aati mormon party which would no doubt bo be the result it if members of the church in 14 the legislature were to attempt ty to discriminate b legislation in baior or of core co re ats la it your understanding that the CK oples party has honestly and ard in good faith bissol dissolved ed aud and that they will into with tho the democratic and republican parties according to their convictions of mitat Is right this certainly is our un derann ing we can reason why tho the of the peoples part should shoula have taken their recent action it was their honest in to to nalto unite icil aith ina tha national pin kinle le aido bo you know of 0 an intention on the part of the church or any of its officers or er to organize a political party with respect to the conc ched elied int ereita of at tho the dormon lo raaon we swe know of no tio such intention on the part of or anyone and cau a we zo object to le attai attained nod madar tle ac icv f conditions which now surround us by aay such a party do 3 ou on understand that it its ja the wish of the mormon church chunh to main maln tain A of church and state late with respect to all political ques lions hower much appearances cany way havn indicated that we re have a favored uio tile union of church nad state and the many assertions which bave have becq made ot this aaa nature ure there is no real among the people of 0 oar our cvarch to church aut state la in faed feet we believe there hould lo bo be a par betwixt thi tiro two but in bat A tle times ike a the territory wy waa such that oll cere cers of the church were frequently frequent y elected to ca th 11 it tho the po peo pie availed themselves of the beat best tab tat cot ent of tho the community they were un del ties tho the nemo sity very frequently of officers ut 01 ho ile l church to fill theo yoa yon ramt must under stand that neatly every over malo member of UK we thormon church hold holds office in lit the chunh of Ot courso coi irao where tho the people na its was wits tho the case in many localities wel acro 0 nit all mormons cormons Mor mons if it hoy they elected any of their own mew wars they had to choose men who held position in u tle church cLur cli men were for baklor because of their superior lor ability to caro for and manage tho the affairs of their wards they were tho the praL practical and expert auml men met of their several com comment munt UP tie anti in tho the of the ico plo were suitable ulta blo for legislators etc ete their election to civil erdoes led to tho the iden idea that there was a union of cli church virch and abato DO on ablio u that itis tho with of tho the mormon people to unite with lib tho the great national parties and to conduct politics in thie this territory as djey they aro are conducted hi in all other stA tat csT test that is tho the impression 11 wo we have received from conversation with the men among us who take tho the greatest interest in political awers 11 ie Is there my any reason why tho the mem bers of tho me church should not act freely with tho the national parties at nil all times wo we know of 0 no reason why they hould should not would tho the leaden leaders of the church under any countenance defiance of the law laws against exly gamy I 1 speaking tor for our in III view of tho the of tho the past no they would 1 11 would leaders of the it blawd in official position biuk ut vio lations of tho the aiu gam laws I 1 wo we a what others night might do dg but for ours ourselves acs w we I 1 c eay say we would no not aln wink ae violation violat loa ii of the lew low I would there be any desire among church leaders to abolish tho the laws against polygamy ae to make them lest lem stringent if it utah were admitted to statehood you may rest burz that