Show GOVERNOR THOMAS AND THE declaration tzu THE telegraph are still kept hot with anti mormon dispa dispatches tebes A hired manufacturer of falsehoods in washington sends his bis opinions about the mormon Mor church Aa for news to the liberal organ of this city and the dispatch fiend of the associated press presa here sends sensational sentences to the east and west to keep up the agitation that seems to be specially desired by the salt bait lake anti mormon cli I ue at this juncture among the most recent efforts rif of this kind is 9 special to the san francisco chronicle designed to cast doubt upon the official declaration of president wilford woodruff we here copy the dispatch in full fall which appears in the chronicle under a number of sensational headlines salt lake city september 26 governor thomas was interviewed today in relation to president wilford Wood woodruth woodruffs ruTs proclamation the governor said that it was impossible to give a definite opinion of the purpose or effect of the proclamation if it is in put forth and hereafter observed in good faith it is an important step and will do much to remove one of the political objections to mormonism be said the general sentiment is a hope it is in good faith many things lead to doubt among which may be named the present political situation the fact that it does not come in the usual channel and its studious and indefinite language the last general proclamation on the subject in 1885 came from the general conference ratified by the states state and asserted that the mormons cormons could not yield the doctrine of plural marriage to legislatures or judicial decisions the whole proclamation is based on the clause that bei sause certain laws have been passed and decided constitutional therefore submission is advised gl attention has been called to the fact that it only onla advises submission and for many years the mormons cormons have submitted but refused to ever promise to obey that there is no injunction to obey the laws that it is twelve years since the decision affirming the constitutionality as made that nothing is said of the law against unlawful cohabitation which has also been affirmed by the supreme court of the united State sand under which most of the convictions are made that it in no way asserts that polygamy is wrong or the law right and as it is understood that temples have been opened elsewhere for the ceremonies which formerly took place in the old endowment house the statement of the summary punishment of the building is rather dramatic referring to the last clause of the proclamation there are inquiries as to what the author considers the law of the land and whether any opinion or proclamation will be effective so long as the mormons cormons believe polygamy is enjoined by divine law the semiannual conference of the church will soon be held which has the power to place the church on record in unambiguous language for myself I 1 propose to await developments and in the mean tinie time hope it is a step taken in good faith T it is well known that governor thomas is fully in sympathy and working union with the plotters against the mormon people who desire to deprive hose citizens of utah of the elec elective tivo franc franchise francel hl that 7 will not submit to their dictation and join in their schemes for the political control of the territory the course of the governor in washington and his efforts to obtain power to appoint those local officers who of right should be elected by the people are well known to the utah public and their estimation of his bis character and calibre is well defined whatever he might say on the subject treated of in the dispatch to the chronicle chronick would have no weight with any class or party here but people and papers at a distance may take some notice of his opinions because of his official POSit position IOD what he has said has been uttered for foreign distribution and effect it is couchlin cou chein his usual cunn cunning ing style of pretended fairness with covert misrepresentation and thinly concealed bitterness of course he hopes certain things while casting a doubt upon them and in throwing out false insinuations and direct untruths un truths he makes them appear to be the opinions of others anyone who calls the language in president woodruffs declaration indefinite must be either exceedingly dense or determined to find fault it is so definite that its meaning cannot be mistaken by any ally one who understands simple english the statement that it does not come in the usual channel is a direct falsehood and proclaims either the governors governor deplorable P plo 1 0 rable ignorance or his woeful disregard of truth the revelation on celestial marriage which has been the guide t the church on this subject declares that there is never but one man 0 on n the earth at a time who holds the keys of the sealing power th that at power dower is vest vested ed 1 in n the president of the church he alone can give any authoritative utterance to the church for the regulating of the marriage ordinance under the everlasting covenant coNe nant 11 1 1 the official declaration of president woodruff is the only one that could properly prope aly have been made on this matter and that the latter day saints would receive as ecclesiastical authority in reference to it the governors attempt to contrast with this official declaration the expression of the 11 mormon 54 ormon people live five years ago that they could not yield their religious faith or doctrines to legislatures or other secular powers is characteristic of his shifting and disingenuous methods there is nothing in president Ps declaration in regard nard to faith or doctrine or tenets but it contains a volume in a few words as to practices it is only with these that legislatures or other earthly powers have bave anything to do he announces his determination to refrain from violating the laws which forbid plural marriages tind and he advises the latter day saints not to contract any marriage contrary to those laws in future he also denies the statement that there have been any such marriages in any place in the territory during the time in which dispatches from this city falsely declare that forty or more have been solemnized the governor objects to the declaration la because it is based on the clause that certain laws have been passed and decided constitutional therefore submission to is advis advised eVl f as not this carping criticism and puerile contrariety has not the decision of the supreme court that these laws are constitutional been held up to the cormons mormons Mor mons as the end of controversy and the demand been made upon them to accept the situation and have they not been assured that this would be all that the country would require and now that the only officer of the church who can authoritatively advise the members on this matter points out the supremacy of the civil law as to conduct is indecent it decent or sensible for the governor to find fault with such advice the truth is this declaration is a little too I 1 ideal definite for the governor it interferes with his schemes and bubose of his confederates it is all that they have pretended to want for years they never lever did desire it he like it now therefore his attempt to cast doubt upon it to misinterpret it and to aid tio the nimia of the wires in misleading the press and the public as aa to its moaning meaning and effect his assertion that temples have been opened elsewhere for the cere monies which farmerly fr f merly took place in the endowment house is a mean and contemptible insinuation in view of president woodruffs Ps post positive statement that the leaders of we tue church are not teaching polygamy nor permitting its practice and his dental denial that any plural marriages have been solemnized d during the period named in the temples or in any other place in the territory the rhe pot point nt put prom prominently ineptly forward in the Gover governors Dors paltry effort is that the declaration nn in no wise wipe asserts that polygamy is wrong or the law right and he flings another doubt as a to what wh will wi 11 be dope done while the cormons mormons beave polygamy is enjoined by divine law how many times has bas he joined in the general statement that the cormons mormons Mor monsY mons are fully entitled to freedom of belief and that no lawful power can be exercised against opinion and now it is bare belief and abstract opinion that he wants suppressed or renounced governor thomas may imagine he is a very great personage because he mccu occupies pies temporarily an exalted political position actually he is of light mental weight and small personal force A little insect though can make a considerable buzz but were he as bigand big and important as he would like to be he could not with all the might of armies or the strength of chains either drive out an idea or bind a belief his expressions iu in this pretended interview show that the faith of the mormon people Is ie the real cause of his wrath and the actual object of his assault and he will learn bythe by the time helomes he comes down again to his natural level that he and all the schemers and plotters in the universe with kings potentates and rulers are utterly powerless to chain a thought or crush a conviction and that honest faith will outlive all mean men and motives and flourish when they pass out of place and memory |