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Show '"" , UTAH'S SEJiSATION. The New York Times' late article has proven a genuine sensation. The people of this territory are vastly interested in-terested in the matter, whether Mormon Mor-mon or gentile, and various and widely divergent are the judgments of the people. peo-ple. During the last cam paigu reports and rumors of several of the formal charges now made were circulated, but with the result that as a hotly con tested election was on and Mr, Cannon's Can-non's son was in the race for cODgiees, it was only to be expected that a man J bo prominent as TJeorge Q. Cannon would be roughly dealt with. Most of the papers quietly ignored these rumors and the campaign was fought out to the I end with a surprisingly small amount I of vituperation and slander. . However. with all this apparent forbearance there was talk, a great deal of it, and on the lines laid down in the Times' article referred to. Mr. Frank J. Cannon's character was the subject of searching and bitter examination ahd it was of-. of-. i ten said that it was a wonder that his father, knowing what it was, as he must, would not only permit him to make the race, but actually aided him all he could, occupying the lofty position posi-tion he did in the church, a church too, like the Mormon, which demanded utter and entire purity in all of its devotees. But we recalled the fact that it is but human nature for a father to regard leniently the faults of his child and also to help that child in any honest and laudable ambition which he might entertain. This kept the democratic papers from pursuing these rumors and pushing them to the front during the heat of the campaign. Now, however, the campaign has been long since closed and what was regarded as covered up for the time and forgotten has been ripped up. Tbe whole matter will be closely scrutin-' y ' ized and examined and by judges per fectly competent to arrive at a just conclusion and with sufficient candor and character to promulgate the verdict ver-dict arrived at. All the bottom facts a3 to the Utah company, the Saltair Beach matter, tbe Los Angeles railroad matter., the Power company, the use of church revenues for these or other private pri-vate or selfish personal purposes, as well as the alleged attempt to use the church in the furtherance of the republican repub-lican interests in tha campaign, will be exhaustively examined, and woe be to Mr. George Q. or Mr. Frank J. Cannon and all others concerned, if the fair verdict should go against them. There is one sin these people never forget or forgive and it is the sin of leading them into and making them responsible respon-sible for dishonest or unfrank or darkly concealed selfiBh purposes or enterprises. The masses of the Mormon church are singularly pure and honest pec pie. They scorn anything underhanded or tricky with an earnestness rarely ever seen among other people. If, however, Mr. Cannon goes into the necessary defense and makes that plain, unequivocal, unequiv-ocal, and establishes his own innocence inno-cence of this charge, the people will rally to him with fervent loyalty all the warmer because of tnis cruel attack. But to assure this the answer will have to be full and complete. Nothing will be taken as a matter of course, but the refutation must fa perfect in all its parts. Mr. Cannc exalted place in the church will give him no advantage. He will meet the charges as any, even the lowliest n: ember of the church, or his defense . 11 leave him worse off than it found hi... The as-.it is bo made that it cannot be ignc" i. It is so made that it must be ansv ..ad. The tenderest emotions and tht Joejurt feelings of a brave,! manly, lunett . -I fair-minded people are deepl? ;iived and these will , brook no jv.lt , 10 unfiankness and no trickery. w.d it would be unmitigated unmiti-gated cruelty .o attempt it. The unfrank un-frank and uevilibb. defense made eo far by the Tribune will not do in any sense, Nothing save a defense written an signed by Mr. Cannon's own hand, will meet the views of the people. We are sure that we hope he can make this defense and show clearly that he is not only innocent in every way, but that it would have been ut -terly impossible for him to have done any of these thingB or all of them. These people, while they would never think of eelling out innocent men, and hate the very suggestion, yet they I would never forgive oce who had not only attempted to sell them but had actually bucceeded, as in this case, if only one word in every ten of the Times' article is true. " Since the above has been in print the Salt Lake papers have come to hand with Mr. Cannon's defense and answer. It is an able, clear and strong paper and shall have full attention tomorrow. We are genuinely glad it has been written. |