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Show : j THE OHRISTENSEN CASE. "Tho king can do no wrong" and the king has again spoken but let us see. Citizen Chris. Christcnsen, once" a respected member in good standing of tho -Mormon church, is such no more. He has been robbed of his associations in the ecclesiastical organization in which he was born, and in the environment envi-ronment of which he was reared; but he has grown infinitely in the respect of honest men. In explanation of the case, it will be necessary for Tho Tribune to briefly say that Mr. Christcnsen, and some other musicians who were associated with him at Brighara City, decided to build an amusement hall in that town. Following the usual custom of tho church, the ward authorities had given control of all amusements in Brigham City over to a committee composed of members of tho Mormon church, who were under the complete domination of he ecclesiastical authorities there. Prnfnecnr flhriKt.ftnRP.n was orift nf the progressives of Brigham City. Iustead of bciug content with a fiddler perched on a table, which for want of better was eminently satisfactory at the old frontier, dances, ho proceeded to get together a lot of promising raw material, ma-terial, and eventually succeeded in bringing into modern shape a military band and orchestra. This was all very well until the musicians, being proficient profi-cient in tjieir profession, wanted as remuneration re-muneration a little larger share of the profits which had hitherto been used for ecclesiastical purposes. Then a disagreement arose, and the hierarchi-sally-trafned amusement committee -backed by tho stake and ward ecclesiastical ecclesi-astical authorities attempted to force the musicians into submission. The controversy con-troversy went from bad io worse but all the timo, on one side, in the interests of progression until finally the men who did the musical work determined de-termined to provide for themsolves. They were popular, and soon succeeded in organizing a compan for the' erection erec-tion and control of an amusement hall of,, their own. In this project the ecclesiasts foresaw fore-saw damaging competition in their commercial com-mercial nffairs. And that is the sorest spot that can be touched in their organized or-ganized and personal anatomies. Tf an enterprise of this description were permitted per-mitted to go on unmolested, where, the brethren cogitated, would tho whole thing end? Their intcrosts must be protected. So the boys must be crushed. The amusement committee was powerless to accomplish this unaided, so the stake authorities camo to the rescue. res-cue. These were in turn in .a fair way to be defeatod, when the high and mighty Joseph F. Smith was called into play. After mock ecclesiastical trials of the most tyrannous nature, the ca6e was decided against tho musicians. They appealed to the ono from whose dictum there is no escape; and the prophet, seer, and revelator truo to tho destructive destruc-tive policy of the entire line of the family of which he is a distinguished scion confirmed the judgment of the high council as against tho musical progressionists. Now, the boys havo built their ball at a very considerable outlay. They havo been making it pay, bocause of popular feeling in their favor, so long as tho case was not finally and irrevocably irre-vocably concluded ngainst them. But now that the prophet himself has spoken, tho outcomei must very naturally natu-rally bo in doubt. -The saints will not dare to go against tho dictum of the mouthpiece of tho Almighty, if history his-tory shall repeat -itBelf, and tho persecuted perse-cuted ' musicians may bo confronted with considerable difficulty in the future. fu-ture. But (here in a phase to this -matter whJIh ought to bo known to the public. pub-lic. In Washington Joseph F, Smith testified briefly concerning it. Hero is tho colloquy; Senator Forakcr. What was that 7 Joseph F. Smltli. It was this: A band or lmiHlcians were employed hv a com-m'fc" com-m'fc" on amusements of Brigham City. 1 he Chairman Lot me ask rlpht. thero, was It a committee of the church or a committee of cltlzenE'' Joseph F. Smith. it was a band of musicians nnd a committee on amusc-mS,ntn amusc-mS,ntn 'Snnlzol nnionc tho people. The Chairman. A committee of citizens? citi-zens? Joseph F. Smith A committee of citizen citi-zen s. So that, cither therein or elsewhere, the prophet deliberately falsified. That committee was of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d.ay Saints, overy member mem-ber of that committee being a member mem-ber of the church organization. If it was not such, but was, aa the false prophet pretouded in his testimony, a committee of citizens, irrespective of church, then neither (ho high couucil nor tho president of the church had any business to interfere with the controversy, con-troversy, tf it was a church committee, commit-tee, then Joseph. F. Smith told a malicious ma-licious falsehood when he declared at Washington that tho church does not interfere with the private affairs of citizens. Iu either presentation of tho matter the inspired "Lord's anointed" seer is placed in tho position of a falsifier, falsi-fier, to tho injury of his fellow men. And in that case Joseph F. Smith is a tyrant. But note the difference in tho action in the Christenscu case and that in the Taylor and Cowley affairs. Citizen Christensen is a monogamist, and his offense consisted in conducting his own business affairs in his own way. Ho is excommunicated. Taylor and Cowley aro polygamists, and additionally so since the manifesto, aud they merely were required to ostensibly resign from their quorum, retaining their priesthood, priest-hood, their apostleship, the respect of their brethren all in greater effulgence and larger abundance than ever. And in that case Joseph F. Smith is a knave. , Do you not see the point? |