Show NO POLITICS IN IT The Funeral of Elias Lewis Conducted by the Ecclesiastic Authorities SPANISH FORK March 10Believing you desire to be just to all allow me a brief space in your columns to correct a misrepresentation which appeared in Wednesdays daily March 8 also in the Provo Dispatch relating to the funeral services of Elder Elms Lewis jr which has caused a sorrow more heart rending if possible than death itself to his parents par-ents and friends And in accord with their wishes I desire to state the fathers wish and request was that the bishop of his ward should take charge of the funeral fun-eral services but owing to his absence from home his counsellors attended and presided in the bishops absence by virtue vir-tue of their ecclesiastical calling and not in any political sense one being Republican Repub-lican the other a Democrat At first it was intended to hold the services at the home of tae parents but a short time before the hour appointed for the services it was deemed advisable to go to the meeting house on account the storm Elder George W Wilkins and myself had been invited to speak upon the occasion not as Republicans but as ministers of the gospel a duty which has fallen to the lot of both speakers many scores of times during a long period of years in the past and never before have either been accused of delivering Renub lican orations and in the remarks no allusion was made to things political Prominent among those upon the stand was Elder William Jex a Democrat and the senior president of the quorum of which the deceased was a member all being invited to seats on the stand and to take part in the services on account of their ecplesiastical position and without regard to their political affiliations With regard to the pall bearers they were three brothers of the deceased and three brothers of the younglady who would have been his bride had it not l been for his unexpected death and even these young men are divided in their political po-litical views and all persons without regard viewsf gard to religious political or social standing had the privilege of honoring the dead and viewing the remains at the close of the services many hundreds availing themselves of the opportunity and over seventy vehicles followed the remains re-mains to their last resting place as well as a large concourse of citizens on foot among whom was a delegation from the political > club of which Elder I Lewis had been an honored member I No feeling of indignation was manifested mani-fested by any one present Wretched indeed I in-deed must be the feelings of the person or j persons who could so wound and harrass I the feelings of the already griefstricken friends by reporting such unjust and misleading statements as have appeared in articles referred to The reference to I the political standing of parties here referred re-ferred to has been made to refute the base charge that this was a Republican funeral as there was no thought word or act done or expressed designed to convoy such an idea GEO D SNELL |