| Show TRUE RUE T HISTORY OF THE AMNESTY proclamation A an open letter from the tribune to the mormon people it lies lias been the desire ot of this the publishing company for some time in view of 0 the scandalous charges made by the infamous deseret news to publish to the mormon people the tha true history of 0 th the amnesty granted by the president of 0 the united states to all and the causes that led to the application tor for it and to the ising ru aulne ot of the proclamation but the edl tor ln in calef ahlet of 0 the paper refused permission we now tako take advantage ot of his temporary absence to give the facts os as wo we think the mormon people should know thern them lit 1891 2891 3 2 as will nill he be remembered by you all there were over one hundred people in the penitentiary split sent there for practicing polygamy it la Is true that in all 11 those cases any at 0 those men could have been liberated at a moments notice by merely promising to a obey bey the laws but it Is rise also true that the dread ot of the social and business ostracism that they would suffer was greater to them than their punishment of 0 b cing incarcerated in fit the penitentiary and they consequently refused to do it thero there mere a great many cases however that lor for reasons peculiar to the person eterson or to choso dependent upon him appealed to the hearts of not mormons cormons Mor mons anti the tribune office was besieged nearly every day mith n ath asking tho the editor ln in chief of 0 tho the tribune to write to tho the resident president 1 for or pardons citing different rea reasons sonn in nearly all these cases the editor of 0 tho the tribune did apply tor for and obtain those pardons it took up a great deal of his time and ono day in ili 1892 amos howe and frank armstrong canto came lolo into tho the tribune orlice I 1 urging him to ask the pardon of 0 two men who were then under indictment and in hiding and both ot of them apostles the editor of 0 tho the tribune said to them why continue this thing thine of 0 asking by piecemeal why not jf it you are arc honest in this matter matte r ns as I 1 believe you now to be apply tor for general amnesty they thought it could not bo be done but the editor bald 1 I think it can and if you people mean it it will bo be a great day tor for utah tho the bicker ings arid and strife will cease and wo we will all go to work to build up our treat great state he then pat cat down and wrote out the following petition for general amnesty to the president of 0 the united states we tho the first presidency and apostles of 0 the church of jesus christ ot of latter day saints beg respectfully to represent to your excellency tho rationing following facts we formerly taught to our people that polygamy or celestial marriage as commanded by god through joseph smith was right that it was a necessity to mans highest exaltation exar faLlon in the life to come that doctrine was publicly promulgated by our president the late brigham young forty years ago and was steadily taught and impressed upon the latter day saints up to september ISDO our people are devout and sincere and they accepted the doctrine and many personally embraced and practiced polygamy when the government sought to stamp tile tho practice outs out our people almost fear it NIt without hout exception remained remal ned orin firm for they while having no desire to oppose the government in anything still felt that their lives and their honor as aa men were pledged to a vindication of 0 their creed and that their digity toward those whose chose lives were a part of their olin ow n vast a paramount one to fulfill which they had bad no right to count anything not even their own onn lives as standing in the way following this conviction hundreds endured arrest trial fine and imprisonment and the immeasurable buffering borne by tho the faithful people no language can describe that suffering in abated form still continues more the government added als to its other punishments for those who he clung to their faith and fulfilled its covenants according to our creed the head at 0 our church receives from time to time revelations tor for the religious guidance of hla his people in september 1890 1990 the present head of 0 the church in anguish and prayer cried to god for help for ills his flock and received permission to advise the members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints that tho the law commanding polygamy was henceforth suspended at the groat great semiannual semi annual conference which nas held beld a few days later this mag wa submitted to the people number ing ne many thousands and representing every community of the people lit in utah and has as hy by them tit in the alio most solemn pla manner iner accepted as tile the futile rule of their live they laa jima e since been faithful to the covenants made that day at the late laic october conference after it a year had passed by tile matter was once more submitted to tho ilia thousands or of people gathered gAth gt cred together and they again in tile most potential potent lat manner ratified tho the solemn covenant ahn being tho the true irue and ballel ng that the object of the iho golora merit ment simply dimply tile tho i indication of its own an dhority tho rity vila to compel once enco to its lus las and that it take takes i nij pies pressure asure sure in persecution we TOP respectfully pray that full ain amnesty nesty may ho he extended to all who are under ald disabilities because of the operation of tile so called edmunds tucker uw law our people are scattered homs homes are made desolate many ore are still imprisoned others tire are banished or in hiding our hearts bleed for these in the te past they their followed our counsels and while x hile they hey are thus afflicted our souls are in sackcloth sack pack cloth and ashes W we believe ball vc that there aln rc Is no aher here in ill ih the union it u inore loyal people thau than the latter day saints they know no other country except this they expect to live and die on this sot boll when the men of the south who a he I 1 were lit in rebellion reix allon ag alent tho the covern anent in n 1805 threw down doun their the r arms arm and sited asked for recognition long along the old I 1 i lines ot of citizenship the government 1 hastened to grant their prayer to bo be fit at peace with ill the government and in harmony with their rellow fellow citizens who are arc not of their faith and to share in the confidence of 0 tho the government at and I 1 d people our people have voluntarily I 1 put aside something which all their lives they have believed to be a sacred prin erple have they not the right to ask for or such clemency as comes when the claims of 0 both law and justice have bon fully liquidated As A shepherds of a patient and suffering people we ask amnesty for them and pledge our faith and honor lor for their future and 3 our petitioners petition ers will ever pray salt lake city december 1891 this petition was taken by two ind of tho the twelve to president woodruff lito iio read ad it and as they afterward 8 said aid with tears streaming down his cheeks ile he signed it without dotting an 1 I 1 or crossing it a t it was signed slener by tile the twelve apostles with tile exception of one brigham loung 11 oung i who ho was then absent in europe and the granting of the amnesty was recommended by the then governor A L thomas the then chief achl t justice challes S zane arid and liy by tile the salt lake tribune and sent bent to gen benjamin then president of the united states this petition we was s forwarded forward NI by gov thomas to tile pros ident with tho ilia baim indorsement endorsement Indor 0 of t himself and judge zane as being 9 luned by men who iho would not lightly pledge their faith ind and honor to the government or subscribe to such buch a document without having fully resolved to make their words good in letter an and a A burong letter fiant the tribune asking arking for the pardon was also alao sent to an all influential friend of at the editors in washington to bo be presented to the president that filand A lend had gone to europe so BO the letter lay for borne weeks meeks without response when judge goodwin inkrote tt rote to senator raddock paddock d and asked him to go to his friends alike get the letter and present it IL not satis satisfied ried with till that tile the editor ot of tile the the business manager to go to washington and accompany senator paddock to the president which was done attorney general miller advised tho the president that there was some doubt about his authority to grant such amnesty on learning of this by telegraph the editor of the tribune looked n up p with nith the aid of local legal friends the authority and cited cases to senator paddock which attorney general miller said were conclusive but in the meantime three or four months had bad passed away avav and tile the president feared to grant t the he amnesty lest it would be put down as an effort to make political capital for his campaign but promised after the campaign was over to grant the amnesty and on january 4 he issued his aanes amnesty ti proclamation this Is the way the tribune has been an enemy to out our people ar or this pecullar peculiar people whenever a gleat trial came upon them it was to the tha salt lake tribune they appealed and it never failed them have we a right to talk to this people we think so BO it will be at least admitted by most people considering the part T the he tribune took in obtaining the pa pardon adon for or that it should know something about the meaning that WELS was given to the manifesto and the declarations testimony and documents the that t followed it at that time lime and w wo 0 say to the cormons mormons and gentiles alike that during all this time la in talks that wo have had with the leaders of the church there was never but one interpretation pre tation given to it and that was wag that the practice of 0 polygamy should cease george Q cannon has stated time after time and we believe jilin him that that was ills his interpretation that lie he intended to live T within athin the law and has lived w T athin it since wilford woodrun woodruff swore to the intention of the III manifesto 1 ian that the practice of polygamy including unlawful maul cohabitation should cease as did president lorenzo snow and joseph F smith and we now believe that the great majority of the people for two or throe three years afterward ard faithfully observed that interpretation the manifesto was received by the whole country as the surrender on tile the part of the mormon people of the controversy tro versy so long waged 1 tho the chief of the church so BO interpreted it 11 and for three years the mormon people so observed served it presidents woodruff fC and snow testified cd emphatically in ilia escheat a cane came that this was the tine rdean ing ans ot of file I 1 lie manifesto rr president ident woodruff l aali promulgated the manifesto replied under tinder oath to attorney dick sons bons question mr dickson being attorney for the church that there should be no a association v with ill plural v bics lit in other oilier words that unlawful cohabitation as it Is named unil and boken of should aljo alio stop us its veil mell as future polygamous mari lageS saying c e quote verbatim yes yei or thal thai lies haa apen tile the intention president snow snore at the alie same game time that the of tile 11 alli festO was that the law should be observed in all matters concerning plu ralman lage embla embracing cing the present condition of those that had bad previously entered into marriage apostle lund snore ore the same president joseph V F r mith raid in ili reply to franklin S bich question uli whether ether the hie manifesto applied all plied to tile cohabitation of aro inrid n all and women in plural it bad already Exi scot L think the defect ot at it Is 19 so BO I 1 dont see sec how the effect of 0 it can bo be otherwise upon this testimony teall mony followed the deree decree ot of the court that tile tho p practice tc at 0 L ra polygamy had been abandoned abanador nil 1 understanding de der banding this to mean unlawful ful cohabitation us as well as n future man couf marriages that decree favoring the restoration of 0 tile the es ea cheated property afterward and on the same lines and on the camo came the resolution of 0 congress restoring the cheated es property mr richards counsel for the church in tho hearing before tile the senate committee cittee that hal had in chargo charge the iho matter of restoring tho the es cheated church property read this testimony ot of the leads heads of the church as aa proof that tile practice of 0 polygamy had been abandoned arid and lie ho further read as 03 added proof to tit tho seine sanio purport tile famous times Interview with presidents woodruff and cannon reproduced in the church organ in its ismile of july 4 1901 1 with till endorsement indorsement Indor gement in that interview tho the reporter asked would you yon or any officer of the church authorize a polygamous marriage or countenance tile the practice of unlawful I 1 cohabitation the reply was A gain we have to say ay we ne can only speak tor for ourselves and say bay that wo NO would not auth autho ilzo olizo tiny any marriage or any practice tIco of the ilia law tho the ro re potter persisting agala sake asked d la Is it your understanding that tile the mormon people are in good faith observing the latts anti of ic the united states prohibiting polygamy ir and nn un lanful cohabitation and again presidents woodruff tiff and cannon io plied that Is our understanding could anything be more comprehensive than this then followed the petition tor for amnesty quoted above the central point 0 f aich which was that the people ho haac ve volunta voluntarily illy put alde something which it all 11 their lives they havo have believed to be ba a sacred pilli ciple but it they have rot put aside the living in polygamous relations what was it they put a side aside certainly it co could uld not have bee been Is future marriages covenants not yet entered into for on no cc construction of language could that bo be sold said to be anything put aside tor for these had not at been entered into and it 11 Is impossible to put pu t aside that vi which aich Is not present again president woodruff at logan on november 1 1891 spoke to the saints concerning the manifesto and put to them this question which Is tile tho wisest course for latter day saints to pursue to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage with till tho the laws of tile the nation against it A find and tho the opposition of 0 sixty millions of people and at tho the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the temples cB and tile the stopping of all the ordinances thor therein chorchi chi both for tile living and the dead and the imprisonment of the first Preil presidency dency and twelve ind and the leads heads of families in the church and tile the of personal sona property of the people all of NN which aich of themselves m would stop the practice I 1 I 1 or after doing find and suffering what AN we e have through our adherence adhe renca to the principle to cease the practice and submit I 1 it to the law and through doing so leave the prop prophets liets apostles and fathers at home so that they can instruct tho the people and attend to the duties of the c hurch church and also leave tho ilia temples in the hands of the saints Si tints so 50 that they can attend to the ordinances of the gospel both for or the living and the dead and he continued the lord showed mo me by ilsoon islon and revelation exactly what would take place it if we e did not stop this till practice lie ile continued picturing the state of a affairs if a ire fore shadowed in the question and lie put it to the saints whether hether it |
