| Show NOT MUCH lasTED i Silt IL1tJ CItY Juno 3 190X ICdltor Trlbun Our old and valued friendship Inducii rne to ask the l use of your columns for n reply to your editorial of I plslr this I morning entitled That Battalion In i my address nt Saltalr at the memorial memo-rial services In remembrance of HrlKhani Young I gave my Impressions of his character I char-acter and career s they occurred to mo I twentysix t years ago as they have ever since remained with me and as 1 havo often expressed them In private conversation conversa-tion The accuracy of these Impressions I may be questioned by those who look upon the great Mormon lender from 0 different I point of view but no man who 1115 known mo so long and so Intimately as you have ought to nCI mo of attempting to play or overplay any subject matter that I might malro the topic of a public address I did not either entertain or express the belief that iho opposition to B II Roberts Rob-erts enmo from soured natures whoso ambitions had not been gratified My understanding Is that the rrovemcMil to deny a seat lo Roberts originated with W R Hearst of the New York Journal and that It was carried forward by the 1 religious societies of the ountry whose members shared In the apprehensions of Mr llearn that tho sanctity of the American home uoilld bo destroyed If Mr Roberts should bo sworn In Tho only paragraph In my address at Saltalr which might bo construed as containing any reference whatever lo Mr Roberts was as follows Much of the prejudice that has been created and kept alive In the East against iho people ot Utah hag resulted in part from the selfish obstinacy of u few Ijiiilerduy SalntH who have preferred pre-ferred ulhrence to their own opinion to the welfare of their people Tho data with resicct to the circum crcum stances attendant upon tho enlistment oC the Mormon battalion I obtained from w hltneys history of Utah an authority whoso accuracy I have not felt called upon to question You state that when the men comprising i tho Mormon battalion were enlisting It was understood lhat they would not ono of them be called upon to tire a gun on the whole journey they were about to I make except they fired It at 0 Jackrabblt or a buffalo to get fresh meat for themselves I them-selves As you were not present at their enlistment you will pardon ray It I copy your own language and suggest that you have permitted yourself to be satu rated with some Halo and unpvotltablo slanders which have no more foundation In reason than In fact or course I know no more about time facts than you do but tho reason of your statement Is against Us verity It Is Intrinsically Improbable No enlisting ollleer of tho United States could ever have been authorized to promlso recruits that hay would never be called upon to upn meet an enemy or engage In u battle or llro a gun except at rabbits and buffalo buf-falo and 500 of the kind of men who would exact such a promise before enlisting enlist-ing could not In my opinion have been found In this country anywhere or at any pcrlod n Its history With assurance of my continued personal per-sonal regard 1 am very truly yours TilOMAS lICH The foregoing Is all right except that Mr Filch docs not know several things which have transpired since his former residence In Utah For instance the op poslllon to the candidacy of B II lob I erts was not bugun by Mr Hearst It was begun on principle right here and those beginning It wore not soured by anything that had ever happened As to the selfish obstinacy of a few I latterday Saints the trouble hay been that under the peculiar conditions here lhat obstinacy has in times past taken on a claim of divine authority which the theory of this Government does not recognize and the claim has caused a good deal of frIction in the pastAs past-As to the battalion It Is quite true that the wrier was not present but The Tribune has published more than once the complete story of the way the battalion was summoned and that all the acts of tho Saints Indicated that they expected to meet no enemy and further that when Brlgham Young gave the battalion his parting blessing bless-ing he assured them that they would never meet an cnomy or at least that Ihoy would not be hUt We mndo no reference to any understanding with any United States army officers Mr I Fitchs assertion that he knows no asserton I more about iho facts than you do should be amended Ho does not know I nearly as much |
