Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-03-06 | Page 1 | Zion Co-Op Mercantile Concern Trying to Aid Smoot

I I I Z10N CO-OP MERCANTILE 1 I I CONCERN TRYING TO AID SMOOT lit '1 Circular Letters Being Sent to Merchants in Chicago and m ! Elsewhere Asking That They Aid in Stemming pjHfjfl the Tide Against Smoot, M V CHICAGO, March 5. Circulars of the b M Zjon Co-operative Mercantile institution lift D Utah, bearing on the Smoot case and Jl ent out from Salt Inke City, have been ll received by Chicago merchants and ;HH others. The text of the circular fol- tjH lows: tjPW! "From Zlon's Co-operative Mercantile Wtf ' Inotltutlon, Salt. Lake City Gentlemen: mW nc more the countjy 19 elng dls- I j- At turbil by an aritl-Morraon agitation, the wjvVwl purpose in view being the expulsion from the United States Senate of Reed ll Mi Smoot, a Senator from Utah who was iff 'sWl duly elected and seated, notwlthstand- B injftho disturbance created at the tlmo by over-zealous and mistaken religious enthusiasts." "It is conceded by his opponents that Senator Smoot Is not, and never has been, a polygamist; that his personal character is beyond reproach; that nothing noth-ing can be alleged against him except that he Is an apostle In the Mormon church. "The hostile public sentiment has been fomented by a coterie of sectarian secta-rian ministers in this city, whose heated harangues have excited religious circles until appeals to their reason, Jusllco and Christian tolerance seem to bo in vol n. "Senator Smoot is a director in this Institution, is a thorough business man and Is Identified with a number of Utah enlerprlsea which have relations with the manufacturing and mercantile I world. He Is a representative man and no constitutional or rational objection can be raised against him. "The present commotion Is injurious to the business interests of this institution and of this State. It hinders the influx of capital and obstructs commercial progress. "Wo therefore appeal to you for such proper aid as you may be able to render in preventing the wrong that would bo done to Utah If the present demand should prevail against the right of a State of the Union to freely choose its own representatives in the National Congress. "A word from you to the Senators from your State to strengthen them in resisting the force of religious prejudice preju-dice certainly would receive due consideration con-sideration and it would bo In. the Interest Inter-est of republican principles of civil religious re-ligious liberty and of this entire nation, as well as the State of Utah. We are, gentlemen, yours respectfully, "Joseph P. Smith, John' R. Winder, Anthony H Lund. John Henry Smith, William H. Mclntire, Henry Dlnwoodey ' Thomns G. Webber, A, W. Carlson, John J P.. Barnes." i