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Show NIBLEY'S SUGAE TA-LK. There appeared in Tuesday evening's issue of I he Desort Nows a communication communica-tion from Presiding Bishor- Charles W. Niblcy of tho Mormo.n church. In thn.t letter the bishop denies some of I he statements which were made by Mr. ludson C. Wcllivcr in (he January number num-ber of Hampton's Magazine wilh respect re-spect to tho connection of the .Mormon church with the sugar trust. Tl appears to bo the burden of Bishop Nibley's thought Ihni (he Mormon church is not a partner wilh lhj sugar trust because it is not in the sugar business. Thai is the main point driven driv-en at. And undoubtedly (he bishop is right, if wc are to lake tho proposition from the point of view that the church in conference assembled has boughl "no sugar stocks, built no sugjnr factories nor acted as an officer in the inler-mountain inler-mountain sugar combination. In so far as tho meaning of Bishop Niblcy may (ako that complexion, he has not misstated mis-stated the facts. But in effect ho has misrepresented the condition. First, let us quote a liltlc from Mr. Niblcy's letter: Tho church used some of Its means. Its credit and Its Influence to get this jl.chlj factory built, and Into openitloti. The authorities urged chinch members to subscribe for rdock. Leading men preached and promoted llio project at every convenient opportunity, siml some of them financially ornharrasscd themselves them-selves to uro It started. Few of 11)0 (Inanclally strong men of the community could he nersunded to Invest. Still the church JwiriVrs persevered, .-issumin? greater and ever greater burdens lii order to carry It to completion. For nil of whicli they are entitled to "prcdit. But there are some other things to say with respect lo the initiation initia-tion of the project that do not reflect such credit upon (he church loaders. Bishop Nibley fully confesses that their influence as ccclcsiaats was operated and traded upon for this material purpose. pur-pose. There is no doubt in the world, either, that this same inilucnce played a great part, in the procurement of a bounty from the Territorial Legislature. AIbo, in the pulpiteering mentioned by the bishop he wfll recall that one of tho chief inducements hold out to the people in return for their assistance v.;as an assurance that thoy would be able to buy the home manufactured sugar at a price much lower than that, paid for the product brought in from other lmialities. Another inducement Was offered of-fered to the farmers in that they were promised that they should receive a fair price for their beets if they would but plant sufficient beet acreage to assure tho factory an unrestricted run under fair conditions. In fact, it was given out in the most unmistakable . terms that it was to be (he people's concern and to be operated for the benefit of tho people. But how has it turned out? It used to be lhat the ratio in value as between be-tween the sugar beet and the refined sugar was one ton i ono hundred pounds. In other words, for a ton of his beets the farmer rcc.civc'd ono hundred hun-dred pounds of sugar or its equivalent. Nowadays the ratio is one ton to seventy-five pounds, or tho farmer receives re-ceives but seventy-five pounds of sugar for his ton of beets a twenty-five per cent disadvantage 'to the producer and an equal advantage to the sugar combine. com-bine. The consumer was promised, by speakers in Mormon pulpits, that he should have sugar for $-I.o0 per hundred hun-dred pounds. Now he is obliged to pay .$(5.50 .for that amount. It is noticed that Bishop Niblcy has followed' the usual otficinl Mormon custom cus-tom of giving the church credit for anything nnd -everything that may appear ap-pear to be plainly good, and at the same time to absolve it from all responsibility responsibil-ity for auy evil that may appear in connection with the identical matter. It is as if a father would sav, "Yes. he in my son," when tho good qualities of his offapring aro displavcd, and "No, he is not m.y son," when his failings aro brought forward. Furthermore, Mr. Niblcy declares that the church has been financially in (crested in the I.chi factory only. However, How-ever, it is noticed Hint President Joseph Jo-seph F. Smith is at tho head of the Utah-Idaho Sugar. Company, under which the factories of Utah and Idaho are. affiliated. Mr. Smith personally possessed no money with whicli to purchase pur-chase sufficient interest in the concern 10 entitle him to Ihai position. He has used church funds for Jhnl purpose; and 11 may be that somo of tho stock is held in his own name as an individual, while oilier slocks aro held by him as t rust ce-in-1 'rust for the church. In either case il is church money, not Joseph F. Smith's; and if he lays-personal claim lo any of these holdings he simply lakes that which docs not belong to liim, for lie hns never earned a legfti-matft legfti-matft dollar since he became president of the ecclesiastical organization. In fact, before If abcendf,d I he Mormon throne he was n pooV man. while now he i ruled at his millions. In the wordy of u renowned Tammany chief-lain, chief-lain, "Where did he get it?" Undoubtedly the sugar industry here is a help lo many people; but not Jill of us are beet raisers, while at the JIIMV t I till" ML' lilt .lit" luiiouiii. iu. Tho consumers meaning all the people are imposed upon and robbed by I he sugar combination to the. tune of about (wo dollars per hundred pounds; while (he bccl. raisers are swindled of twenty-five per coir! of (heir due in proportion propor-tion lo the price obtained for the fin ished product. Tf Ihe Mormon church is to be credilell with having nursed the infant industry to Ihe stature of an industrial giaul. il, is also to be hold accountable for the ability of (he giant lo impose ils injustice upon the people. There is a combination between the. church and the sugar (rust, if th" church is lo be count oil in the. mutter; a! all; and Bishop Nibley knows that lo be hue. |