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Show A TALE Or THE DAYS OF OLD Editor Tribune I will ask you for a little of your valuable space, so that 1 may slve lo your readers ji recital of some of my experience In I he way-back days In this slate, or. nit her. territory. I am one of the early settlers of this country and have hud plenty of opportunity opportu-nity for observation. Early In July. 1SS0. I was living at a place now called Clinton, Clin-ton, In Spanish Fork canyon, twenty milC3 from Spanish Fork City. At that time John Taylor was president presi-dent of tho Mormon church. There was then a determination on the part of the United States government lo put a slop to the practice of pciygmuy. John Taylor Tay-lor was Just as determined not to give up the practice. The Mormon polyg'a-mists polyg'a-mists were being hunted down, and when caught many of them were sent to the penitentiary, and some of them wore lined in sums which they were not able to pay. A word from President Taylor would havo put a stop to those prosecutions, prosecu-tions, but that word was not npoken. I, being well ucnualnled with George U. Snell, who was bishop of a, big distrirl of country at that lime, wrote a letter to him. suggesting that we would have lo give up the practice of polygamy and llvo in obedience lo llio common laws of our own and other civilized countries. Bishop Snell Immediately cited me to appear ap-pear before his august majesty for X rial. I did not appear, for tho reason that I thought lhat being tried by a. polgamlst for expressing a thought against polygamy polyga-my would b iike being tried by thieves for denouncing thievery. I was excommunicated excom-municated and - published In the Provo Enquirer sip an apostate. Bishop Snell was plaintiff, prosecutor and Judge a sort of ecclesiastical Irlumvlrate that existed ex-isted In those days. At a ward meeting ho i elated what ho had done in my ruse and called upon thoi-o pronenl to ratify his action, which I hoy did. Ho inoivly pulled the Hiring and thr marionettes da m od. Shortly after I was e.commuiii'it;il, and just previous to a city election, I went down to Spanish Fork upon the occasion of . Hie primary. The People's party (the Mormon church political party! was then very aitive, and conducted con-ducted all civil affairs. I went to tho prl-1 mary meeting. Bishop Snell was also mayor of Spanish Fork, member-elect to Hie legislature and chairman of tho primary. pri-mary. I can novci; forget iiis opening : speech In calling tl'io primary to order. It was something like this; "Brethren 1 and sisters I have called you together! to talk about the coming election. I. be- 1 ing your bishop, havo the right to bo also mayor. Every true Latter-day Saint Is expected to vote the Peoples parly licket if he expects lo receive exaltation in the kingdom of God." In partial exculpation exculpa-tion of himself he propounded a question to himself in this wise: "'Brother Snell. have you no other man in Spanish Fork who Is competent to hold political office'' You are bialiop. and mayor, and member-elect member-elect to the legislature, and you arc now' a candidate for re-election as mayor--! have you no other man In this community1 who Ik competent to hold these offices, I or one of ihoinV" Eut lie answered him -1 --e,lf by saying: "My brethren and slstcrn, the reason I lake all these offices is be- cause the priesthood down til Provo! (twelve miles away) wish mo lo lake them." lie was fleeted without a dissenting dis-senting vole. I had rend of the priests of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries dictating in all things lo the laity, but 1 concluded that If any priest, of those limes could cvrol this oiv of the present he must have been a wonder. I don' I believe that Bishop Snoll was any worse than a large majority of tho Mormon priesthood at that time. They would be the same today If they had the opportunity. oppor-tunity. 1 made up my mind at once and I joined the Liberal parly. which. I claim, bosan thai which hat; eventually brought about a meat change here fJEOItrjE A. HICKS. 1 Spanish Fork. Sept. M. 10 1 '. |