Show A NEW MANIFESTO ISSUED t was submitted at general conference on monday noses thatcher a name am not tat at ached toabe lie fite rumeo to stun it although he H Ut atef his hl Itt easen air eldered that atwould it would be nn nit tri or of to the and members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints in general ence I 1 salt bait lake city april 5 dt lar ar dreth Ureth ren and sitters ev every ery latter day saint will recognize the of union not only in action but in mattes a 0 faith and discipline As to tile the rights and authority au authority thorit y of the 1 priesthood of the son of god it Is 1 of the highest lindor tance that there should be no difference of opinion among the of ficeri lind int mini ni bers of the church of 0 jesua christ of latter day saints peeling keeling the zice tIt of a correct understanding of this ciple we deeni deem it proper at it till sixt sixth of the jhc ur organ gania la lot ion I 1 of 0 the church in these last days to prepare prep are and present a statement on oil tile the subject t embodying the doctrine e which III his III al ways waya prevailed in the hurh hurch and our views upon it we are prompted to ado adopt pt this thin course at the chilel because of events which have happened during the late political contest conf Sil A greit great di of opinion on oil the been exi reseed and even lr kadling 1 cl I ders deri in the church which latter fact lins has naturally led in sonie onie b to loll 1011 on iid sid erable division of benti sentiment ment it Is of great importance thit se e un till der stand each other and that there be harmony IN our teachings teaching it is C ly important thit teachings bh ahall be in accor accordance danLe walh ith thi rules and reg illation lations ti and doctrines 1 lach it t c b been cen taught and which have hae prevailed front from the beginning until the present time having not only the sanction han banc clion tion of usage mage but the ap approval proal of all faithful leaders in the church churlik and of islin him in whose nanie name and bv IU they act IN the late exciting ion test to lo luch alich rt ference has been made the ling authorities in tonie home h he I 1 e b been eel misunderstood in other they have been which lias liar led to a wrongful con I 1 of their real views it ht been too freely and without thit there has been a on the their ir part to Inter interfere ferL k ith andi individual bidual liberty and to rebuke in III bome men a was app applauded laUdeLl tit in others in a 10 N t that h s t they have appeared to deb desire I 1 re 0 to ai t and maintain an an and I 1 oppre oppressive e control over the of f the members of the chully chuichi and tit in thus doing doin have endeavored to a union of church and satte etite in III the ai 1 l t of ashert lons 11 t n t L b been e ers made and ti used ed loave ton vexing ing to the public mind it i f filhe dhe idea the po Uh ilion of tile the otan ailles ars of the it chart it und and leaving the impression that thi re 0 has bag been and was wa now abtin tit tac an all attempt to accomplish the union above referred to now that tile the excitement has and calmer reason his its swat sia we vie think it pru prudent 11 t to set et forth bo that all mi int lind 4 the ewait occupied b th lead ing authorities of the church in the cirit place vc i e wish I 1 ish to i i the nioba positive e and emphatic language that bit at no lime his there e ever er bet been any attempt or even dedire oi or the LIIL pirt the leading authorities refined ried to to have the church in nn nit crouch croach upon tile llie rights af u the tate or to unite in any degree the fu mAlars of the one with those of the other peculiar circumstances hive hur hiir rounded the people of utah I 1 or many years ft a majority of thern them in er C lr por tion lion of the tn altor bilor ged to one church aery of which was entitled to hold and id did hold sonic oine ollic ih is N ease to ise bole how to the cabitac observer ob berver it might appear singular that ho miny offic diners erb of the church werl were also eri erb 0 of tile the state but ahll this was in rmel ase the dit distinction bet between cen chu ach ind and state throughout those ari c irb NI cart fillip mal ahe tit for tight eight bearb eart held tin th highest clil ch il ollile ofin e in the community hieng been appoint ii point ed cd by the national yo go erner of the terri lerr territory llor tor I 1 lie he arst hitre tary of tile the territory ns as a i 1 nt church an tile lle terri territory tor in congress is IB 1 i I during ten years I 1 ahe lie of tit the legislature also alho held 11 I 1 I 1 thi I 1 his hi hl s ali unavoidable for tile llie lioa sli wil tible men ere cre cleill h bj the wo of the he find tit an e hial min in the intire community tom hild had bornt i hurth hurch p hilion the inot enc rel it and t li wing leading portion ohis is all A iral an aej pl plinn tin enough to chott alio ho confider cobit con ider the but it op 1 lorl ort unity for thoc alio ho were to attall the people ol 01 tile llie territory to charge I 1 hun ahlin ath ith t 11 I 1 mille church and keate A fair f tile the till i dl elih prove tile llie chare tild ind show ith titter falahi y on behalf of the church of halh ith e ire leading we e desire dit ditore lre again to lo state stale to the members rs ind ilio iko to thi till bi I 1 c ge I 1 I 1 e ral 1 t thit h I 1 t I 1 there it e r e li I 1 is im I 1 not I 1 0 t I 1 L L LII 1 nor li there tile lle li elmre herc on in 01 i art of at on oil the aart of our tt 0 r to do anything looking to a union of church an and d tate state we deci declare ar that there has never been any attempt atte pt to curtail liberty the per personal pe rhonal bonal liberty of any of the 0 oh fh ceasor nier members of the church ahe first presidency did snake make certain suggestions suggest gest lons ions to tile the people when the division on party lines took place that move merit was an entirely new departure and it was wag necessary in order that the full benefit should not be lost which was wai hope to result from this new political divI division blon that people who were should be warned against hasty and III considered action in some cases they were to be wise and prudant prud rit in the political steps they were about to take and this with no idea of winning inning them against their vill to e alth ith LI side lo 10 this extent and no further wis is anything said or done upon this question and at no time and under no circumstances was any attempt made to to lay bay to voters how they shall cast their bal ballott letb any ch change ange that has been made to the contrary Is utterly utterly false concerning officers ot of the church the feeling was generally expressed in the beginning of the po liti division spoken of that it would be prudent for leading men not to ai A capt of office at the hands of the dolid cal party to vi which they might belong I 1 thin his counsel was given to nien men of both parties a alike ike not because it was thought that there was sis any propriety ty in religious nien men holding civil office nor to deprive them of any of the rights of citizenship citizen shipp but beia beca ise of the feeling that it would lidbetter be lie better under tinder all the circumstances which had arisen to avoid any action that would be likely to create jealousy and III feeling an ali era of peace and good will seemed to be dawning upon the people and it was deemed good to shuts shun everything that could have the least tendency to prevent the corsemina con coR summa sumina tion lion of this happy prope prospect ct iri in many casts homeer ho weer eer the pres pressure bure brought to bear upon emi lent and popular men by the members of the party to which they belonged was as of such it a character that the had to yield to the boli cItations to act ac ept nomination to office or subject themselves to the suspicion of bad faith in their party parly affiliations in some casek they did this lulb without consulting the au thorit ICI of the church but where ins positions were heij and where here tile lie duties were of a responsible char acter torne biome jid seek the counsel and ad vice of the church authorities before accepting the political honors tendered thein because some soine others did not bc bacek ek thin counsel and advice ill feeling i was a engendered and undue and painful N waa a stimulated mi sunder banding tan ding readily followed and as a re suit stilt the authorities of the church of bad faith and roade made the subject of bitter reproach we III hie e maintained that in the case of men who ho hold high positions in the church whose duties are well ell defined and whose I 1 are understood to be con continuous tinious and it would be bean all improper tiling thing to accept political cal office or enter into any voL vocation atlon that would distract dib tract tractor or 1 e 1110 e them from the religious duties resting upon tipon them without first con su bulling ring and obtaining the approval of their associates and those who preside over them thein it has hah been understood from the ver very beginning of the church that no officer alil r whose hose d duties u ties are of tile the character referred to h is the right to engage in nit an pursuit pur sult political or otherwise that will mill bilde if ide his fits time and remove his attention from the calling already accepted it hils has been the constant practice of tile the thurcy to consult r to use uhe our language counsel with thier brethren concerning all questions of 1 ihlia kind ind I 1 hey have not felt that the were sacrificing their manhood in so ho doing nor that the they were submitting to improper dictation nor that in biting and acting tipon the advice of those over them they were ere in any manner doing awa away with ith their individual rights anda and agency getIL nor that toan to any improper degree were their rights and duties as anderl american an cl tieni being abridged or in cd alth I 1 lie hey reaped realized that in accepting they as certain obligations that among theft was the obligation to magnify the which they held to attend to it its duties duth s in fit preference isicc to every other labor and to devote ti ll ems clvis exclusively to it ith all the th ceal eal industry and strength they unless relea released aed in part or for a tinie lime by those alio lio predda over the our view and it ha been the silv of all our it in that HO officer 0 of our especially in ailigh hL anding should take a course to violine ahli lung long d e elzather tit alun ill disobey it and declare him alif b 10 ills i deh antly independent of his hii ties ites and hi hh file le lead adert erb it ivis ill ulwin 1 I s been bield that thal tt it would be hellei fettet for a nian man to resign the duties of his and we entertain the title inic bew toa loan in III bew diew of ill the occurrences es to thich has been made and to llie diversity of views that have arken among the people in consequence we e alel it to be our duty to clearly de fine our position to t o 0 there may be no C ciu ic hc for dispute or contro verb upon the subject I 1 arbi we unanimously abrec to and promulgate a an a rule that sh itald al a ayr I 1 be observed in the church and by every leading OfIl Lial thereof that befool accepting any position political or which would interfere ich iila tile proper and comi conil lete dis cidre ut of ills his C ci duties and before accepting a nomination ur or enter ing into engagements engagement to perform new dutle duties said official iclal ff should apply to th the proper authorities and learn from them whether he can consistent ay y with the obligations obligation al ready already entered into with the church upon assuming his hl office take upon himself the added duties and lakers labors and responsibilities of the new position to maintain proper discipline dl and order in the church we deem this absolutely necessary and in asserting this rule wedo we do not consider that we are infringing IN the least degree upon the individual rights of the th citizen our position Is that a man haying having accepted the honors and obligations of ecclesiastical office in the church cannot properly of his own volition make those honors subordinate to or r even co ordinate coordinate with new ones once of an entirely different character we hold that unless lie he Is willing to counsel with and obtain the consent of his fellow laborers and presiding officers in the priesthood he should be released from all obligations associated with the latter before accepting any new position second we declare that in making these requirements of bursel ourselves yes and our brethren in the ministry we do not in the least desire to dictate to them concerning their duties its as american citizens or to interfere with ith the affairs of ef the state neither do we consider that in the remotest degree we are seeking the union of church and state we once more here repudiate the insinuation that there Is or ever has been an attempt by our leading men to trespass upon the ground occupied by the th state or that there has been or to la the wish to curtail in any manner any of its functions your brethren WILFORD WOODRUFF ato Q CANNON jos F SMITH first presidency LORENZO LOREN SNOW F D RICHARDS BRIGHAM YOUNG FRANCIS M LYMAN tomm HENRY SMITH GEORGE WEBER J GRANT JOHN W TAYLOR T AYLOR W MERRILL ABRAHAM 11 II CANNON apostles JOHN SMITH patriarch SEYMOUR B YOUNG C D fjeldsted B it ROBERTS GEORGIC GEORGE rhynoldt JONATHAN G KIMBALL R RULON ULON S WELLS STEVENSON F arst arst council of seventies WM B PRESTON R T BURTON JOHN R WINDER presiding bishopric NOTE 1 I he reason t e big signature nature of apostle anton 11 lund does not appear in connection with those of his quorum quork tit to Is because he isaar is absent bent ing over the european mission he li e ho however weer will be given the opportunity of appe appending anding his signature when he cretu returns ans h home ome statement of moses thatcher salt lake city april 6 1896 at about 12 this morning two of the quorum of the twel twelve e called on me and presented a document of several pages for my consideration wishing me to sign it immediately so that they could take it a away ay with them on my re quest tor for more time to consider the matter they agreed to leave it with me until i 1 30 p in at which time I 1 returned the document with the following reply april 6 president lorenzo snow and apostle brigham young dear Brets brethren ren la havling having carefully read the document left with me for consideration I 1 herewith return it as per promise there Is much of its contents that I 1 could conscientiously endorse by sifi signing n but there are other portions wh which ch I 1 cannot endorse without stultification if I 1 was well I 1 might view this most serious matter in another light or I 1 might do so had I 1 more din time to t consider on sider it but as it is it seems that I 1 must de termine now thourl I 1 fully realize rea alze how sadly long illness has weakened me in eveaj way in the future the lord may enable me to define irly my views and acts as running along those oi ot honor inte integrity rity and truth kv now I 1 can only humbly ask that you net act according to the holy spirits dicta tion as prompted by justice and brother ly love towards your fellow laborer laberer in the cause of our savior MOSES THATCHER 11 |