| Show THE FACTS GIVEN through a somewhat lengthy public career I 1 have made it a point never to notice or reply to articles or commini eions in which I 1 have been especially those of on an anonymous character an article has appeared in two of our oar city papers clipped from the new york times in which in seven long mortal columns I 1 am savagely attacked attached and my life and conduct my business relations and my family affairs are discussed with a malignity that bat exhibits some deep seated purpose on the part ol of we he writer to do me a personal injury andia possible destroy my credit if all that in ia said would only have effect upon me personally I 1 would not condescend to trouble the public with any explanation or defense experience has abundantly taught me that while it is in true that a lie will RO go a league while truth to la putting oo on its boots it only requires time for an hon est eat man whose condom la Is straightforward and upright to outlive any ally falsehood I 1 would not even now say may one word myself concerning all that has been written in this anonymous communication did not dear friends whose opinion I 1 respect urge we me to do so no they thinking that I 1 not only owed it to myself but that I 1 owed it t the people and to the enterprises with which I 1 am connected that something should be said bald this is my rea reao nand my only reason lor for trespassing tres passing upon public attention at this time among my own people I 1 trust I 1 am too well known to be required to make any explanation or defense of my conduct the people with whom I 1 have been associated all my life have had ample experience in seeing the best beat motive misconstrued the purest lives defamed and the fairest reputations sought to be besmirched and defiled by venomous slander I 1 shall confine my explanation to as brief a space as an possible the charges are so SID general and many of 0 them so loose that it is difficult without occupying more space than be usei to properly notice them the first definite charge that Is in made is that I 1 am a man of very large family and that there are scarcely oly offices of emolument enough in the gift of the people to supply my progeny with positions and it is hinted that JL 1 take care of that family even though it be at the public expense JIP I 1 can truthfully say that not one of my children has baa ever occupied a pub lie office through my influence lt it Is said aid that one ot of my none to Is an apostle thin thib to IB true but those who had bad a voice in the first place in appointing apostles Apost lei to present to the general conference of the church fir ajr their vote oan can each and all testily that george Q cannon used no influence in any term form direct or indirect in public or in private to favor his hia selection fur that exalted station and today there is ia not one of my sons that to ia in the public employ neither has any of them ever occupied public office excepting one who was at one time a member ol of the legislature and subsequently a city counselor in this city anu another who was once a clerk of the legislature and also aleo a city councilor in the city where be lived jived but neither of them received any assistance from me in any form they were ivere nominated for offices because it was thought they poss possessed eased sed the necessary necea aary qualifications for trie position po and so ao tar as aa I 1 know they filled them to the lion of those who elected them upon the question of using influence of office elthier political or ecclesiastical oa lor jor the advancement of family I 1 interests D tere sto or the promotion of relatives i I 1 have always been peculiarly sensitive and in view of the attack of this writer upon we me and my methods it gives me great pleasure to make public what my conduct conduce in this thie respect has been I 1 was delegate to congress from this territory for a number of years As such I 1 had bad the right to nominate candidates for cadetship at west point and annapolis when my son jonn Q cannon reached the proper age he be was desirous that I 1 should nominate DOMI Date him as a cadet to the military academy he was physically qualified and no doubt existed respecting his mental fitness for the appointment he be having received a certificate to that effect from the president of the university of deseret but I 1 declined to to bis bin request and that of others who befriended tria ded his hie candidacy resolved that Is ii should not be said of me that I 1 had used my official power to advance the ambition or my own kin As AB further evidence of this thie not one of my children has baa over ever been employed in our large mercantile establishment aiom ziona ls operative cooperative co mercantile I 1 tiou tion though I 1 have been longer connected with that institution than any of the present members of the board of directors having been one of it if first incorporators I 1 wan waa one of the Incorporator a of the utah central railroad not one of my children ever occupied a position in connection with that railroad I 1 WM was one of the first organizers of zion zions s savings bank and company not one ot of my children has baa ever been connected with that baux baor I 1 have been a large owner in the bullion beck and champion mining company for nearly thirteen beare not one of my offspring has baa had bad any position nor any employment from that company I 1 took look an active part in the organization of at the utah sugar company declined the position of president anu ana was elected vice president of that con coor pony pany not dot one of my family has ever had bad an hours employment from that institution I 1 coin can my aay the same ame with equal truth treib about the baftir beach and the bait lake los lioa angeles railroad I 1 have been one of the twelve A apostles aorl since ei nee 1860 and a counselor in the first presidency since 1880 not one or of my children nor any relative has hag been employed by the church through my influence or because of his bis connection with me and ancl with the exceptions above named not one of my children hag ever occupied a civil or politics office with the exception of my son frank J to whom I 1 shall allude hereafter so much for the charge made against agai nat me that I 1 have used my influence and power to forward the interests of or to furnish office for ur any of my children I 1 might reply in much detail as to the manner in which this anonymous writer says I 1 became the owner of stock in the bullion beck Champ champion toa mining company mr john beck without my solicitation or knowledge 1 has amply refuted in both the awne and the herald of this city the allegation made by my assailant asea llant the method by which I 1 had be crae possessed of f stock to john becks in III jury to we statement I 1 may make this chis addition griat president john Tay lorand myself bargained barnai oed with mr beck for one third each in that thai cronl pr 0 p erty arty we paid him accor according dinic to agreement each of us beco possessed of one third I 1 internal after the pur casse we pal baited tact with one of our interest t to other parties since then 1 I have never dover sold ft a share of the stock in that property and it is a sufficient t refutation of this the slanderous charges of this thin correspondent spon dent it seems to mes me for me to 0 o state and the books of the company will fully bear we me out that though j I 1 have never sold bold one snare share of stock in that property yet today I 1 scarcely own through causes which it if they were of tay any public interest I 1 might relate my share b has decreased decreane tl trum from but a little leu than one third without the sale of a single share on my part to about one sixth of the property this does not look as an though I 1 had taken advantage of any person I 1 am next charged with being to owner of real estate and though there ther is ie nothing definitely stated it to lg hinted that by some ome surreptitious means mean J I 1 have become teed of real detate which belonged to the church this la Is so 10 utterly false that I 1 should be glad at ady aay time for any committee of members bembera to examine into every real estate transaction that j I 1 have ever had and thus thua satisfy them melvee as to lo the atrocious OUR onara facter oter of this falsehood I 1 do not own a piece of property today in my own right that ever belonged to the church of jesus chhiet of latter day sainta or to its ita trustee there are two pieces of pro property properly that were bought by george t Q cannon sons bona company one where the office of the juvenile instructor now stands and the other a little south of zion ziona a savings bank which came through the trustee 1 in n trust for these theae full value was paid at the same me price at which other pieces of the same lot log were bought this to la we toe only transaction trane in church real estate that I 1 can possibly be connected with aa MI I 1 aa ay Y I 1 myself W waa not the in this instance it having been done by abe company an aa to the real estate which I 1 own in salt bait lake city and county those who are curious to know how bow I 1 became of it can easily learn earn all the particulars from the county records dB every piece was bought and paid for by myself and was wag not obtained chri ahr ugh any church influence or through my ecclesiastical position the next charge la is that I 1 am a banker and that I 1 became such through using improper lo influence fluence and taking advantage of peo peopled pleys conal deuce denoe my connection with zion ziona a savings bank trust company Is the same game as ae that of all the other stockholders and ancl of offic floors erB I 1 cannot be attacked attack ea without other men of 9 ile COMM U city MOD meo WO tco who are held bold in the highest esteem being attacked also alao because I 1 have had no connection with that institution different from the others who are interested in it t it is true I 1 was one of at the original incorporator and that thai for seventeen or eighteen years yeara after it was ae established neither myself nor any other stockholder derived a dollars profit from it if several became discouraged and disposed of their there here was waa a future for ane bank anu retained mine and to retain regain weirs this la Is the height of my myo offense in connection with the abe banking bus business icess the stock that jl I own I 1 paid for slid and no do numan human being CAB an truthfully say aay thus thac I 1 per son on ally fly or that myself ya and associates ver ever took the least advantage of the people or in any manner made profit out ol of their confidence the next charge to Is that I 1 am a mer chant because I 1 am connected with MOD cooperative co mercantile enatt aution if connection with that institution makes we me a merchant then I 1 suppose merchant when the idea of ism I 1 am moderating together for mercantile 00 o was waa flint broached broach eJ I 1 took purposes hold of it ear earnestly and used all ahe he influence J I 1 bad both in writing and od in public addresses to met et forth the advantages to the people of such a method of doing business bus lne it la Is a mst mat bor of gres t sati braction to me that I 1 have been connected with zions co operative ODera tive mercantile from its ita inception to th the a present time for years I 1 acted as aa one of the many board of directors without receiving 6 cent ent of compensation in fact act it 11 only within the past six alx lx or seven years that bat I 1 have received any remuneration for services and in that time have hav only received the same amount as th the other directors the next charge against me is that I 1 in an editor and though this abony inong writer gives given we rue credit for ability he complains that I 1 have an excess of caution which destroys my gilt for writing and speaking and that when people turn to me for light I 1 deliberately refuse use to emit it ir T abla g in to is unfortunate for we me at least it may not be so great a loss joss to the public the next accusation to is that I 1 am a and this to is set down as a that bat to is very wron at least I 1 judge so 10 by its if being made one of the counts in the Ind indictment against me I 1 am a publisher publia her I 1 started the juvenile instructor nearly thirty years ago my chief motive in doing so BO was wag the deep interest I 1 felt in the education ol 01 the young I 1 saw them growing up without suitable literature I 1 aspired to furnish the children ob ildren with a periodical this that would tho be or of benefit to them for years yeara I 1 spent means on this little magazine in order to got get it started of course I 1 did my own printing but it occurred to me as an my children were likely scon to be at an age when they would require emPlOy employment MeLt that I 1 might provide them with the means of making a living through au an establishment of this thin character I 1 have always had bad a dislike to having my children dependent upon my influence for pos positions in which to earn their broad bread I 1 have seen the painful consequences which have followed the death of men whose influence had furnished their sons one employment and I 1 have desired that my children should learn to be self usta sustaining ining for this reason I 1 have endeavored to make the publishing house bouse ol of george Q cannon sons company an institution which would furnish employment for those of my children who might have a taste tor for such work Is there jany anything thing improper in this the next charge against me is that one of my sons la Is the editor ot of the EVENING NEWS and another has haa busi bUB ILOSe Lees control of varied publications ing the NEWS when these young men proposed to lease the NEWS property properly no one connected with thai paper imagined they were obtaining a good thing on the contrary it was feared that they hey would lose lone heavily or be compelled to throw up their lease this was my own fear for my experience in this line of business was to make it clear to me that there was ro co money in the undertaking with the she conditions which then prevailed yet it I 1 tediously avoided having anything to do with the leasing of the property to them throughout the he entire transaction as president of the he deseret deveret news company I 1 left everything to a committee explaining to 0 o the board of directors my lessons tor for doing so that hat 1 it might not be said it was at my suggestion or through my influence that these young men obtained this lease all who are jamil rilliar with newspaper publishing in this town mut must know how bow puerile is the ahe charge of family aggrandizement in this for if any one has baa made money out of newspaper publishing in salt bait lake city the i act has not yet come to my knowledge allusion to is made to my brothers holding church positions and to dis die toi toil t this fact to make it appear that through my influence this his was done aone is as an ba baseless selean as the other charges on arges at the time my brother angus was appointed president of the salt bait lake daake I 1 was in washington Washing tom I 1 know knew nothing of the appointment until it bad been made J 1 had never heard his name dame mentioned in connection with it and his bis appointment was quite as unexpected to we me as an it could nave been to anyone else eke I 1 can say may the same me respecting the potion position that ray my brother david holds bolde he was waa not placed there at my instance it was done in the first place by president brigham young and altogether with out my prior knowledge I 1 am accused of being a prime factor to in establishing the sugar factory and it la Is intimated thail abit I 1 derive in some way not described describe a great advantages irom from it in order to obtain an |
