| Show THE RIGHT KIGHT OF FREE SPEECH no utterance during the recent general conference of the church was re by the saints with greater pleasure and gratitude than the declaration of president woodruff that the mouths of the first presidency should not henceforth be kept closed because of the opinions of the children of men the vast assembly received this promise with joy and their hearts were made glad by the knowledge that the whims and objections of carping outsiders should no longer be effective in preventing the chosen and anointed leaders of the church from expressing to the people the feelings that their duty and the spirit prompted an extreme desire to avoid the appearance of anything that even the most technical and suspicious critic could find fault with has caused these men in the past to abstain in great measure from the discussion of subjects which are of the liveliest importance to the welfare of the whole community the american right of free speech they have never relinquished neither have they yielded up the right either as citizens esteemed because of their experience and service in that capacity or as ecclesiastical leaders beloved because of their integrity and love of righteousness to advise and counsel and set before their follow follo an example in any matter that see to them proper they axe are not d do cowards who must not breathe a lest some partisan or sensation sen sensationalist satio I 1 take exceptions or take fright theas are not fettered in thought or r u utters er 4 ance because a certain element chooses to exaggerate distort and liet get 3 alarmed over their intentions th theopi may not always have exercised tt thesel rights as fully as they thought meceo eft sary or as fully as the people have been glad to have them do but if there has been such erring it haa been on the side of prudence and the worthiest of motives without however abandoning in the least de S gree the inalienable privileges and the ss undisputed rights inherent in amert can citizenship there will be wi no 0 prudence there will be no less ness of motive hereafter than here hereld td fore and the presidents announce ment pleasing as it is to the saint bat cannot reasonably give offie to any one else he and men to whom he referred are deficient in any of the graces citizenship or the qualities of patr ism they have not lived in utah U i these years he and others half a cc tury still others all their lives live wk out having an interest in its bettt we and a love for it equal to that of t most enthusiastic resident of a n recent date these men or tl whom they have succeeded made country Is it to be presumed 1 their affection for it is second to 1 of any one who came in after country was made and who fr freit ly acts as though he had the ex exalt right to grumble and criticise criticism critic ise have also lived through the v va vicissitudes and trials that the a 8 quent years brought forth Is it mon sense to say that they pr prel recurrence of the dissensions the 31 cords the bitterness of the past to ta peace the union the charity thau that more recently smiled upon our S st whoever answers these qu quest other than in the negative betrays own lack of sincerity he is be pitted pitied for imbecility than b bufi for bigotry among all th therel whose hearts hearts and minds are trub who honor past service ripened peri ence sincere patriotism and are willing to accord to others rights they claim for themselves i they mormon gentile jew or pa president woodruffs promise will heard with gratitude and its tl ment awaited with confident J joy 07 |
