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Show MAGAZINE ATTACKS I ANSWERED FY CHURCH It seems to have been the sole mission of some newspapers to knock a certain class of Utah people and they can compliment com-pliment themselves on their success to a certain degree. The progression of the state is much slower than it would otherwise have been, but we will outlive out-live it. This is no time for any two factions to form and lessen our strength. The following is an article answering the charges made ag; inst the Mormon church, signed bv President Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund and John Henry Smith: It was in the adoption of this report that decision was' made to answer the attacks against the church. In the report the members of the first presidency declar - I that they were not in favor of engaging in any controversy, but that there were some untruths being be-ing circulated which they believed should be answered. They denied that there have been any plural marriages sanctioned sanc-tioned by the church since the manifesto and declared that vhere such unions had ' been discovered the violators had been put out of the church. Denial wa' made of any attempt by the church officials to dominate political conditions in the state, and a challenge was issued to anyone to produce any ' pledge made by the chiuch to accept the instructions of the presidency in regard to voting. Everv citizen, it was declared, de-clared, has the right to vote as he or sne wishes. In conclusion, the reportdeclared that tithings are not received by the presidency, contrary to statements pub- lished in some magazines. The tithings j are received at the various tithing houses and every penny is accounted for. The f anti-Mormon articles have one good feature, it was sail -that they create additional interest in the s icalle I Mor- : mon question, and that after people j have investigated they fin I that tne j articles areu itrue an I tnatthe Mormons are a Go l-fearing, gentle people, trying try-ing to oo what is right. |