Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1891 — SASS FROM THE SAINTS. [ARTICLE]

SASS FROM THE SAINTS.

Statements in the Federal Commission’s Report Denied by Mormon Leaders. Polygamous Marriages Not Sanctioned and No Dictation In Politics—Demand for Statehood to Be Presented to Congress. A Salt Lake, U. T., dispatch of the 6th says; At to-day 's session of the Mormon Conference a lengthy set of resolutions was adopted relative to the statement made by a majority of the Utah Commission in a recent report to the Secretary of the Interior. The resolutions set forth that the commission made many untruthful statements concerning the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, and the attitude of its members in relation to political affairs, etc. The General Conference, in these resolutions, deny most emphatically the assertion of the commissi m that the church dominates its members in political matters, and that the church and state are united, whatever appearance there way have been in the past of the union of church and state. “The truth is,” say the resolutions, “that those holding.. ecclesiastical authority were elected to civil office by the popular vote. There is now no foundation or excuse for thestatement that the church and state are united in Utah, or that the leaders of the church dictate to members in political matters. No coercing or any other influence whatever of an ecclesiastical nature has been exercised on us by our church leaders in reference to which political party we shall join, and we have been and are perfectly free to unite with any or no political party, as we may individually elect. The People's party has been entirely and finally dissolved, and our fealty henceforth will be to such national political party as seems to us best suited to the prosperity of a republican government.

The resolutions further declare that the membersof tho conference do not believe there has been any polygamous marriages solemnizedamong tho Latter Day Saints during the period named by the commission, and denounce the statements which convey the idea that such marriages have been contracted as false and misleading They protest against perversions of fact, principle and intent contained in the report of the commission, and declare that tho manifesto of President Woodruff forbidding future plural marriages was adopted at the last October conference in all sincerity and good faith, and that they have every reason to believe it has been carried out in letter and In spirit. Ths conference appeals to the press and people to accept its united declaration and protests; to give it publicity and aid in, distributing the truth, that falsehood may be refuted and justice done to people continually maligned and almost universally misunderstood.

Following this a declaration, signed by President Woodruff, George Q. Cannon and Joseph Smith, was adopted, saying the commission’s report of polygamous marriages was utterly without foundation In truth, and repeating, in tho most solemn manner, the declaration by President Woodruff at tho last general conference that there had Loen no plural marriages during tho period named;that poly pamy had not been taught and that it S practice had been strictly forbidden. After’ the usual election of officers, the present incumbents being retained, the conference adjourned.

Tho Salt Lake Tribune (gentile) says the conference to-day resolved itself into somewhat of a political meeting. The most prominent men in the councils of th® church delivered addresses. The commission's report, says the Tribune, has stirred Mormondom to its depths, and the loaders In an endeavor to counteract tho influence of the report, will move on Congress when their long-cherished object of making Utah a State is presented. Tho Tribun e asserts that tho language of the speakers was such as to leave no doubt that tho division of party lines was made under the direction of the church and that its ultimate object was to achieve statehood.