THE "MORMON" SITUATION.
THE Chicago Times of Nov. 6th
contains a long letter from Salt Lake
City in which the "Mormon" situa-
tion is carefully and fairly discussed.
It embodies the substance of an in-
terview with President Woodruff
and is of sufficient interest to our
readers to reproduce. Following is
the full text, with the exception of
such quotations as need not be
copied as the discourses from which
they are taken have appeared entire
in the columns of the DESERET
NEWS. The Times letter is as fol-
lows:
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov.
5.—We have had a month of no
polygamy. That is to say, a month
has passed since the president of the
"Mormon" church proclaimed
against the practice which had been
indulged for half a century, and
since the masses of the church in
general conference assembled unan-
imously indorsed and approved the
decree, thereby making it binding
upon all members. Your corres-
pondent was here before the inhibi-
tion and has been here all the time
since, and he can observe no real
difference between the conduct of
the people now and what it was
previous to the forbidding revela-
tion, proclamation, or whatever else
it may be called.
As a matter of fact there has been
no polygamy here for two or three
years past, or if there has been any
the parties have been so careful and
so successful in their efforts to keep
the knowledge of their guilt from
the public that nobody has been
able to discover the truth. I mean
by this not that there have been no
polygamists here and not that they
have discontinued association with
their plural wives, for this would be
untrue, as the records of the court
will demonstrate and the pleas of
guilty establish, but there have been
no polygamous marriages within
the period named so far as vigilant,
eager and active marshals and ac-
tive prosecutors have been able to
discover. And secrets of this kind
are more difficult to hide in this
community than elsewhere, for out-
side of two or three cities the people
live in small towns and villages or
on farms and everybody knows
everybody and everybody's affairs.
There has been just one arrest for
polygamy in three years. In that
case the woman went upon the
stand and swore that she was
married in the endowment
house in this city but by whom
the ceremony was performed she
did not know. The affair created a
sensation in both Gentile and Mor
mon circles, for all had understood
that the endowment house had been
closed for years and that no mar-
riages or other ceremonies were per-
formed there. President Woodruff
and other Church officials who
would ordinarily, and as the public
thought necessarily, have known of
such an event emphatically denied
all knowledge of the marriage and
expressed greater astonishment
than others. It was evident that if
any such marriage had been cele-
brated the people who were gener-
ally supposed to be cognizant of
such events, and whose permission
was believed to be essential to them,
were ignorant of the facts and were
annoyed by the circumstance. They
did not propose that another illegal
union should be celebrated without
their knowledge, for they at once
caused the endowment house to be
demolished, and the old adobe
structure which has stood on the
corner of the temple square
for a third of a century,
the object of so much awe to
the Saints and so much mystery
to the sinners, was razed without
ceremony or regret. As remarked,
that was the only polygamous mar-
riage which became public during
three years or longer, and it war-
rants the statement that polygamy
was practically discontinued long
ago. Hence the late decree was
simply an official and popular con-
fession and approval of what had
already been done so far as the ac-
tual fact was concerned.
Today things are moving along as
of old. I can observe no change in
the conduct or sentiments of the
people, except that in conversing
with individual Mormons they ex-
press a sense of relief. For years
they have lived under a strain, and
this applies to both polygamists and
monogamists, the latter suffering
more or less with the former. All
now feel that the pressure has been
lifted, that the strain has been
broken, the Mormons as a commun-
ity and as individuals standing
squarely before their fellows and be-
fore the law, with nothing to hide and
without a secret incentive to band
together in resistance to the whole
of mankind. This sense of relief is
manifest in the individual members
and has shown itself in the commu-
nity, and it is noted with pleasure
by the conservative resident Gen-
tiles who have, for commerical and
other reasons, long been wishing for
the coming of greater harmony,
when the people could live and feel
like communities elsewhere; when
the Gentile would not feel that he
could prove his loyalty only by de-
spising and opposing the Mormons,
and the Mormon would not consider
it necessary to esteem all who were
not his brethren as enemies to him
and to his church. The anti-polyg-
amy decree has furnished the non-
fanatic Gentiles with a reasonable
excuse for softening in their senti-
ments toward the Saints, and for
extending to the latter a hand sug-
gestive of social and political friend-
ship, and the Mormons are mani-
festing a disposition to meet these
advances half-way. It is predicted
that in a little while the Utah
community will not be so radically
unlike all other Americas commun-
ities as it has been, and that while
Mormons will cling to their religion,
will be pious and prayerful, and
will live as they have lived, with
the exception of their polygamous
practices, they will not be treated
as outcasts by other people.
A day or two ago I called upon
President Woodruff with the view
to an interview on the subject which
is uppermost in the minds of all
here and is exciting so much com-
ment in the press of the country.
The old gentleman received me cor-
dially, and after presenting me to
the dignitaries by whom he was
surrounded in his cozy office at the
Gardo House, the official residence
of the President of the Church, in-
quired what he could do for me.
President Woodruff is one of the
most agreeable of men. He is in his
eighty-fourth year, but the iron
constitution which his parents
gave him in Connecticut and the
out door life which he has
led, have stood him in such
good hand that he is truly as
active as the average man of
60, nor is he older than this in ap
pearance. There is no good reason
why he should not round out a hun-
dred years, unless it be that cooping
him up in an office, where he can-
not get the sweet, pure air and
where he must work with his brain
instead of his body, will cut his
days short. Until late years, when
he was called to the church councils,
and later, when he assumed the
presidency of the organization, he
was a farmer, and not a fancy,
theoretical, scientific one either.
He dug his living from the soil, and
men tell me that they have seen
him wrestling with the plow day
after day, swinging the cradle be-
fore the day of reapers and binders,
and running his scythe through his
splendid meadow just south of this
city. They also tell me that in those
days he was no more particular and
extravagant in the matters of per-
sonal appearance and dress than are
the Connecticut farmers of this
age, who are economists from
necessity. But President Wood-
ruff is now well-to-do, if not
rich. His city lots and farming
land which he used to till and culti-
vate with varying success have in-
creased wonderfully in value with-
in the last few years, making him
independent of physical work. It
is also assumed that he receives a
fair salary as president of the
church, although the church is not
in a condition to be generous with
its officials since the government
confiscated all its productive prop-
erty to the extent of $2,000,000 or
$3,000,000, actual value. Today
President Woodruff dresses in
black, and a tailor instead of his
wife fashions his clothes. He is
neatly barbered, has red cheeks
(showing that the iron continues in
his blood), and he gives one the im-
pression of a farmer, who realized
that he had enough of this world's
goods and should take life easy but
didn't know exactly how to do it.
I imagine that he would enjoy guid-
ing a plow through one of his fields,
and that the odor from the rich,
sweet soil would be most agreeable
and appetizing.
When I stated my business and
informed the venerable President
that the Times would be glad to
give his views on what had recently
taken place, he asked: "What do
they want me to say?"
"Anything that you want to say,
President Woodruff. The Times has
always been fair in its treatment of
the Mormons. It has ever mani-
fested an intelligent interest in the
problem which presented itself here,
has discussed what has been done
understandingly, and, now that a
new phase has been put upon the
"Mormon question," the Times
wants to let its readers know all
about it, and it comes direct to head-
quarters for its information."
I went on to assure him that any-
thing he might desire to say would
be published just as he said it, and
that at least one great newspaper in
the United States had the courage
to print the exact words of the Mor-
mon President.
The old genltleman was not ignor-
ant of The Times` fairness in the
past, nor was he unappreciative of
it. But President Woodruff didn't
want to be interviewed on the sub-
ject of the recent manifesto, insist-
ing that there was nothing to be
said. The thing had been done,
the decree had gone forth, the peo-
ple had accepted and approved, and
that ended the matter. There was
nothing to discuss, no probabilities
to take into account, no possibilities
to be considered.
I suggested that some public
men and not a few newspapers
doubted the sincerity of the mani-
festo.
"I know it," said he, "but can
not help it. The world has always
distrusted us, but has always found
us true. It has said we were not
honest, though it has never been
able to point to a dishonest act on
our part. It has denied our sincer-
ity and has never intimated
an instance of insincerity. If
editors and statesmen will
not believe the manifesto,
which was adopted by the body of
the Church in solemn conference,
they will not believe what I or any
individual here may say. I pre-
sume that in this matter, as in other
things, we will have to trust to time
for our vindication. We know that
we are honest and sincere in this,
as we have been in everything we
have done, and while we are sorry
that others do not trust us, in time
they all acknowledge that we were
never deceiving."
Your correspondent did not doubt
the venerable president's sincerity,
nor does he doubt that polygamous
marriages have come to an end.
The decree will be obeyed. Indeed,
it cannot be disobeyed, as I under-
stand it, except the authority be
given or the manifesto be nullified
by the Presidency of the Church, and
there is no likelihood of this be
ing done. I questioned the Presi-
dent as to what had brought about
this action, and he replied that he
could not make the matter clearer
than had been done in the great
Tabernacle when the Conference
had voted on the manifesto which
had been previously issued by him,
and he handed me printed verbatim
reports of what he and George Q.
Cannon, who is second in authority,
said on that occasion. At the risk
of being prolix I will quote from
these sermons or statements, which
are both authoritative and explana-
tory.
Here are annexed copious ex-
tracts from the discourses of Presi-
dent George Q. Cannon and Pres-
ident Wilford Woodruff at the
General Conference. The letter
concluded in this way:
"And now, President Woodruff,"
I asked, "what will be the policy of
the Church, or what will be your
advice as to the men who are al-
ready in polygamy?"
The venerable patriarch said that
he didn't know that the Church
would have any policy in this mat-
ter or that he, would assume to give
any advice. That matter was indi
vidual and he presumed that each
person would decide for himself as
to what he would do. The presi-
dent went on to say that he thought
it would be humane and just if
Congress were to make a law by
which husbands and fathers could
care for their plural wives and
properly look after and train
their children without running
the risk of being sent to the
penitentiary on the charge of un-
lawful cohabitation. However, this
was a matter for others to consider
and not for him, and he didn't care
to talk about it. His manifesto
went only to the matter of future
polygamous marriages; it stopped
these, but did not say that a man
already in that relation should turn
adrift and abandon his extra fami-
lies, nor did it command him to
live with those families in defiance
of law until the penitentiary sepa-
rated them.
My own opinion is that in the
cases of all but a few of the polyg-
amists who have not yet been
caught and convicted, the parties
when arraigned will signify their
willingness to discontinue the un-
lawful relations and to abide by the
statutes. Not many will abandon
their plural wives in the sense of
casting them [out] [hole in page] to do for them-
selves. They will continue to care
for the women, but will not live
with them. Polygamy is a thing of
the past. It is dead, and I cannot
believe that any attempt will ever
be made to revive it. Of course there
will be polygamists, in a techni-
cal sense, until this generation
has passed away, for while men
and their plural wives may not live
together they will continue to the
end of their days polygamous hus-
bands and wives in name, but the
country need not fear other polyg-
amous marriages among the Mor-
mons than those already existing
and which will gradually decrease
in number. My knowledge of the
Mormon people leads me to this con-
clusion, and the conversation with
President Woodruff here detailed
confirms me in the opinion.
