THE MANIFESTO AND EVENTS OF 1890-91.
The Political Situation.--Visit to California.--The Manifesto.--Its
Effects.--Sugar Industry.--Henry M. Stanley.--Deaths of Prominent
Men.--Earthquake in Southern Utah.--Address to Irrigation
Congress.--Interpretation of Manifesto.--Remarks at Brigham City on the
Manifesto.
The year 1890 saw a continuation of the bitter struggle that had been
going on for political supremacy in Salt Lake City. On the 10th of the
month President Woodruff witnessed from an upper room in the Deseret
National Bank building the People's party in parade. It was conducted
in the evening by torch lights and bands of music in such a manner as
to make the affair one of the most brilliant ever witnessed in Salt
Lake City. He declared that it was the finest display of the character
that he had ever seen. The Liberal party made a similar display and
succeeded in carrying the election the following month.
The political success of the Liberal party at this time gave strength
to its efforts to secure more adverse legislation for Utah. The Cullom
Bill was a most drastic measure and had it passed in pursuance of the
wishes of the anti-Mormons, the Latter-day Saints would have been shorn
practically of their political and material rights. Senator Edmunds,
who had been skillful in the adroit measures which he succeeded in
carrying against the Latter-day Saints and by which they had suffered
so much, was unwilling to go the length of the measures provided for in
the Bill.
The imprisonment of Latter-day Saints under the Edmunds act of 1882
was not bringing the results politically that the anti-Mormons hoped
for. What they wanted was absolute political control of the Territory.
They had used a popular prejudice against polygamy to further their
political ends, but there was a great sentiment throughout the nation
that as long as violators of the Edmunds Law were being punished, and
the law was vigorously enforced further measures were hardly necessary.
March 1st of that year witnessed President Woodruff's {568}
eighty-third birthday. His mind was active, and he enjoyed all his
faculties to a remarkable extent. As the birthday of his wife Emma also
came on March 1st, that day became in his family life an important one
and was celebrated in a becoming manner.
However, his advanced age told on his vital powers. The excessive heat
of the summer was very debilitating to him and it frequently became
necessary throughout the subsequent years of his administration to seek
a change of climate or go into retirement where he could find relief
from the heavy responsibilities which were difficult to bear at his age
of life.
In August, in company with his counselors and Charles H. Wilcken, he
made a tour of Arizona, first going by way of the Colorado Stakes of
Zion.
On his return he visited Joseppa, a settlement in the western part of
Tooele County, which had been organized for the accommodation of the
Sandwich Islands Saints who had gathered to a considerable extent in
and about Salt Lake City. For the purpose of aiding them a large tract
of land had been selected, so that they might enjoy the opportunities
of agricultural pursuits. On that occasion Joseph F. Smith, his
counselor, acted as interpreter and offered the dedicatory prayer.
In early September President Woodruff went to California where he
attended on the 9th of the month a celebration of the pioneers of that
state. It was conducted in San Francisco where about twenty thousand
men in uniform took part in the procession. The purpose of this visit
to California was to transact some business matters relating to the
interests of the Church. During the stay of President Woodruff and
party they were treated with great courtesy by Colonel Trumbo, Judge
Estee, Mr. Livingstone, and other friends of the Mormon people.
On the 19th of the month the Southern Pacific tendered President
Woodruff and party a private car by which they were taken to Sacramento
for the purpose of visiting the state fair which was in session there
at that time. President Woodruff's devotion to agriculture and fruit
growing made the wonderful exhibit at his fair a matter of uncommon
interest to him. He had also found on the coast a generous sentiment
which he greatly appreciated, a sentiment indeed favorable considering
the conditions in Utah for the past five years.
{569} During the agitation in Washington for more drastic measures
against the Latter-day Saints, Utah's representative at the Capitol
had not unfrequently declared that polygamy was a dead issue. There
were strong political sentiments in favor of some sort of a compromise,
and President Woodruff had been importuned to recede from his former
attitude on that important principle.
On the 24th of September he met in council with his counselors and with
several of the Twelve and under existing conditions he issued with
their consent the manifesto, which reads as follows:
OFFICIAL DECLARATION.
_To Whom It May Concern_:
Press dispatches having been sent for political purposes from Salt Lake
City, which have been widely published, to the effect that the Utah
Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior,
allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized and that forty
or more such marriages have been contracted in Utah since last June or
during the past year; also that in public discourses the leaders of
the Church have taught, encouraged, and urged the continuance of the
practice of polygamy;
I, therefore, as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these
charges are false. We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage,
nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that
either forty or any other number of plural marriages have, during that
period, been solemnized in our temples or in any other place in the
Territory.
One case has been reported, in which the parties alleged that the
marriage was performed in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, in
the spring of 1889, but I have not been able to learn who performed
the ceremony. Whatever was done in this matter was done without my
knowledge. In consequence of this alleged occurrence the Endowment
House was, by my instructions, taken down without delay.
Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by congress forbidding plural
marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional {570} by the
court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those
laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which
I preside to have them do likewise.
There is nothing in my teachings to the Church or in those of my
associates, during the time specified, which can be reasonably
construed to inculcate or encourage polygamy, and when any elder of the
Church has used language which appeared to convey any such teaching, he
has been promptly reproved. And I now publicly declare that my advice
to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage
forbidden by the law of the land.
WILFORD WOODRUFF,
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In his private journal he made no particular mention of the
circumstances leading up to the Manifesto, neither did he make any
comment upon it further than to say: "I have been called upon this day
to act for the Church."
It was a solemn day to all Israel. The thought of suspending the
practice of a principle for which they had already suffered so much,
was indeed painful to thousands of the people. The responsibility,
however, the Prophet of God placed upon the nation for rejecting a
principle which had within it the power to redeem the world from the
greatest of social evils and according to Isaiah, to take away the
reproach of women who have been unjustly dealt with by ungodly men.
On the 6th of October, 1890, the Manifesto was presented to the Saints
assembled at the semi-annual conference, and unanimously adopted.
Following its presentation, President Woodruff made these remarks
respecting the action he had taken:
"I want to say to all Israel that the step which I have taken in
issuing this Manifesto has not been done without earnest prayer before
the Lord. I am about to go into the spirit world, like other men of my
age. I expect to meet the face of my Heavenly Father--the Father of my
spirit; I expect to meet the face of Joseph Smith, of Brigham Young,
of John Taylor, and of the Apostles, and for me to have taken a stand
in anything which is not pleasing in the sight of God, or before the
heavens, I would {571} rather have gone out and been shot. My life is
no better than other men's. I am not ignorant of the feelings that have
been engendered through the course I have pursued. But I have done my
duty, and the nation of which we form a part must be responsible for
that which has been done in relation to this principle.
"The Lord has required at our hands many things that we have not done,
many things that we were prevented from doing. The Lord required us to
build a temple in Jackson County. We were prevented by violence from
doing it. He required us to build a temple in Far West, which we have
not been able to do. A great many things have been required of us, and
we have not been able to do them because of those that surround us in
the world.
"It is not wisdom for us to make war upon sixty-five millions of
people. It is not wisdom for us to go forth and carry out this
principle against the laws of the nation and receive the consequences.
That is in the hands of God, and He will govern and control it.
"I want the prayers of the Latter-day Saints. I thank God that I have
seen with my eyes this day, that this people have been ready to vote
to sustain me in an action that I know, in one sense, has pained their
hearts. Brother George Q. Cannon has laid before you our position. The
Lord has given us commandments concerning many things, and we have
carried them out as far as we could; but when we cannot do it, we
are justified. The Lord does not require at our hands things that we
cannot do. Our nation is in the hands of God. He holds its destiny. He
holds the destinies of all men. I will say to the Latter-day Saints,
as an Elder in Israel and as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
are approaching some of the most tremendous judgments God ever poured
out upon the world. You watch the signs of the times, the signs of the
coming of the Son of Man. They are beginning to be made manifest both
in heaven and on earth.
"I pray God that He will bless these apostles, prophets, and
patriarchs, these seventies, high priests, and elders of Israel, and
these Latter-day Saints, who have entered into covenant with our God.
You have a great future before you. I ask my Heavenly Father to pour
out His spirit upon me, as His servant, that in my advanced age, and
during the few days I have to spend here in {572} the flesh, I may be
led by the inspiration of the Almighty. I say to Israel, the Lord will
never permit me nor any other man who stands as the President of this
Church, to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in
the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me
out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the
children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty. God
bless you. Amen."
Upon the subject of the Manifesto he also spoke at a conference in
Brigham on the 25th of October.
The effect of the Manifesto upon the more radical anti-Mormon element
was one of chagrin and disappointment. It removed their chief pretext
for continued agitation.
While the Manifesto was a concession but few ever expected to witness,
there were, nevertheless, many who had but little confidence in any
continued good effect it would have upon the bitter anti-Mormon element.
For years the sugar industry had been a subject of some investigation,
and Arthur Stayner, of Farmington, had made a number of experiments
sufficiently satisfactory to justify the venture of its manufacture in
Utah on a large scale.
In January, 1891, President Woodruff in his journal wrote: "The
President and Twelve met and were in harmony in their conversation upon
the manufacture of sugar. The President and Twelve, as the leaders of
the people, have to shoulder the responsibility of this question." Men
of wealth in the community were afraid of such an enterprise and were
especially fearful should it be started it would be crushed at the
outset by the great sugar trust.
Upon the question, however, President Woodruff was so pronounced that
he felt inspired to say that it was the will of the Lord that the
sugar industry should be established among the Saints. The matter of
raising money for this great enterprise was, of course, an important
question. Elder Heber J. Grant was sent to New York to borrow of
wealthy men money for this new enterprise. When he was asked by them
what security could be given, he replied that the factory itself and
certain bank stocks would be given to secure the loans. "No," replied
they, "we don't want that, if Wilford Woodruff, the President and
Trustee-in-Trust {573} of your Church will give his name as security
it is all we ask." He accordingly signed his name. It was about
the first debt he had ever contracted, but he did that for what he
considered the good of the people. $300,000 was obtained and the Lehi
sugar factory became a living, paying, industry. Since then among the
Saints there have been one established in Ogden, two in Cache Valley,
one in Garland, one in Oregon, one in Canada, and four in Idaho. The
establishment of the sugar factory in Canada was a venture perhaps
greater than even the one first built at Lehi. Conditions in that new
country did not appear at all favorable, even in the light of all
that had been done in Utah. Apostle John W. Taylor, however, gave to
this new Canadian industry his enthusiastic and detailed attention.
Jesse Knight, who built the factory at Raymond, was wont to say that
the enterprise was outside all his interests and the fields of his
operation. In building his factory in Canada he had acted solely upon
his impressions and against the business advice of many of his friends.
Nothing has done more in this inter-mountain region to promote the
financial well being of the people than the sugar industry. It has been
the means of distributing very generally its wealth among the people.
The Church at that time felt the severe losses which the confiscation
of its property had brought to it and it was not in a condition to
lose any money in an unsuccessful enterprise. In his journal President
Woodruff said: "We are passing through a great financial difficulty,
the Lord alone can help us out."
His birthday that year found him somewhat indisposed, but on the 9th
he was able to enjoy the pleasant interview with the great African
explorer, Henry M. Stanley. He attended Mr. Stanley's lecture and
pronounced it the most interesting one he had ever attended.
The latter part of 1890 and the first part of 1891 marked the death of
a number of President Woodruff's old-time friends. Among these were
Bishop Millen Atwood, George W. Hill, the Indian interpreter, and on
March 25th, 1891, President Daniel H. Wells. The funeral of Daniel H.
Wells was held on the 29th. President Woodruff was one of the speakers
on that occasion.
The April conference of 1891 was noted for the large number {574} of
Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency that could be in attendance.
The Manifesto had helped to bring about this new condition and to give
a greater liberty to the leading men of the Church than they had for
some years enjoyed.
On the 20th of that month Elder Woodruff recorded in his journal the
visitation of a slight earthquake to southern Utah. It was sufficiently
strong to shake the houses and overthrow some of the chimneys. The
general damage, however, was slight. The volcanic evidences in the
region of St. George indicate that that section of country in the past
had been subject to violent eruptions.
On the 23rd he also recorded a visit of the Reverend Doctor Shehadri,
an Indian from Bombay. The gentleman had been a Brahmin, but was now
a convert to Christianity. President Woodruff attended the Reverend
Gentleman's address in the Assembly Hall.
On the 8th of the following month Salt Lake enjoyed for the third time
a visit from a President of the United States.
In his journal President Woodruff said: "President Harrison visited
Salt Lake City. There was a great demonstration and a large procession
marched to the Park where speeches were made. President Cannon and
myself headed the pioneers. We were introduced to President Harrison
and shook hands with him."
A few days later he also recorded in his journal the interview with
former Governor George W. Emery. "He was governor of this territory
when President Grant visited this city. Governor Emery told me that
while riding up from the depot with President Grant and while the two
were beholding the multitude of Sunday school children who lined the
streets, President Grant said to him: 'I have been deceived with regard
to these people, the children are as nice and clean as any children I
ever saw.' 'Before he left Utah,' said Governor Emery, 'the President
said to me: 'See that the Mormon people are fairly treated.' Governor
Emery has always treated the Mormon people well."
On the 21st of May, that year, President Woodruff laid the foundation
for a new house on his farm, not far from the old homestead he had
occupied for years, and on the 5th of June {575} he was made president
of Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company.
That summer Presidents Woodruff and Cannon again visited California for
a short time. On this occasion they met Judge Estee and other prominent
men.
Matters of political interest were at that time pressing upon the
people. After the Manifesto the People's Party dissolved and the
members of that party cast their lot with the one or the other of the
great national parties.
Judge Estee and Roswell G. Horr, of Michigan, as well as other
prominent men, paid a visit to Utah and discussed before the people the
issues of the great political parties.
In September the Irrigation Congress met in Utah. On that occasion
Presidents Woodruff and Cannon addressed the Congress. Their words made
a good impression upon the delegates in attendance. President Woodruff
was a New England miller and farmer, and a pioneer in irrigation; he
was the man who, in 1847, planted the first potatoes in Salt Lake
Valley. His advanced years, his rugged honesty, and freedom from
affectation made splendid impression upon those whom he addressed on
that occasion as well as upon other strangers who were visiting the
City of the Saints. The work of a pioneer came now to be more and more
appreciated. Governor Rickards, of Montana, declared in speaking of
President Woodruff: "To the pioneer and the soldier who fought for the
flag I always take off my hat."
President Wilford Woodruff addressed the Irrigation Congress, September
16th, 1891, as follows:
"Gentlemen of the Irrigation Congress: I feel myself very thankful
that I have lived in the flesh long enough in this Territory to behold
the faces of such a congregation of gentlemen as I see here today.
It is not my purpose to occupy your time or attention in arguing, or
talking, or conversing particularly upon the subjects, or at least
those principles for which you have assembled; but what I will say will
be a few words concerning our arrival here, and upon the experience
in irrigation. Fifty-one years ago, the 24th of last July, I entered
this Valley with one hundred and forty-three emigrants, or in other
words, pioneers. We were led by President Young. This country, upon
our arrival, was called the Great American Desert, and certainly,
as far {576} as we could see, it did not discredit its name in the
least. There was no mark of the Anglo-Saxon race, no mark of the white
man--everything was barren, dry, and desolate.
"We pitched our camp a little distance to the southeast from here
about 11 o'clock in the day. We had a desire to try the soil, to know
what it would produce. Of course all this company--nearly the whole of
us--were born and raised in the New England States, Vermont, Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut--had no experience in irrigation. We pitched
our camp, put some teams on to our ploughs (we brought our ploughs with
us), and undertook to plough the earth, but we found neither wood nor
iron was strong enough to make furrows here in this soil. It was like
stone. We had to turn water on it. When we came to put our teams upon
the ground again they sank down to their bellies in mud. We had to wait
until the land dried enough to hold up our teams. We put in our crops
and we stayed here one month. During that time President Young laid out
this city, as you see it today, in the midst of sagebrush, with not a
house within a hundred miles of us. We built a fort around ten acres,
three sides of adobe, walls eighteen feet high, and one side with
logs out of the canyon. We then returned to the Missouri and some two
thousand men came later. President Cannon here was one of the company
that came in after us.
"Now what I wish to say is this: You gentlemen come here today; you
see the city, you go through the country. Here are a thousand miles,
I might say, through these mountains, filled with cities, towns,
villages, gardens, and orchards, and the produce of the earth that
sustains the people. Without this water, this irrigation for which
you have met here today, this country would be as barren as it was
in 1847, as we found it. Irrigation is what you have met to discuss.
Whatever you decide upon in this matter, and unite upon, will, I am
sure, prove a great blessing, not only to Utah, but to every state and
Territory where these arid lands are found. We have had to learn by
experience, and all that we have obtained in these mountains has been
by irrigation. There are portions yet which have not been irrigated,
and as one gentleman said here, if you can make two drops of water
where there was one, or two spears of grass where there was one,
you are a {577} benefactor to mankind. I say, God bless you in your
deliberations." (Applause.)
On the 19th of October, 1891, President Woodruff was cited before the
Master and Chancery to testify to the scope of the Manifesto in the
Escheat cases. The question there involved was the subject of unlawful
cohabitation. He had issued the Manifesto and was therefore best
qualified to interpret the meaning which it had to his mind, or which
was conveyed by his language.
In November he recorded a visit to Utah of Mr. Norton, a member of
the British Parliament. He speaks of Mr. Norton's interview with him
as a pleasant conversation. On the last day of that month he moved
the Church office from the Gardo House to the old President's Office,
across the road north. This was done to save the rent which the Church
was obliged to pay the government for the use of its own property.
During that year he said he traveled 3,570 miles, attended 22
conferences, signed 3,875 recommends, wrote 303 letters, and received
2,045.
{578}