Salt Lake City, Utah.
November 8th, 1919.
To the Commercial Club of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Gentlemen:—Our attention having been called to certain statements now being widely circulated through American newspapers as coming from Winifred Graham, an English novelist, charging that the commonly called “Mormon Church” is still practising polygamy and is bringing hundreds of young women and girls into the state of Utah, either to become polygamous wives or to be consigned to white slavery or to industrial slavery on farms said to be owned by the Mormon Church, we the undersigned ministers, having churches in Salt Lake City, have this to say:
That having been pastors here for years and being fully conversant with existing conditions we hereby state that while the Mormon Church is strongly a Missionary Church and engaged in proselytism among Christians in Europe, the United States and other countries, yet simple honesty compels us to give denial to such published statements as we are convinced are untrue.
Polygamy is under the ban of the law in Utah, and we believe that institution is dying here.
As to the statement that the Mormon Church is bringing young women and girls into Utah with the deliberate intent to put them into polygamy or into white or industrial slavery, we believe this charge to be without foundation.
The Evangelical churches of Utah are as strongly opposed as ever to polygamy, but are convinced that it is here a passing practice.
Peter A. Simpkin, Phillips Congregational Church.
J. Sherman Wallace, Immanuel Baptist Church.
Chester A. Snyder, Pastor, Central Christian Church (Disciples).
James H. Williams, First Methodist Episcopal Church.
Wm. W. Fleetwood, St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Geo. E. Davies, First Presbyterian Church.