115 years ago today - 115 years ago - Thursday, Mar 31, 1904

[Rudger Clawson]
The brethren indulged in a little informal discussion of the present situation as to the investigation under way by the senate committee [Smoot hearings] and agreed that it is pretty serious—especially in view of the fact that some of the brethren are wanted as witnesses and cannot be found. While it was conceded that the church is under no obligation to furnish evidence for the committee, the fact remains, if the witnesses are not produced, the verdict of guilty will be pronounced by our enemies. ...

Elder Hyrum M. Smith and Elder Clawson attended the meetings referred to by Elder Geo. A. Smith. Elder Clawson here remarked that he thought one lesson had been learned from the method of procedure followed in the organizing [of] the new stakes, viz.: that it is unsafe to call for nominations, or rather for names, from the body of the priesthood for the reason that while you are pretty certain to get the best names, you will also get the names of brethren who are unsuitable for any office in the church; and further it becomes a humiliation to the brethren whose names are not considered, or rather accepted, after having been named in a public meeting; and furthermore this method of procedure somewhat detracts from the idea of inspiration as the guiding principle. ...

[Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

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