New Masonic activity in Utah created a furor and presented a conflict between two unyielding Masonic groups over a basic principle. When fourteen Masons, led by James M. Ellis, met in Salt Lake City on 11 November 1865 they petitioned the Grand Lodge of Nevada for a dispensation (temporary authorization). Grand Master DeBell responded 25 January 1866, with the stipulation that "No Mormon be accepted for the Degrees," later adding, "or to be admitted as a visitor." These rigid provisions were due in part to the history of animosity against Mormons in other states, but were based largely on the experience of Nevadans with Mormons, especially at Genoa, formerly Mormon Station.
[Utah History Encyclopedia: Freemasonry in Utah, http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/]
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