Illinois offers 'regrets,' not 'apology,' to LDS

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 2, 2004 | by Lisa Riley Roche Deseret Morning News

An apology from Illinois lawmakers to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the violence that drove them from Nauvoo nearly 160 years ago is now simply a statement of regret.

The Illinois House on Thursday approved a new version of a resolution passed last week -- without the final paragraph of the original that had sought "the pardon and forgiveness" of Mormons for the events that led to the death of church founder Joseph Smith and the expulsion of his followers.

The action by lawmakers came the same day that the apology made headlines in Utah.

The Associated Press reported that the chief sponsor of the resolution, Illinois Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, said he had intended to remove that language before the original vote on March 24.

Franks was quoted by the wire service as saying the apology was "a little bit over the top. . . . I think it's not my position to ask pardon and forgiveness for the entire state. I don't want to offend anyone."

No mention was made of the change before the new version was approved by voice vote with no debate, the AP reported, describing Franks as telling his colleagues that it was needed to correct some spellings and dates in the original.

The resolution was drafted after a Chicago alderman, Ed Burke, heard the Nauvoo story from Gov. Olene Walker's husband, Myron, during a visit to Deer Valley last year. Burke enlisted help from his brother, Dan, a member of the Illinois House from Chicago.

The result was a lengthy resolution that detailed the history of Mormons in Nauvoo and expressed regret for "the expulsion of the community of Latter-day Saints, a people of faith and hard work" in addition to seeking "pardon and forgiveness."

It also acknowledged that "biases and prejudices of a less enlightened age in the history of the State of Illinois caused . . . hardship and trauma" for LDS Church members "by the distrust, violence and inhospitable actions of a dark time in our past. . . . "

Ed Burke told the Deseret Morning News on Thursday he was not aware of any changes in the resolution. "Not having seen what the proposed substitute is, the intention of the General Assembly is clear. I hope it doesn't get bogged down in semantics."

The alderman said the intention of lawmakers is "to acknowledge the wrongfulness of what happened to Joseph Smith and his followers in 1844 and seek to have reconciliation with the descendants of those people who were wronged."

Even removing the apology language, he said, won't diminish the intent.

Gov. Walker agrees.

"It doesn't change the fact it was a gesture of kindness," her spokeswoman, Amanda Convington, said. "For the state of Utah, the significance is still the same. The resolution provides a sense of closure and understanding."

Walker and LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley are scheduled to meet next week about the resolution with a visiting delegation of Illinois officials, including the Burkes and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. A press conference has been set for Wednesday.

A spokesman for the LDS Church, Dale Bills, has called the resolution "a thoughtful gesture." Bills declined Thursday to comment further.

To read the resolution, click here: http://www.legis.state.il.us/ legislation/93/hr/09300hr0793.htm

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com