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Show H : B I ! BOTH DEFINITE AMI AUTHOni- H ?! H f i Foil a long time the press of the B i . . I country anil many influential jier- H . i boos have rc--attd lyttateJ.that If In H i ronie authoritative way it should lie B j '" annouix-eJ that the soleraiihalion of H ( plural marrlases hytlio'Mormon" HBf -' ' (' Church should e discontinued, H r there would lie no further issue bc- H I tweeu the Government and tlieLat- B J- ter-day Saints. In this announce- HBt , if meut the "Liberal" organ in this H ; city has been the mo4 prominent H i j: '- and pronounced, repeating the ttate- H t i Blent over and over again for ye-irs. H i ? i j Compliance with tho laws was H I Slid to be the o'-Ject to lie effected. Iff f" Federal official, (Treat and small, echoed this cry, nnd while many ol ' I them showed but little reverence for , I such laws as came in ccntact wltli ' 'M ' their apjietites or ambition, they g strutted as the champions and cm- aBaaw i i bodiment of national authority, and B J I $ in uonl, were the most devout H K I jt adorers of the leUerof United States K I S statutes. They placed this above H ' J J theeoiumands of Deity nnd main- H ,-i taincd that the edicts of the Guveru- R j ' uent wero superior to the fiat ot tho B I j Io-t High. fl i u But their desire for this deman Jed HBJ !; iV submission has been, all along, a de- jt ceptionanda pretence. What has BBS p been sought for is the a m.ilete de- BIBf j- sructiou of tho "Iormon" Church HBfl i ani tho entire disfranchisement of BBS ; the "Mormon" people so that tills BBB Territory might be controlled by BBB ( j persons of tlieirown kind. B I The declaration mJe by rrcsl- BBB ; dent WooirutT hi proven this be- BBB r; yon i question. They never wanted BBB any such annoanoemsnt as he has BBB i made, ani nil their pretended pleas BBB for its publication weremidc for BBB show and were mere sham. Xothing I could be more direct and unambig- BBB nous than the language ot President BBB i . WoadruiT, nor could anything bee BBB ' more authoritative. Hut it does not HB i j ' Biti-fr thoio wlio have been the BBB loudest to clamor for it. Tberuow BBB tayitis"indeflmtc",butcaiinotshow BBk in it a single iuJefinite 5enUnce. BB I Tneyoljecl that It docs Dot come in RB th: umal minnsr.but fail to explain BBC ' wherein It is unusual. BBB f We liave oommentmi upon the BBB j sbidins ani piltry objections ma Je BBB I bv Govern -rtThoinis and the sojihUt- BBB ical and untruthful carpings of BBB "i Oomaiisslonex nnlrt" S'i-i BBM V, defenJ them and misrepresent the BBB f declaration. This was to U BBB . f expected. Xo one Mippased BBB that aaythiug the ' President BBB f the Church could do orsay would BBB please or satisfy the kind or persons BBB who daily slander gwd men, and BH far arg i-asnt heap vile a'jjj upon BBB their oftunenU no matter what may BBB l tlie iUJ-t in dilute. Tlic dec- BBB , liratlan was not publifaci to please BBB them or with any coa.iderjtioa con. BBB cerning them. BBB Ilut we will notice one or two BBB or their prct-nl-J ot jeclions which BBB are suulcieatly respecUWe to bo BBB quoted in our calu-nn. Hero is BBB H "Governor Thonm hi 1 a riht to Hj j "ya'-tholinguieorthemiatreo BBB ' WAsindsanUe, bseinsait was. ir the BBB editor or tho Sews was pul onderoath BBB I te explain thavlangave, he wonld bs BBB I forced to say that it was the a.liee o! BBB rrssUentWoodruu'asa mm." H ' ' There is not the slightest need for BBBj any explan-jtion of that language. BBB It is defluitc enaugh foranyprrfon BBM that can real. And he who on BBB reading it declares tint it is "simply H the advice of President Woodruff" a K a man," proclaims his own iuability BBH to under-tind ordinary wonI, or his BBBt utter disregard of honor and truth. H,, ThoUnguage of the decIaraUon 5s "I, tha-efurc, at I'rcadtnt uf the Church of Jama Chn$i of ljatttr-da Saints." IWsinhisofficWjwsitioj, as President of the Church, the one man u ho cm freak with authority to nnd for the Church on such a matter as this, that President WooJ- ruQ mttes five definite nu'iouuce- BBBf mentf. They arc these: BBBj First, he sys th statement, tele- graphed as being in the Commifcion- BBBj ers' re.ort, that forty or more plural BBBJ nnrriages have baaii contracted in BBBJ UUh withlu a certain wriod, is BBBj Kcond, he declares that the lead- BBBJ crsofthc Church are not teaching BBBj plural marriage or permitting anv BBB person to enter Into its practice. BBBJ Third, he denies that any number BBBJ of plural marriages have been sol- BBBJ emnized In the period mentioned, BBBJ either in our Temples or in any BBBJ other place in the Territory. BBBj Fourth, hedeclires his intention BBBJ to submi: to tbo laws forbidding BBK plural marriage and lo use his lu" BBBJ fluence to have the members or the BBBJ Churdi over which he prajllej do BBBJ H Fifth, he publicly pramufg"e i,js BBBJ aJvice U the Latter-Jay Stints to BBBJ rerrain rrom contracting any mar- BBj riage forbidden by Uie law of the BBBJ BBBJ The docinient is signed by Wil- BBBjj ford Woodruff as "President or the BBBJ Church or Jesui Cnrist or IiiV.it- BBBjj day Saints." BB I n- person who cannot un- H dctand this language aud its pur- BBB port it is useless to dispute. And B the dishonesty or one who declares BBB this to be only the advice of WIlTord BBB WooJrjff "as a man" there is no BBBJ I need to denounce. BBBJ j The rrtiune writer says, In rela- BjBB J f tlon to the denbl mentioned in tho BBBJ third announcement above: BJBB "Out recollection iibit Les3r.be BBBJ kno'' nothing or su;ainirri;reC Xo BBBJ A ons h" told hiai of them since. Hence I BBBf M. he knows nothing of them." B Jm He then proceeds to argue on the I Hf e- 9 bMhl f ,lI fa!se "t4xf,lh cUflii;" that j M f'J& "1 Jstocail names and pile up vlti-Mwj Kiv --5 -'39bVbVbvbVbVbVbVb' ration, which form the essenco or Tribune reasoning. HeTcrenire lo the declaratlo n would have corrected thisallrged "fecollecUon," but that wouM have spoilt the excuu for this wilful misrepresentation. The objection is made that this Is "not an edict by the hea I or the Church pronounced in the usual way." Who can produce any cdxt by the head of the Church? The President does not Issue "eJicU." The First Frcoideacy, in .nvUicr that require their concurrentactlon, do not utter "edicts." There are no such thing' in the Church. The power of the Priesthood Is eserclsed by persualon, by counsel, by instruction, in-struction, by enlightenment, and not by force, command or contraint. President Woodruff's declaration comes with all tho authority that attaches to any epistle or other doc-jument doc-jument or a similar character that lias been Issued by the rresldency or the Church. Another assertion or this utterly untcrupulous sheet is that: It Is not considered a crime by any memberof the "Mormon" Church to commit perjury in behalf of what he thinks is the best Interest of the Church." To this we can only point to tho doctrines of the Church as contained in its staudards and to the cbaras-terand cbaras-terand reputation or its members. There is no jiersonih the Church, so far as wo are aware, that entertains such an abominable sentiment and If there 1, his conceptions of'Mor-minism" of'Mor-minism" are the very opposite orall ttiat ne has been taught by the letter and spirit or his enrol. The writer or the vile libel is but reflecting upon others the image or b.s own character, exhibited through a series ot yara in almost daily wilful falsehoods and misrepresentations, misrep-resentations, until doubt over-shadows over-shadows everything lie writes no matter what may bu tho suited. And e will dbmiss further notice of his latest disgraceful effort with two lines from the artlclo e have briefly revkatd, and -allien contains con-tains bis favorite epithet and li stereotyrcd and most jowcrful -Argument: "Kvery man has his own stains and the sneer of a scrub bis no weight." |
