| Show ANTI MORMON LAWS VS THE BIBLE to the editor permit me if you please to use your columns for the presentation of some thoughts on mormon disfranchisement and the law thereof which in my opinion are worthy of careful consideration and wide diffusion I 1 am as you are aware a standing outside of all churches but with charity for all and malice towards none I 1 stand as an Adae american rican asking only fair play a clear field an anino favors to of name or any y sectarianism any age I 1 am not an enemy of any church but am well aware that the catholic and evangelical churches would disfranchise nie me for my heresy as ae 1 quickly as they would mor mons juon for their polygamy if they should succeed in their efforts to get cont control rolof of the government I 1 am not an enemy odthe of the bible although I 1 know it has been the bulwark of wrongs and acid crimes against humanity I 1 simply wish to point out the truth and induce men to think to warn them of the weakness folly and fraud of this anti mormon legislation and show the remedy I 1 shall take idaho law as my text article vi section 3 of the idaho constitution says no person is permitted to vote serve as a juror or hold any civil office who in any manner teaches advises counsels aids or encourages any person to enter into bigamy polygamy Y or plural or celestial marriage or who is a member of or contributes to the support aid or enczur argement of any order organization association cid cia tion corporation or L society which teaches advises counsels or aids any verson person to enter into bigamy polygamy or such plural marriage this law is intended only for cormons mormons Mor mons but as it does not declare that fact it is ia proper to execute it upon christians and others if they conae come within its scope the mormons cormons Mor mons it is admitted do now believe that polygamy is a social and marriage relation ordained by god for the increase and improvement of the human race it is admitted that they have so taught the recent state luent of the president of the mormon church is in evidence that they do not now teach polygamy or permit their people to enter into it if language maybe may be taken as of any value the whole anti mormon agitation is undermined and destroyed by this declaration of president woodruff but the idaho law remains and will he be executed to the exclusion of mormons cormons from the jury box from office and from the polls pils if possible the samo law will be enacted for utah while anti mormon agitation ought to stop it will not hence it becomes necessary to criticise criticism critic ise the law what then does the law mean by teaching aiding counseling or advising any person to go into polygamy ly gamy it does not specify and we must answer that question it would appear that the framers of the law had in mind personal aid in the act of marriage and verbal counsel leading thereto but they did not dot say so now the mormons cormons find authority for their belief in and practice of polygamy in the bible which they accept as the word 0 of f god that the bible teaches aids and encourages polygamy and bigamy there is no room to doubt that people can accept the bible as the in callable fal lable word and will of god without accepting polygamy and bigamy is as a part of that will there is no room to doubt they may not practice those relations but they must accept them as the will of god if they do not they destroy the infallibility libi lity of the bible all christians except the unitarians accept the bible as the infallible word and will of ef god therefore ill all christians accept polygamy and bigamy as a the will of god in refusing to practice polygamy and bigamy they are infidel to their own bible their own rule of faith and practice their accepted will of god it is true that the civilization of today refuses to recognize polygamy and bigamy but that is ie not the overthrow of the will of god if the bible really is infallible revelation civilization must be wrong in its attitude towards these relations to my mind thero there is no difficulty hers here because I 1 do not dot the bible agthe as the word and will cf god but to the mormon and the other christians there is a dilemma they must either admit that the bible is not the infallible will of god or that civilization is wrong in this matter which do they do the mormons cormons say the bible is right but that they will and do te recognize cognize the claims and laws of civilization and will give up have given up their practice of this part of gods will but that fact does not weaken the other fact that the bible still continues to teach aid and eD encourage courage polygamy and abd bigamy in continuing to accept the bible as the word and will of god the mormons cormons are still being enciu encouraged raged aided and counseled by god to believe in and practice polygamy god becomes the chief violator of the idaho law and mormons cormons should punish him but the anti mormons are either christians who accept as the infallible word and will of god or they are quasi christians who support the churches priests and preachers who accept the bible teach it preach it and hold it up as the will of god they have thus barred themselves aga against irist punish ing god as the alder aider of polygamy among the mormons cormons Mor mons the moment they should move in the matter god would arraign them for infidelity and they would discover that they were condemned already 21 god would say to them in accepting the bible as my will in holding holding it up as the only rule of faith an and practice in sending it to the heathen you are aiding the belief in polygamy all that prevents the practice of it is your tear rear of public opinion you are cowards and hypocrites and deserve the damnation you shall receive the fact is the acceptance of the bible as the infallible faMble lu word and will of god is giving encouragement to polygamy and bigamy such being the case it follow that every christian in idaho and every uon nou christian who aids christian work based upon the acceptance of the bible as the will of god is equally guilty with the mormons cormons Mor mons and should be deprived of all rights taken from the followers of joseph smith every man who teaches that the bible is ie the word of god teaches polygamy every person who aids such a teacher aids polygamy if the state of idaho were honest it would disfranchise all such that once done the only voters in idaho aou would id be the atheists and infidels who refused to support preachers and christian missions but if idaho were to execute this law in this manner for one olle election day the law would be declared unconstitutional the unconstitutionality of it is not lessened at all by the fact that it is executed only upon the unpopular mormons cormons Mor mons thus the injustice of the law is seen at once oace and all fair minded men must insist that it is a barbarous and despotic law that should be annulled I 1 have pointed out that the real culprit under this law is god but no procedure can be had bad there what remains the bible it is the foundation of polygamy every acceptor of it as the will ot ol god teaches aids aide encourages polygamy if polygamy my is a crime if teaching and aiding polygamy is criminal proceed against the bible sup press its publication circulation and use in idaho and the cause of the ce crime is at once removed but if such a thing were atte apted christians and cormons mormons would join to prevent it the christians would gladly accept mormon votes in such a contest it could not be done if therefore idaho cannot execute its law against the real culprit if she cannot suppress the cause of polygamy in her borders she should forever cease to roto rob and persecute the victims of an evil that she is powerless to remove if the bible is to remain as the infallible word ani and will of god not only should no civil right r be withheld from a mormon because he believes in polygamy but no law should enacted be against MI polygamy I 1 Y gamy and mormons cormons should be left to their own sense sens e of the proprieties and the fitness of things as mato to how far or how long they shall continue their faith in and tice of polygamy this would be justice ard nothing else would congress should either con condemn denin the bible as an aider and teacher of crime or restore to the mormons cormons the property virtually stolen from thern them by its unjust and despotic law but congress cannot enact a law condemning the bible very well let it then do the other thing that is let it undo every act it has passed against the mormons cormons and leave the whole mormon question tobe to be settled by the influences of civilization that would be the right thing to do and it would be the wise and speedy solution of the problem CHARLES ELLIS EILIS |
