Show OUR CHICAGO LETTER LEITER I WAS pleased to read in last weeks week's America a letter signed A H Cannon Salt Lake City J I referred to this journal aJ- aJ aJr a- a aready aJ r ready dy as one the special mission of which was popery anti but in several of ot its later issues I 1 found in I it many paragraphs touching on Utah written in a most distorted I 3 an and misunderstood manner So I Iwas was glad Klad gl d when I 1 read rend Mr Cannons Cannon r letter to the he editor courteously tell tell- telling telling was toll ing the gentleman that his paper was in error Jing Utah This is the stand all the young men of Utah ought to take Wherever an article or statement appears distort distort- distorting distorting distorting ing an and maligning Utah the young men should take it up M as S in the case of Mr Cannon CanDon and politely and gentlemanly drop a ft note to the proper quarter contradicting the vile calumny Whether published i ti or not the note will have its effect r and young Utah Ut h will have done i its it x duty t I It Ic appears appear all aU the flood flood- floodgates gate flood t gates of villainy obliquity and per per- perjury perjury perjury jury ar are again thrown open in order to ov overwhelm Utah by fair It means or foul Throat cutting bowel opening a and nd such uch operations f are now being used as a capital Are x we traveling in a circle or does doe his his- history hi tory l tory r repeat peat itself Wh When n I r read ad these foul fabrications about out Utah I cannot reverting to the sad gad help f A i i- i r I story of the early Christians I It IL t L have in mind two two- characters especially ally ii ally the emperors emperor and Maximian two men now remembered hered entirely for or their ruthless andr and r savage avage treatment of Christians Christiana The Christians actually charged with murdering and eating f and lh the pagan priests priest of the time 1 gravely swore wore to its it truth I cannot t do better than quote in full fun a chapter t- t of ancient history dealing with this subject The characters character are Maxi Maxi- Maximian Maxi mian it- it mian Corvinus priests philosophers and office seekers Beckon Only substitute th the names name of persons now prominent prominent ff nent in Utah for the names name men men- mentioned mentioned E menE in the ancient hi history tory J and the chapter will apply to toi i W Utah today and will be consIdered r truthful accurate and impartial r rI I It is i fro n a distinguished Titer riter Here it is i s It was in tn the month of ot November If that Maximian H convoked th the meeting in which his hit plans plan had finally to b be adjusted To it were summoned th the leading officers of the court and of the State The principal principal r pal one the prefect of the city had I brought with him his son xon whom he had proposed d to be captain of a body 0 of armed argued tt pickel out for their savageness and hatred of Christians who would hunt them out or down with unrelenting gov-a gov assiduity a The chief prefects or gov- gov governors governors of Sicily Italy Spain and f Gaul were present to receive orders order In addition to these theae several veral learned men philosophers and orators orator among whom was our old acquaintance Cal- Cal had been invited and many priests who had come from different different t parts part to petition for heavier prosecution il tion were c to attend t Maximian was wax a native of reputed barbarian there there- therefore fore of the tae lowest extraction a mere f soldier Foldier of fortune without any education education education tion endowed with little more than a brutes brute's strength which made his sur- sur surname ur t name of Hercules Hercule most moat het had been raised railed to the purple by his hiI if brother barbarian Diodes Diocles known as a- a athe r the Emperor Like him if r I 1 1 covetous to meanness and spend pend- spendthrift thrift to recklessness nw addicted to the same lame coarse vices vice and foul crimes foul I which a Christian pen refuses r fu s to rec- rec record record ord without restraint of any passion 1 without sense nue of justice or feeling of humanity this monster had never 1 neverY ceased c d to oppress persecute and pp slay lay whoever stood in his hi way To him t- t the tb coming persecution looked like an approaching feast fAast does doe to a glutton ir who requires require the he excitement of a stir stir- felt feit to relieve the monotony of daily cv cf excess Gigantic in frame with the well known features feature of his hi race with 0 the hair on his hi head and face more more yellow than red shaggy haggy and wild like 5 tufts tuft of straw with eyes ye restlessly tL rolling in a compound expressIon of suspicion cy and almost last Jast of Romes Rome's Mmes Mme's me tyrants tyrant struck track 1 I l r or terror into the heart of any beholder except a Christian 1 Is II it wonderful that he hated the race and its it name Precedence was granted ranted by religious courtesy y to the prIests each of whom had his hi tale to tell Here a river had overflowed its banks bank and lone much mischief to the Die neighboring plains bad there an earthquake had Bad thrown down part of a town on the northern fron frontiers frontiers frontier tiers the barbarians threatened invasion inva inva- sion ion at the south the plague was ravaging the pious piou population In every ins ance the oracles had bad declared that it was wax all owing to the Christians whose e toleration irritated the gods and whose who e evil charms charm brought cal cal- calamity calamity cal calamity amity on the empire Nay some gods had afflicted their votaries by openly proclaiming that they would utter no more till the t odious N Naze aze enes had been exterminated and the great Delphic oracle had not hesitated to declare that the lust lust did not allow the gods to speak peak Next came the philosophers and orators each of whom made his own long winded long winded oration dur dur- during during during ing which Maximian gave un- un unequivocal unequivocal un unequivocal equivocal signs of weariness But Butas Butas Buta as the emperors emperor in the East Eat had held a similar meeting he be considered it his hi duty to sit kit out the annoyance The usual u ual calumnies were repeated for the thousandth ten-thousandth time to an ap- ap applauding applauding ap applauding assembly the stories of mur mur- murdering murdering dering and eating infants infant of commit mur-j mur Ing foul crimes of worshipping mar mar- martyrs martyrs martyrs bodies bodie of adoring an ass air head and inconsistently enough of being unbelievers and serving no God I These tales were all moat niost Im at firmly be- be be though probably their knew perfectly well they were but good sound Round heathen lies lie very useful u fulin In keeping up a horror of Christianity But at t length up rose roxe the man who was considered conid r d to have most deeply studIed the doctrine of the enemy and best to know their dangerous tac- tac tactics tactics tac tactic tics tic He was wa supposed to have hav read their own books book and to be bo drawing up upa upa upa a confutation of their errors error which would fairly crush them Indeed so great was his hi weight with his hi own side that when he h asserted that Christians held any monstrous principle had their supreme pontiff in person con contradicted con con- contradicted contradicted it everyone every one would have laughed at the very idea of taking hi his the pontiffs pontiff's word for bis his own belief against the assertion of He struck truck up a different strain train and his learning quite astonished his hi fel- fel fel ts He had bad read the original books he lie said aid not only of the Chris Chris- Christians Christians Christians themselves but of their fore fore- forefathers forefathers fore fathers the Jews who having come into Egypt in the reign of ot Ptolemy Philadelphus to escape from a famine in their own country through the arts artof of their leader Joseph bought up all the corn om there and sent ent it home Upon pon imprisoned them tell tell- tell tell-J them that as a they had eaten eaton up the corn the should live on the straw by making bricks brick with it for building a great city Then D bearing hearing from them of a great many curious histories of their ance ancestors tors shut hut up Moses Moe and Aaron their most mot learned men mE-Jl in a tower having shaved half their beards beard till they should write in Greek all their records record These rare books book had bad seen Keen and he would only mention a few facts fact from them therm This race made war upon every king and people that came in their way and all It was wa their principle if they took a city city to put everyone to the sword word and this was wa all because b they were under the government of their ambitious priests so 80 o that when a certain certain certain tain king Saul also alio called Paul spared pared a poor captive monarch whose who 4 S name was wa Agag the priests ordered him to be brought out and hewed to pieces Now continued he these theae Christ Christ- Christians Christians Chri t-ians t ians are still till under the th domination of the same priesthood and are quite quire as aready ready today under their direct on to overthrow o the great Roman empire burn u us all in the forum and even sacrilegiously assail as 11 th the sacred acred and venerable heads of our dine dine empe- empe emperors emperors A thrill of horror ran through the assembly at this thi recital It was soon hushed as a the Emperor opened his mouth to speak peak Form For my y part he said I have another any anya and a stronger reason for my abhorrence nce of these Christians They rhey have dared to establish establish tab tab-lish lish in the heart of the empire and in inthis inthis inthis this very city a supreme religious there th re before inde inde- independent independent Mate pendent of the government of the State and equally powerful over their minds as a thIS Formerly all acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged edged the Emperor as a supreme m in reli reli- religIOus religious as a in civil rule Hence be he bears bear still till the title of Maximus But these men have raised railed up a divided power and consequently bear but a divided loyalty I hate there there- therefore therefore fore tore as a a usurpation u in my dominions this sacerdotal sway w y over my subjects For I declare that I would rather hear i of a new rival starting farting up to my throne than of the election of one of these priests in Rome This Thi speech delivered in a har harsh h grating voice and with a vulgar for for- foreign foreign foreign eign accent was wa received with im- im immense immense im mense applause and plans plan were formed publication for the simultaneous tion of the edict through the west and for its it complete and exterminating execution Then rhen turning sharp harp upon us the Emperor said aid Prefect you said you had some om one on to propose for superintending these the arran arrangements and for mercile merciless dealings dealing with these traitors He is here my son on Corvinus And handed the youthful candidate to the grim tyrants tyrant's tyrant footstool footstool foot- foot stool tool Maximian eyed him keenly burst into a hideous laugh and said aid Upon my word I think hell he'll do doWhy Why Prefect I had no idea you had such an ugly son SOD OB I should think he heis heis hei is just jut the thing every quality of ofa ofa ofa a thorough-paced thorough unc scamp is stamped upon his hi features feature The Emperor rose ro e to depart when his eyes eye caught who had bad been summoned as a a paid spy court but who kept as a much in the background as possible po ible Ho there my eastern worthy h he called out to him these the ChristIans will afford you plenty ot of game so o make your yourself If ready and letu let letus letus us see what you yoa can do The property of the convicted will be divided be- be between between be between tween the accusers and the treasury unless I see ee particular particular reasons for taking the whole to myself Now you may go There are many red-headed red Max Max- Maximian in Utah and many scamps of the Corvinus and type and of course coune runs runa a newspaper there anu arm her stories are but reproductions reproduction r of Moses Mo e and Aaron half shave writing Greek But did the early Christians Christjans give i way Not a bit of it They were the only people who did not fear fe the savage avage Maximian They were but a handful but they held to- to together together to together gether and they triumphed Will wm these Latter-day Latter ChristIans be overawed by a vulgar speaking Maximian whether he be an Orlan- Orlan Orlando Orlando Orian-do Orian do Powers Power or a General Murray Will they come under the yoke of a preferred no matter whether he be a helot from Ireland or a carpetbagger from Illinois Will they go over to the side of Corvinus and ami and to shake hands with the murdering colonels of Kentucky and link arms with the vile vUe pagan priests misnamed Chris Chris- Christians Christians Forbid it il shame The Lat Lat- day ter day ter-day Christian who would enter enter- entertain entertain tain min a thought of this kind is not fit to fight the great gret battle of the future He is unworthy the name of man and by his action he brands his whole life a lie his religious professions professions ofes- ofes become hypocrisy ana anu ana he makes of his God a mockery Let him go He is fit companion for Corvinus the scamp and the spy JUNIUS CHICAGO November 1889 |