Show AN ADDRESS to tho the members of the church of ef jesus christ of latter day I 1 saints DAR DEAR BRETHREN ANDS thero there has lias been many ti times mes in our past history when great grait exigencies have risen risen and it has been the impressive duty odthe of the first presidency of the church of jesus christ st day saints to give plain and pointed counsel to the people over whom in the providence of god they have been called to preside A condition cs exists ests at the present time which makes it eminently proper that we as the first presidency of the church should address you this epistle we hear from front many quarter quarters that many of you at are e not clear in in your minds as to the course yon you should take in view of odthe the extraordinary circumstances in which you are placed by the action of con gress and thol the executive at washington and of the commissioners 0 I 1 created bythe by the edmunds law since their arrival in ill alm 3 city some viewing the requirements abich arc are proposed as iniquitous others having baying scruples abrat taking an oath which embodies all tho the odium of a religious test and still others who feel so indignant that they would rather suffer the loss of citizens citizenship bi than to seek to maintain it by sue such F a method as is has been proposed li by tho tile Commissi commissioners onen it isas is as a r religious t I 1 1 1 IOUs community that we areas arc assailed 1 sai I 1 e a it is your religious belief and practices that arc the objects of attack because you tou belong to a rel religious i ili body nearly nine tenths I 1 of you who have never been guilty of even alleged crime and whose only offense is a beli belief efin in a doctrine winch which the pro prophets bets and holy men of god practiced practiced eT and the fruit of which was the redeemer of the world himself are deprived of the most precious rights of freemen free men therefore it becomes your duty as believers in religion to defend yourselves by exercising to the tile proper extent the few privileges left to you among which are those of registration and voting and not yourselves and your on own rights alone but the of every man mail woman and child in this broad land to believe and practice their reli r ion as their consciences may dictate so long as ag such practice shall not later interfere fere with tec the rights of their neighbors the eedmunds edmunds law lav designed for the repression and destruction of a portion of your religion by chi chasing all persons in Territories the or other places over which the united states have exclusive i jurisdiction uris who had adopted in obedience to the requirements of their religion the principle of celestial marriage became the law of the land on march 1882 As the law required five Commis commissioners siGners selected by the president and confirmed by the tile senate were sent to this territory to enforce its proviso provis ions these commissioners reached salt lake city on the of this present month h since ce their arrival they have in interviews with prominent citizens J given assurances assum icca of their inte intention antion to carry out the law line by line strictly and fairly th their ci r fi first re t pu public bl ic an announcement n ou ent was wa 9 that in accordance with the tile law of t Con congress gres an ail election of a delegate to congress would be beld on the seventh of november next following this announcement the corn coin have published nine rules which they have adopted for the appointment and anti government of registrars judges of election etc for that november elect election ion the second of these rules contains the following oath or affirmation which the registration precinct is required to administer to every one who wile applies to have wf his name placed or retained on oil the re registration list OF UTAH t COUN or SALT LAKIL LA KE I 1 as 1 I being first duly sworn or affirmed depose an and d say my that I 1 am over twenty one years of age and liace lave resided in the terri lory of utah for aix six months and in the precinct of one month immediately preceding tho the date hereof and if a male am a native born or naturalized aa as tho the case may maybe be citizen of tho united states and a taxpayer in this territory or ifa if a female I 1 am native born or naturalized or the ie wife widow or daughter aa as t the he case may bo be of a native born or n nat t turAl zed citizen of the tile united states st ata as and I 1 do further solemnly swear or affirm that I 1 am not a bigamist nor a polygamist that I 1 am not a violator of tho the laws of the united states prohibiting hi bi bigamy or polygamy that ti I 1 do not live or coli cohabit abit with more than one woman in the marriage relation nor does any relation exi exist st between ino me and any woman which baa has not been entered into or continued in yio lation of tho the said laws of the united elates 1 prohibiting bigamy or polygamy AM and if a woman that I 1 am aln n noi 1 the wife ife of a polygamist nor have hay eol 1 tworea into any ri relation with any I 1 I 1 f I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 mail wan in ili violation of tho the laas la As of the tile united I 1 states concerning polygamy or bigamy in y subscribed and sworn to before me th this 19 day of 1882 registration air officer leer precinct et it will be perceived by all who have read the E edmunda law that the words in the marriage relation i ela incorporated in this oat oathero oa bare not found in that law the language of the edmunds law itself is that no polygamist bigamist or any any person cohabiting with more than one woman and no woman cohabiting ha with nuy of the persons described as aforesaid in I 1 his section in any territory or other till place ace evl ovir r which the united states has exclusive jurisdiction shall be entitled to vote at any election held in adv any such territory or other place etc whatever the intention of I 1 thy h C author of thi this s law may have been this is is certain the words in the marriage e relation arc are not a part of the law if the law therefore were strictly enforced according to its literal tenor not only would tho so who have obeyed the doctrine of co cc bestial marriage as a divine command bs a excluded from voting and lid holding office but it is more wore than probable that many persons pers oits who hiva urged legislation a against gal n at tile Latt erday saints and nia made d e war upon this feature of their reli religion gioi 1 would also be dis franchised and disqualified for holdi holding fig office As a church wo we have repeatedly testified in the most solemn manner that the tha of marriage i which bicci this law is aimed at has uell been revealed to us by the almighty and that it is a part of our rel religion ig ion that it is interwoven with our dearest and holiest hollest hopes connected with eternity and that not from a any n lustful motives but because we yetieve believe wo we should incur the eternal displeasure of our lIpa venly father if we a did not comply with its r requirements c quire ments we havo have espoused c this his t doctrine it lias has been argued by those who arc are ignorant of the true nature of ot this doctrine and how inseparably connected it is with all our hopes of eternal bampi rief 9 in in that world beyond the tomb im that not a part of our religion that this system of marriage 13 ii not rel religion igi I 1 that hat it is an ail immoral and an in odious 1721 s practice that it is shocking i to the religious sense odthe of the nation tion and to the civilization of our a age g e a and nd that legislation framed for i its t 8 repression and extirpation should be enacted the federal leg legislature i slature has bas therefore passed chii act let and the federal 1 executive has affixed to it his signature if proof were needed respecting the truth of our testimonies that this is a apart part cofou of our r religion and that the object of this law is not the eradication of immoral practices but that it Is intended as a direct blow at our reli rellious religious ious faith and practice we have i it t furnished in this oath prescribed by the commissioners it ia is marriage under the form of religion and not Imn immorality which ch disfranchises franchises dis and disqualifies the citizen under this oath every man and woman who in good faith in all so solemnity and nd in strict accordance with the required requirement of their holy religion have entered into sacred covenants colenan Is for time and all eternity eternity eternit Y cic according cording to the patriarchal order order of marriage arc are excluded by this oath from registration while those of both sexes who may be liviu the vilest of lives in adultery fornication or the practice of ness of any kind can take the until and be registered vote and hold office I 1 this oath is expressly framed so as not to interfere arith or disturb them ono one class of citizens tu to be stripped of citizenship for obeying a divine law while the violation 01 of the most sacred of oft divine livine laws oi online alc tlc part of another class docs does not render them ineligible to hold the laigh highest t office in the territory it has been with ie feelings elins of profound regret that we have seen the commissioners men of high pos position 1 and bearing honored names take this view odthe of alie law and find frame such an oath as rs this to be administered to the people yet on the other hand land it is with unmixed satisfaction W we perceive that the oath draws the line so sharply and distinctly between marriage and licentiousness B by the attempt in the conA construction ruction othi of this oath to shield from front injury those who by their illicit connee tiong with the other sex 1 ini might lit under the provisions of the tile E edmunds amunds law be disfranchised franchised dis the latter day saints who in all sine sincerity crity and honor have lave obeyed a revelation from god arc are net not reduced to their derra degraded ded level our counsel then to the latter da day Sainta who can truthfully take this oath there is no reason that wo we know ofin of in the gospel orin or in any of the revelations of god which prevents you from doing ao so you owe it to your yourselves you oro it to your posterity you owe it to those of your co religionists ts who by this law are robbed worse wom than even many of yourselves of their rights under the constitution you owe ir it to humanity everywhere you owe it to that free and alid constitutional form of government which has been bequeathed aed to you through the precious cious sacrifices of many of your forefathers to do all in your power to maintain religious liberty and free republican government in lit these mountains and to preserve every constitutional right intact and not to allow either through or indifference or any any feeling of resentment sent ment or indignation because of wrongs inflicted upon you ally right to la ba wrested from you very many of you can take this oath with conscientiousness and entire truthfulness oa as you could even if it in it form which 1 1 I 1 I 1 ar w I 1 I 1 11 I 1 many of your traduce rs could not take without perjury and anti yet there would be no impropriety while you do take in protesting against it as a gross wrong imposed upon you then having done this thil and everything else in your our power to preserve coll constitutional sti tuti government and full re religious ligi ous freedom in the land you can L safely trust the lord for the rest lie ile has promised to fight your battles ca hi ilie word h lias as never failed you have proved him in times of trial and herce fierce persecution in the pas past I 1 and he ile is the same saine gud god today topas as he ile was then he has neither gone to sleep nor is he upon a journey and if you are faithful to him he will as ai surely deliver you in tho the future and fulfil fulfill all his aromi promise eb ii to zion na im hu ilu has deli delivered y cred you in the p past as I 1 in regard to cur our rc religion ligion or our et eternal crual covenants wo have no compromise to make nor principles to barter away they emanate fro from in god and arc founded upon the rock of eternal ages they will live and e exist i q t when ca empires spires powers ne aad d nations shall crumble and aud decay and with the help of the almighty we will guard s acridly our covenants and maintain our interests and be true to our bcd while time exists or eternity endures in regard to your political arrangements ramm range ments the tile terri territorial central committee is an organization that lias has for its object the lie preservation of the rights ot of every citizen of ta this its i territory Terri territory tor y without regard to party or sect they will doubtless isue such instruction from time to time as Js circum circumstances atances demand it is in ill the inter interest cat of every patriot to fla faithfully i it I 1 I 1 observe and mid practically carry out thy the suggestions that they may make let us guard well our franchise andin in one unbroken phalanx maintain and sustain our political stat tut u and as patriots and freemen operate together together in iii defense of wb what it few liberta liberties IN arc are left us in the ho defense of the constitution and in the defense of the inalienable rig rights glita of roan ninn which rights always exist and arc are above and before all constitution constitutions tut tu tion ions and thus to perpetuate to pot posterity erity the inestimable blessings of freedom including the right to live the right to be fr free cc and the right to pursue happiness unmolested by any influence po power liver or combination your brethren in the gospel jonz JOHN taylor gj gio 0 o Q CANNON JOB 1 F SMITH SALT sart LAKE CITY utah territory angust 1882 |