Show RELIGION OR LUST A Mormon Elder Keviews Garfields IJI Inauguration Speech lmi1y Family Relations Considere < ir Reminiscences of the Invasion of Utah by United States Troops I I H zr Must the Mormons Go Elder W C Staines of the Mormon Mor-mon church who is the Utajnenri jrant agent in this city was interviewed today by a Telegram reporter for the purpose of obtaining obtain-ing his views on the Mormonques ion lie went to Salt Lake IhSlSiT md has ever since been one of the leaders of Morraonism ° Mr Staines asked the reporter Isjt true as stated in the inaugura ion speech that the constitutional guarantee of absolute religious liberty is not enjoyed by the people of Utah u < Ko if it is meant thatanxjtlier religious denomination is restrained from that liberty by the Mormons yes if it is meant that the government govern-ment does not allow the Mormons to enjoy this < constitutional guarantee guar-antee Why befpre the Gentiles hail churches bLtheirownI3righam Young allow djftheir members to prea h in the Tabernacle The next passage in the Inauguration speech is that which states that the Mormon Mor-mon church nofcl i t only offends the moral sense of mankind by sanctioning sanc-tioning polygamy but prevents the administration of justice through the ordinary instrumentalities or law As to the first half of this passage which says that tlie Mort mon church offends the moral sense of mankind by sanctioning polygamy polyg-amy I claim that this is only because be-cause those persons whom the President multiplies indefinitelyiby calling mankind whose moralsenso is offended by polygamy are people who have been brought up in rejig ions that teach monogamy If the same persons had been born and brought up Mormons their moral sense would not be offended by polygamy The moral senseJiilt l polygamy offends is merely a matter of religious training It is not like the instinctive feeling implanted by God in the hunianbreast which tells us it is wrongtd steal or to murder without being told that it is s5b y some one else or even in spijof being told that it is laudable to do so There is feeling like this which tells aj man it is wrong to take more tlian one wife It is simply a prejudice arising from he religious training which a person has received TIlE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE As to the statement that the Mormon Church prevents the ad ministration ofjustice througlPthV l ordinary instrumentalities ofl lawt 1 suppose that the President hero alludes to the difficulties which the government encounters in convicting convict-ing Mormons of polygamy Now it is not likely that when there is a law which en tails limprisonm caff or two or five years and a fine of 5000 on conviction having more than one wife that a Mormon who breaks this law is likely to tell every one of it His brother Mormons do not wish to know whether he has more than one wife His marriage to the wives is privately performed in the Temple or Endowment House The wives themselves are not going to give information by which they will be deprived of the support of their husband for two years or more and so it is no doubt difficult for the government to get evidence sufficiently suffi-ciently strong Jo convict Every effort ef-fort is made by officials detectives etc to obtain admissions They will meet a little child and ask who its father and mother are and endeavor en-deavor to getinformation which they are unabl to obtain from their parents The officers may suspect that the three or four womentlrving with a Mormon are married to him but suspicions count for nothing without evidence is IT CUIME As to the charge of polygamy being be-ing a criminal practice which jdesj troys the fdmily relation and endangers endan-gers social orderit is only criminal in the sense that it is against the law As for It destroying tlierfam ily relation I will admit this much of course where a wife loves her husband deeplyTit is impossible for her not to be jealous of attentions any other woman Uevertehless they are as happy as many of the married women who have only one husband The charge is made against us that We take more than one wife to gratify our lust This is not the case Itis because it is a tenet of our religion because ourJre hgion teaches us that procreation < one of the noblest works of nature and that every woman should Jiaye the opportunity of becoming mother if she sodesiies I TIlE CHURCH AND TIlE LAW I The next passage runs thusXor I can any ecclesiastical organ tation be safely permitted to usurp in the smallest degree the functio sand V > vers of the national government Kowj the usurpation if any is on the side of the government All the judges the Governor etc are ap pointed by the government The Jurors are usually divided half and halfbetween the Mormons and Gen tilesbut we are excluded altogether in some instances There is a casein case-in point in the courts of Salt Lake City at the present time A number num-ber of cattle were stolen from the church herd and several men were arrested In selecting a jury the attorney for the delendants Mrf Brdwn claimed that the church as corporation that all belonging it were interested parties conse qnentlv no Mormon should 1iO4 1 low d on the jury The point was so decided Xow suppose a Catholic Catho-lic church in this city was robbed of its precious vessels would an objection ob-jection to a Catholic as a juror on I theground that he was an interested patty because he belonged tbvthlxt church be sustained Then agam take for instance the case of Cannon Can-non and Campbell of Utah who are now contesting for the seat in Con grasS from Utah Cannon the Mormon candidate receive over lSCH5o < votes while Campbell onlys received about 1300 yet thejGoY cmor gave Campbell the certiflcaieT When Caunons seat was previously contested on two occasions by defeated de-feated candidates they could not obtain ob-tain a certificate from the Governor but Campbell has obtained one this time THE GOVERNMENT AND 3IORMOXIS5I What effect will the Inauguration speech have on Mormonism None It will not affect the emigration emi-gration of Mormons to Salt Lake City in the least nor will it have anyj effect on those living there I Polygamy is one of the tenets of our faith and all true Mormons will i I 2 i ooner die thangive ojp any portIon of that faith You may fine us imprison im-prison us drive us away even kill ome of us but M rmQnism will Still survive You may call me an nthusiast fanati what you like putifrhadto choosfclXifctveen death jnd giving upmy religion would simply say kill me I believe ipOOOOMormous would do the same Religion is something above the hews of man Then the law says I must give upTVtenet of mv religion J3 answerthatr God has given me a Ifehef in that tenet and I cannot give it up I advocate passive re ystanceJiotattive lmfcHicase l the government should do as many papers have advised viz send Utah Ut-ah army to put flown Mormonism lqy brute force it would be difficult ti t say what would happen When in 1850 during President 13 u cf mnans administration more than 2GOO United States troops underthe cpmmand of Gen Sidney Johnson Were marching on Salt Lake City lie Mormons who were to guard the t6wii were ready to set fire to it the moment it bccameinevitablethat Shit Lake must fall into the hands of the invad rs Urigham Young vas to give the signal by firing his ownhouse Although my home had cbs ajatcSffDOO yet I stood readyto apply the torch to it as soon as its it-s tOuld become necessary to sacrifice it t If the army had attempted to enter Salt Lake City at that time hey would have found it only amass a-mass of burning ruins But happily hap-pily understanding was arrived i UV the troops turned their faces homeward and Salt Lake City was saved The Mormon Church does not meddle in politics except inasmuch inas-much as they are compelled to do so for their own protection In case a man is nominated for an office who is professedly opposed to us why of course we vote against him for self protection But apart from this we vote for the man each one considers he best But in spite of his inaug iratibn speech we really do expect fairness from Garfields administration tion POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES DECREASING DECREAS-ING Although 3000 Mormon emigrants annually arrive in Utah polygamous marriages are decreasing This is ecause few men marry more than onewoman as they do not wish to ncur responsibilities of the care df two or three wives This whole Mormon question of polygamy is misunderstood by most people A Mormon must be in good standing With the church betore he can have two wives and not only that but must show that he is able tb support them Some people have an idea that a Mormon is forced to take a second wife just as soon as his means permit in order to keep jim poor This is a mistake We haye divorces the same as else Vhere but there is church as well is a civil divorce among us The latter is inoperative unless the former for-mer is first obtained In fact the church divorce is the one it is neces sary to gain among members of the tmrch the civil one is obtained more for the protection of certain rights under the laws Divorce is granted for infidelity and illtreat icnt In church divorces the def de-f is generally reprimanded for the first offense A Mormon is not granted a divorce except for good cause and being simply tired of a woman is not considered sum cleat If a man were known to marry simply for lust he would note not-e granted permission by the church to take any more wives Mormons who live outside of Utah do not practice polygamy Although polygamy polyg-amy is the occasion of so much trouble from the outside world to us and seems infact to be unfair to the women though it is not abso lately necessary that a man should have more than one wife to be a Mormon yet polygamy is a tenet of our faith a fundamental of our religion and we cannnot give it up Another mistaken idea is that the Mormon Church keeps its members poor by exacting tithes TIlE CHILDREN OF MORMONS One would imagine that when sons > and daughters by other than the first wife grew up they would feel that their parents had injured them by bringing them into the world not in their own community but in case they should go to other parts of the United States or of the world where their religion did not prevail where the stigma of their birth > might prevent their reception in society But it is not so I have never seen a Mormon young man or woman yet who was ashamed of his or her birth on account of being the child of a second or even a tenth wife Mormon stepchildren are as nuch attached to each other as though full brothers or sisters and this is the more remarkable on account ac-count of the reverse being the case outside of Mormons It has been lid to me that polygamy cannot be allowed because for one reason a GentIle might live with three or four wives and if arrested would claim that polygamy was his belief although al-though not a Mormons But the anSwer is that it is not his relgion aJ it is that of the latter although the courts hold each equally re ponsible for his acts IS e do not believe in cohabitation but in marriage mar-riage Speaking of courts reminds me of another grievance in Utah We need the best of lawyers as judges to decide the intricacies of the numerous mining suits involving involv-ing immense amounts which are onstantlybeing adjudicated The judges should be paid large salaries so as to secure the best talent As it Is the United States government send men to Utah who with a few exceptions are totally unfitted for their positions and duties One of the plans proposed to break up Mor ilonism was to divide Utah among the other territories but that would only give us the balance of power in three or four territories where now it is confined to oneNew York Evening Telegram |