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Show IGNORANT DEFAMATION. Whllo tho Deserct News Is pretending to Its people, what It does not believe, that a campaign of Vilification and defamation de-famation of Lattor-Day Saints Is being conducted In Utah, It might bo well for Christian peoplo to examine Into some moro of tho recent utterances of the president of the Slormon church and the chief dictator of the sonllmenta of the Deserct News. In the Sunday conference confer-ence In this city, Josoph F. Smith said: Peoplo who wish to bo saved must also accept tho dlvlno mission of Josoph Smith. Thoy cannot discard tho prophet and continue to believe In Jesus Christ. ' A man who professes to believe In Jesus Christ and does not accept Joseph Smith Is olther a hypocrlto or dishonest. That is tho way tho Salt Lake Herald reports the present head of tjhe Slormon church. On this particular point the News quotes him as saying that "to reject re-ject Joseph Smith would bo to reject Jesus Chri9t." ' In this brutal and ignorant fashion, the president condemns and defames tho hundreds of millions of Christians who have lived for Christ and tho hundreds of thouaando of Christians who havo died for Christ, since Joseph Smith came to earth; and who either never heard of th'o Mormon prophet, or, hearing of him, did not accept his mission as divine. Talk about religion and charity and gentleness toward human kind! Mohammed Mo-hammed who taught "the faith" with h8 Hps, and whose followers enforced It with their swords, never carried on a propaganda moro lntenso than that of this President Smith. Christian men and women can now soo what Is the brutnl bigotry of thl3 leader of the sror-mons. sror-mons. According to his dictum, which he dares (o preach In this twentieth century and whllo the ban of tho country coun-try is upon him for disobedience to Its laws and the State Constitution, nil but his handful of followers are heathen; deserving of no land and no aid in the communities over which he rules with Iron sway. A campaign of vilification and defamation defa-mation Ib not necessary against this Mormon leader. Out of his mouth the world may Judge him and those who accept ac-cept him. The bitterest arraignment which can be made of Joseph F. Smith, who stands, at the head of tho church, Is to quote his own sermons of blcotrv and hate toward mankind. By these he stands condemned before all the rest of the civilized world. Tho most destructive destruc-tive thing that could bo said about him before his own people, would be to quote his testimony delivered to tho investigating investi-gating committee at Washington. If that were done, and his defiance of the revelation which he' preaches were pointed out, he would stand discredited by every intelligent Slormon In the land. The Deserct News willfully misleads its readers. It knows that tens of thousands thou-sands of Slormons do not see Gentile papers; and to them it cunningly pretends, pre-tends, day after day, that a campaign of cruelty Is being waged against the Mormon masses of Utah, that their rights are assailed and that they are defamed and vilified. Not one word of this pretense is founded on fact. The vilification and abuso and Inhumanity comes from tho other side. The Gen tiles have Joined with some Slormons to create a party here in this State which shall' protect tho rights of citizens, which rights were about to be swallowed up by the all-devouring maw of the head of the church. Tho American party does not engage In abuse of the Mormon people. peo-ple. It proclaims the danger and Invites Mormons and Gentiles to rally to its ranks to avert a threatened serfdom. The Deseret News is seeking to conceal con-ceal by a falso cry, the real danger to tho Srormon people. They aro not menaced men-aced by defamation and vilification from Gentiles nor the American party. Their peril Is that on ignorant leader shall enslave them politically and commercially, com-mercially, as he attempts to dupe them religiously by his Insensate doctrine that all men arc hypocritical and dishonest, that all men reject Jckus Christ, except the little handful who believe In thc-name thc-name of Joseph Smith with an P In It, Defamation and vilification indeed' Joseph F. Smith says more In his sworn testimony at Washington and In his sermon ser-mon In Utah to really defame- the'sror-mons, the'sror-mons, than has ever been uttered by Gentiles since Joseph P. first dreamed his dream of absolute power. |