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Show TO SAVE HIS FACE. No question Is oftener asked in Utah today than this: "Why does not the Deseret News acknowledge that polygamy polyg-amy has been practiced since the manifesto mani-festo and that the present status of the new polygamlsts and the future status of the children are of gre Ioub concern within the hierarchy"" The question may not always be lit that form of words, but It usually expresses that sent Iment. The Inability of the News to make reply to the frequent hallenges on this and similar subjects does not ln Ite any expectation that anyone could extract from the church organ n response to this Interrogator , and. as usual, the Mormons who want to know the facts inquire of TJio Tribune The reason is a "peculiar" one and characteristic of a "peculiar" people. President Joseph F. Smith has undoubtedly undoubt-edly given instructions to his subordinates subordi-nates that no more plural marriages shall be solemnized in the church for the present at least. It Is hoped by himself and his . oiieagues that in the course of a few years or months, if this warfare shall continue against them, a settlement may be had without a public acknowledgement to the country coun-try on the part of the hierarchy that there has been a consistent course of lying on this subject, practiced by the leaders and Imitated by many of the followers during the past four or live years In other words Joseph F. Smith wants to "save his face." He has testified before high heaven that he did not know of any cases of plural mairiage since the manifesto. Of course ho falsified. falsi-fied. Now to make world-wide announcement an-nouncement that he had Issued a decree feu bidding further solemnization would be to acknowledge that plural marriages mar-riages had taken place during the forbidden for-bidden period and that he must have known of them. So President Smith Is engaged In the hopeless task of keeping from the world the knowledge of his own Infamous hypocrisy. It Is an utter failure; and even the attempt is a serious Injury to the State and to the Mormon people. If President Smith would now come out candidly and acknowledge the facts that plural marriage has been restored under apostolic officlation and even under un-der his own; and that In view of the distresses of his people arising from the recrudescence, and in view of the pronounced horror of this country he has warned the officers of the church and all members neither to solemnize nor to engage In any further plural marriage, he might at least show his own good faith If he possesses any. It may be that Joseph F. Smith s word Is now worthless in this Nation, and that een such assurance officially made would be unacceptable until re-enforced by the testimony and the promise of others. But surely he Is not making that bad situation any better by persisting per-sisting In his falsehood and evasion and by Issuing secret Instructions to stop a thing which he openly swears on ".nth is not iri progress. |