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Show THE POLYGAMY DISGRACE. To admit Utafc beforo its system of 1 polygamy Is eradicated would he to perpetuate per-petuate that National disgrace. New 1 York Mall. September, 1S70. Tn view of ovonls which havo transpired since the admission of Utah to Statehood, tho sentiment of the Mail in thoso earlier times would seem to havo been full of prophecy. Behind tho protection which completo sovereignty has given to them, the leaders of tho Mormon church have permitted a re-sumption re-sumption of polygamous marriages among tho officers and membership Tho olficial law book of tho organization organi-zation continues lo teach t'ho doc-trino doc-trino as a divine- institution, and those who engage in it fly to Iho pages of that work for justification of their course. Nowhere within its covers do they find tho Woodruff manifesto of 1800, inhibiting tho practice, but, instead, in-stead, there stares them in tho face a positive commandment, prctendodly from the Almighty, prescribing damna tion as a punishment for disobedience. diso-bedience. Hundreds of men havo taken now plural wives sinco Joseph F. Smith ascended to tho Mormon throne. Many of Ihoso havo been exposed through tho columns of Tho Tribune, and ample proof of tho truthfulness of tho charges has been furnished to warrant war-rant investigation of these cases. Em-ploj'ing Em-ploj'ing their political power in defense of these criminals, tho church officials have dared any officer of the law to proceed against tho lawbroakors. Indeed, In-deed, it would bo practically useless, in most cases, for prosecutors to bring p70oocdings against theso new polyg-amisls, polyg-amisls, for tho reason that the proof which would bring conviction always reposes in tho custody of the ecclesinsts. Tho marriages occur in Iho secret places provided by the church for such ceremonies, and the Tccords thereof aro kept iu tho temples, whoro they are safo from tho curious eye of the un-boliovcr un-boliovcr and secure from inspection 1)3' officers of tho commonwealth. Tho only protondod ecclesiastical punish-mcnt punish-mcnt that has ever beon meled"out to now polygamous offenders occurred when Apostles John W. Taylor and Mathias F. Cowle3' wcro compelled lo "resign" from tho apostleship, under tho pretense that 11103' did so voluntarily. volun-tarily. Tho fact is, though, that thoy woro forced to do this in order to make a showing beforo tho world for the purpose of saving to tho hiorarehs tho Senatorship of Apostlo Reed Smoot, whoso political activities were ne'ecs-sary ne'ecs-sary to tho church in its methods of protection and perpetuation of plural marriage. Tho ofionding of Taylor and Cowlc3' had becomo a matter of such wide notoriotj' that there was no way out of tho diflicult3' except to put up a front in pretended discipline. Theso men still hold their high priesthood; priest-hood; thc3- aro held in us high esteem as ever by the church; they arc favored out of the treasures of the organiza tion; their pob'gamous families, both tho new and the old, nrc supported from the tithes which aro mainly contribulcd by monogamous Mormons; thoy travel from place to pluco among tho saints, porformiug precisely the same missions that they performed before be-fore they "rosigned" from their quorum. Iu fine, all that Taylor and Cowley have lost is tho uforc repute of bcaiyng tho name of apostle every other consideration which they enjoyod is still theirs. They havo lost absolutely abso-lutely nothing, iu fact, for they did not relinquish their apostleship at all their "resignation" was onl.y from the quorum. It is truo that Joseph Marion Tanner Tan-ner was dropped from tho church educational edu-cational and Sunda3'-school boards: but tho effects otherwise upon him have been in no meusure injurious, so far as the church and its high dignitarios arc concerned. Ho seems lo be quite able to maintain his nunierouB and large families, while other and industrious in-dustrious men aro mostl3' put to it to keep the wolf awa3 from tho door of one housohold only. Tanner has verv little, if an' ability, and ccrtainlv uon of a superior character; yet he is cn abled to thrive under what, outside of tho protecting caro of tho hierarchs, would be an cxtremoly heavy burden. It would serve no particular purpose now to enumcralo known new polyg-amists polyg-amists among tho lesser lights of tho church; but it is necessary to point out that among them all aud there havo been hundreds not ono instance of disciplino, disfollowship or excommunication excom-munication can bo brought forward, On tho contrar3', it is a demonstrable fact that tho church has expended monns to cnablo these men to get beyond be-yond tho roach of tho law; that the high ccclesiasts havo advanced nionc3-s to theso men to establish thorn in comfortable com-fortable quarters in tho foroign refuges which havo been set apart for thoir protection. Comparatively 3'oung men who havo married new wives sinco tho manifesto havo .been elovatcd to bishoprics and to tho presidency of stakes. All manner of encouragement is given to thooc who will surreptitiously surreptitious-ly break the law. Whenever tho leaders havo issued proclamations con-corning con-corning this matter, thoy havo mero'ly notified tho pcoplo that the3' must tako their own chances against tho law of tho land when tlfoy entered into new plural marriage. Thoy have, therefore, loft an open invitation to polj'gamy. provided that condition be accepted and faithfully adhered to. But after the crimo has beon accomplished, tho church cofYors aro availablov to the now ofEondf'rs for any purpose which shall be to thoir advantage and protection. Although tho first presidency of the church,, a 3'oar ago, officially confessed tho oxislenco of now polygamy in tho church, Ihoy havo been at iio pains whntovor to bring tho offenders to ac-couut. ac-couut. And they havo nevor beon honest enough to como out with a flat-footed flat-footed command to Iho pooplo to desist de-sist from tho practice satisfying themselves them-selves by saying that if tho people did persist iu committing the crime, tho people must take tho cousoquenccs. If asked why thoy do not disciplino thoso offenders, the hierarchs will gay that it is u"ot their placo to do it. Thoy hold the evidence against tho offender, and then protend that it is tho duty of tho bishop who doesn't hold tho proof to make investigation. And it is thus that our Nationnl disgrace dis-grace is perpetuated, as foretold by the New York Mail. |