Salt Lake Tribune | 1908-08-19 | Page 4 | No Such Revelation

NO SUCH REVELATION. Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God lmth no need to break tho laws of the land. Doctrine and Covenants, page 211). It is contended by the doctrinarians and pulpiteers of the Utah Mormon church that Joseph Smith received the pretended revelation, commanding the practice of polygamy, at Nauvoo, Illinois, Illi-nois, in 18-13. The laws of the State of Illinois at that time, for a long time previously, and up to the present time, declared and do declare the marriage of more than ono woman to one man to bo a crimo against tho commonwealth, common-wealth, and providing punishment for its commission. The revelation commanding com-manding obedience to the laws of the laud, as now printed in the Doctrine and Coveuants, is dated Jackson county, coun-ty, Missouri, August 1, 1831; tho -olyg-anions revelation being dated Nauvoo, Illinois, July 12, 1S43 a matter of twelve 3'ears intervening. So we have tho Utah high priests asserting as-serting that the Lord deliberately reversed re-versed Himself, permitting the contrary commandments to remain m the authoritative author-itative law book in evidence of inconsistency incon-sistency most rank and of impotence vastly pitiable. But is it possible that tho Utah Mor- mon controversialist will bring his usually "nervy" tactics into play and assert that hia particular stylo of Lord is grven lo changing His mind between two States, and that it is nobody's business bus-iness if He chooses so to do? Lot iTs explain, however, that polygamy polyg-amy is most dear to the Utah hierarehal heart, bocauso it feeds on tin; lecher' of men and fats on tho virtue of women. wo-men. And in support of this foremost devotion uf their own, theso Utah h igh priests would shame the devil himself I j l)v mnking their God appear to the ! world as an inconsistent changeling, nnd a lackndaisioal irresponsible. But the ' fads noted herein bear powerfully in 1 support of the proposition that no such ' revelation as that on polygamy was I ever receiver! , or even claimed to have hcon received by Joseph Smith.