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Show THE SQUARE THING TO DO. Thero is a square way (o settle this matter of (he .Mormon church's responsibility re-sponsibility for now polygamous marriages mar-riages in dellanctf of law and of (ho pledge of the church in tho manifesto, and of tho church loaders in their huniblo petition for ainnesty. Of couibi;, the dcninl'of I ho church writers of church responsibility for new polygamous marriages is rutile; for, lirsl. tho church is the only power which stands, or over did stand, for polygamy; and second, the only possible authority to perforin polygamous mnrriages is derived from (he .Mormon church. .It. is idle, therefore, for tho church, or for any one in behalf of (ho church, to deny church responsibility for these polygamous marriages. Tho church is just as much responsible for all such marriages ;is have occurred since Iho manifesto as it was for those which occurred before; and doubtless it keeps just as full a record of them since 1.S00 (tho year of the Manifesto) as it did before. Besides, the church shields, protects, and rewards the new polygnmists precisely pre-cisely as it used to do. Any one entering enter-ing into new pol3'gniiions relations now is taken care nf by Iho church chiefs just as formerly. Tho evidence of tho new polygamy is withheld and suppressed sup-pressed precisely as before; and the man who now defies the law by entering into new polygamous relations is not only not disciplined for it; ho is oncou raged and rewarded. Hut if the church wishes lo have the world believe fhat it; is sincere henceforth in its alleged, desiro lo kcop faith and redeem iis pledges in this matter in future, there is a straightforward straight-forward way to convince all doubters of its sincerity. Let it adopt, al the coming com-ing April conforenco, a square, explicit, unambiguous declaration, denouncing all such unlawful ' marriages, declaring (hem under the ban of tho church., withdrawing from every priest, or authority au-thority of the church any license to perform such marriage ceremonies, and declaring that tho church will ex-poso ex-poso and punish all parties to such unlawful un-lawful practices, and will deliver all concerned to bo dealt with by the civil law. Let (his bo douo without qualification, quali-fication, ambiguity, or any sort ot , quibbling; but in a candid, straightforward, straightfor-ward, direct manner, in language that cannot be doubted and not capable of being explained away. And then let tho church act up to its declaration wherever thero is a case of new polygamy, and (he good faith of tho church will be redeemed from thenceforth, thence-forth, as it certainly has not been in the past. It is a perfectly square proposition. As Horace Greeley used to say on the money question, "The way to resumption resump-tion is to resume." So here on this polygamy question: the way for the church to show good faith is to exercise good faith. Jn no other way can it in the least impress tho non-Mormons of Utah with its sincerity. Certainly bald and evasive denials, in view of (he facts and of the record, cannot possibly have any effect' in convincing the public mind. If the Mormon church means to shake itself clear of polygamy, it will have to make a hard, open shake, one that all can sec is-made and is meant. 1 |