OCR Text |
Show l ' .- -TI1E1"TI-"JI0R3I0 POSITION. !? For at least a quarter of n cense' cen-se' tury It was claimed by the active opioocDts of "JlonnonUm" tbat - UieeoIecauMiof their hostility to the Latter-day Saints was tlie practice ' . of plural marriage. "Polygamy," i- ' r- was the b-.Ule cry of tlie cnifaderp, ft" and it arou-ed an intensity of reel- ."'' ;.' '""S among all classes tbat was .- really wonderful, considering the social condition of Christendom and fc; theltxityof private morula through- Ji " 9"t the civilized world. Mti ' Even that alleged objection to the 3?Jjt - "Mormons" was uiged on false ifcwlf . premises. Tlie polvgamy pictured 5jgg!Sg;. by agitators of th question was a -" highly colored and distorted bur- Sggty, les-ueof tho "Mormon" marriage ft?S frystem. The anti-polygamy de- j-Jtef,' clalmers celJom, If ever, told the rffci truth. And when any circumstance. J occurred in Utah of a scandalous KSjj"? character, although It was utterly fcrJSr' foreign to the faith and customs of 3Jfc the great body of the leople, it was 5? 'S proclaimed in exaggerated form as a s" j!f-i fair exhibition of polygamous life vjj; , and its tendeuclt s. "5 . If a "Mormon" boy went to the MJj'" bad, led an ay by temptations placed pijfe: in his path by auti-"Mormon" In- KgS Jluences, or a "Mormon" girl suc- fc"J8 cumbed to the wiles of a "Gentile" pfiJM libertine, even though the boy and rSJ the girl had been reared In mouo- LVf f-amous households the lapse from jS?3 rectitude was pointed out as proof of "jlgfe the evil results' of polygamy. And Jifa, people living where iuch departures 5jfe from virtue wero common and mou- Si ogamy was the recognized rule, ac- ''Si ceptcd tho illogical and ridiculous 'j&k. ' conclusion as correct, and, unmind- SsgL ful of the sights and scents around sKEg thsir very doors, rolled up their eyes 'JJFlX. in pious horror at the terrible fruits 3?V " of ilygamy in Utah. Mi Friends of the "Mormon" people dgp3 who knew their worth as citizens of fgHjgj tills great republic, and who honestly thought this polygamy cry SgaS? was genuine, i-trongly advised the SPi. Latter-day Saiuts to renounce their jStf peculiar marriage regulations and Sg&S conform to the funeral tenUnient. PS They believed that if polygamy 41J were putin abeaucu all opposition Jjgm to the "Mormon" i-eople would JH? ceae. - """ But through it all the thinking SfflSj men among the Saints knew better. JjS'gr" They haid again and again that the fgrat 'polygamy cry was but a pn text. jg That these who shouted it the loud- JE tt cared about it tho least. That fife- the most unvirtuous of men and SEs women were among tho bitterest gf& opf0nent8of plural marriage. That affiS if polygamy wero utterly abolished aBEfif among the '-Monuous" the opposl- lf3 tion against them would be no less ., intense. That the power of the 5& Priesthood was the real object ol fcijjtea Satanic liatred, and that the aim ol Bp the devil and his hosts in and out of Sig . tlie flesh was to tfestroy that power JE3 anJ dritit from the earth. SSi Recent history has demonstrated gfiigi - the trutli of their statements. The SfPjSf practical pulygamlsts liavo been SSfi deprived of all political privileges fjjS for several j tars. They have been Sfejat- . hunted, plundered ami imprisoned, Egfip their family relations have been g; r -ruj-tured, aud their dependent fggQ wives and children harassed, tor- JP menU-d and distressed. Stringent SEf and oppres-ive laws have been , cruelly and unmercifully enforced. S" r The practice of loligamy has been (-." sujjwuded if not suppressed. The j" mouogamlc "Mormons,-' number- Wjfr, '"S a verv large majority of the HH c population, have taken au oath to mL obey the las of tlie United States ?,' in reference to this practice. The g,- doctrine. is not now taught by the jR; :' leadersand ministers of the Church. Bt Much more has been accomplished Bjjfe than was expected or even asked Big ' for when the matter was so violent- KjEj 'y agiUted. jt-S , But does all this make any difTer- SBfr ence to the hostility against the Ik, Church of Jesus Christ of latter 3." Day Saints? Is the warfare over? gj-, Are Uie professed antl-polygamists HJ- any better satitfied? Xot at all. K Satan rages as before. His agents 8 ' and emissaries are as full of venom i Ml. asever. What is their tiiwnt mi r. W poe? It is to reward those "Mor- gs " mous" who have sworn to obey the mt lawi, by placing them on a political ft 1 " level with tho un reformed polyg- ?f. i amlsls. Will it ba claimed now that the p-' pursuit of the "Mormon" people, -J still followed, is on account of poly- ;-e gamy? Xot by the political wire '" imllers among themselves. Xot by f the plotters who are workiugfor pelf .. and place. Hot by the writers for j the press who have passed that fj, t stage of anti-Mormon ignorance. A few dull Congressmen, purblind phi- t, losophers and dense pulpiteerB may i?v still echo the old cry, but the rest ltf give It up. "" What will the disfranchisement , of memogamic "Jlormons" accom- l" plish toward tbetxtinction of jialy- ? gm? What encouragement will it oiler for the abandonment of poly- - gamyamang tlie "Mormons?" The i , measures now seriously proposed In I , Cun gresa are not framed against I I - polygamy, and excejit on the surface , - - do not make any pretence of such a J purpose. Thsy are simply designed to turnover the jll lical affairs of r this Territory into the hands ol the i minority. In order to effect this, Lf souieshowofexcusemustbeofleredr ti But that A hich is spread over -these : ' ifineasures is of the thinnest and J jraost transparent material. ,, - This Ij tlie position: Tho mono- r gamlc "Mormons" are very largely lu the majority in Utah. It is " " feared that in a political contest on f"t Jn 'tional questions they would be " , -s chiefly Democratic. Utah is wanted . ; . . as a State, to strengthen the hold " " which tlie party in jm er has upon ' the country. The "Mormons" ; ' counted out, that party would a have a pretty clear field. "Count 'J them out, then! Frame an K .-g A oath no Mormon can take. Say P - "5. nothing in words about belief, but & '"- mx its terms mean, no man who ' believes in the Mormou religion : can vote, or hold office, or serve as r a juror. Then the way will be open and the object can be achieved. And Uioughlhomeanscmployedaro monstrous and u npreceUented, if the old jolygamy cry Is worked in so as to deceive tho multitude, the conn-i conn-i try will not know hut It Is an antl- 1 polygamic necessity and will there- 3; fore ofTer no opposition." It is a H - political echeme; it is a party ex-1 .f s pedlent. ' Tho actual, bonaflda Democrats A among the Utah antl-"Monnons" are comparatively few. Ko man is a Democrat ho works for minority rule. No man is a Democrat who advocates test oaths and religious disabilities. No man Is a Democrat who plots for the political robbery of the citizecs that ono man may exercise ex-ercise autocratic power. No man is a Democrat who would Increase tlie appointing authority at the expense of the elective franchise. No man is a Democrat who would destroy the ballot and place an Incipient com-monwealth.Just com-monwealth.Just developing into the liberty and majesty of Statehood, In a position of political serfdom, the toy and the victim of an irresponsible irresponsi-ble oligarchy. Professing Democrats Demo-crats who favor such tilings are sham Democrats. They are apostates from the l-arty and its prindples,and to be despised by honorable members mem-bers of either party. The opposition to "Mormonlsm" will go on, no matter if thrje Is not a practical polygamist left alive to defend It. It will be hated and misrepresented if every man who believes in it Is deprived of the ballot. bal-lot. The Church will be lied about and -nirsued if every dollar of its property Is confiscated. And its priesthood, ministering for the salvation sal-vation of the living and the redemption redemp-tion of the dead, will be maligned, abuced and hounded by the Destroyer Destroy-er and his aids, no matter what excuses ex-cuses for this antagonism have been swept away. The conflict will continue con-tinue till the turning of the tide, the incoming of the fullness of times and the advent of that Power which shall subdue all things and establish the rule of right. Meanwhile tlie Saints need not fear nor be at all discouraged. Nothing Noth-ing can happen hut what will bo overruled for their ultimate good and the glory of those who endure unto the end. "Herein is the faith and patience of tho Saints." The prophecies must be fulfilled, the wicked must have liberty to fill up the measure of their Iniquity, and an opportunity must be afforded for the making bare of that mighty arm which is to bring deliverance to Israel. "Zion prospers, all is well!" |