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Show ASTI-3I0RH0X LAWS VS. TI1E BIDLE. To U.c Eddor. Permit me, if you please, to use your columns for Uie preeentaUon of some thoughts on Mormon disfranchisement dis-franchisement and the law thereof which, in my opinion, arc worthy of careful consideration and wide dlflucion. I am, as you aro aware, a rationalist standing ouUIJc of all churches, but with charity for all and malice towards none. I stand as an American asking only fair play, a clear field and no favors to any sectarianism ot any name or age. I am not an enemy of auy churcb, but am well aware that Uie Catholic and Evangelical churches would disfranchise me for my heresy here-sy as quickly as they would Mormons Mor-mons for their polygamy, if they should succeed in their eCorts to get control of the government. I am not an enemy of Uie .Bible, although I know it has been the bulwark of wrongs and crimes against humanity. human-ity. I simply wish to point out tbe truUi and Indues men to think; to warn them of the wtakuesa, folly and fraud of this anti-Mormon leg islation, and show tho remedy. I shall take Idaho law as my "text." Article vi, section 3, of the Idaho constitution, sayr: "So nenoa l l-ermittei t Mrt J a iror or hoU any civil oOce. . . . "fo Umnirncner leicbei. adriiet. cosbmH. aids or enenrm-es aT pwe- a eater rotn tesamr.poljtxar. 0 Kuril or 1U1 nimit orwboltamembtrotcr rcfUttbtm to the orport, aid or eaeoar-annual eaeoar-annual or air order. lx01"aJon'JtSi daUoa. corporauoa or rodely ttftlca testhrs. adiue Mtwli er a!di aT r ob la enteiat Infamr, roljsmr.or la'a Carat raam ." Tills law is Intended only for Mormons but as it does not declare that fart It Is pnper to eSecule it upon ChrlUanr ahd others if they come wikiiu iws eiaj The Mormons, It Is admitted, do now believe that polygamy Is a social and marriage relation ordained by God for tho Increase and Improvement Improve-ment of the human MCe. It is admitted ad-mitted that they have so taught. The recent state-cent cf th President of lie Mormon CSurch is in evidence thit they do not now teach polyg-amv polyg-amv or permit their people to enter Into it. If language may bo taken as of any value, tho whole anU Mormon agitation Is undermined andilestroyd by this deriaraUon of PrcsMect Woodrutl. But Uie Idaho Kd lemalns and will be executed to the exclusion of Mormons from the jury box, from ofllce and from tho pills. Ifposilble the sim-law will lie enacted for Utah. While anti Mormon agitation ought U stop, it will not. Hence it becomes nectsary lo criUdse the law. What, Uien. does the l mean by "leaching, aiding, counellng or advhim any person to go Into polygamy?" po-lygamy?" It dors not specify, add we muf tanswer that rjdesllon, It would ipjlear that Uiefnraers of the law had In mind personal aid In the act of marriage and verbal counsel loading thereto, but Uicy dlJ cot say so. Xow, theMormonsflnd authority for th-lr belief in and practice of polygamy In the Bible which they accept as tho word of (Jod. That the Bible traehe. aids and encourages polygamy and b!cmy, thrre is no room to tlcuhL That people can accri t tho Iliblo as tho in-Tallablc in-Tallablc word aod will ofUoil without with-out accepting polygamy and blzaniy as a inrt of that will, there Is no room to doubt. They may not practice prac-tice thoo relations but they mJst accept them as tho will of Ood. If they do not. the" Itlrr-y the InfI Hbliitv of the Bible. All ChriUan, exccpl the Unitirlin, accept the Initio as Uie Infallible word and will of God. Therefore all Christians accept olyiramy and b'gamy as Uio will of God. In refusing to practice prac-tice polygamy and blgiray they are infidel to their own Bible, thelrown rule of faith and prartlcc, tilelfr accepted ac-cepted will of OoJ. !t is true that tho clvllitatlon of today refuses to recognlsa polygamy and bigamy, but thatjs not the overthrow of the will of God. If Uie Bible really Is Infallible revelaUin, civii:iUon must be wrong In 11 altitude lo ward' thrse fa5u rehUons. To my mind thrrn is no difficulty here, becauw t d" net afecept tho Bible as the word an! will cf God. But to Uie Mormon auJ Uie other Chris-tia Chris-tia is U.ere Is a dilemma. They must either admit that the Bible is not the Infallibl- will ot God, or that clvllisatbu is wrong In this matter. Which do they do? The Mormons say Uie Bible is right, lmt that they will and do recognize the claims and laws of civilization and will give up, have given up. their practice of this nrt of Gjd'ii will. Rut tint fart does not weaken the other f wt that the BiVe still continues con-tinues to (each, all and encourage polygamy and blcamy. In enn tinulng to accept the Bible as the word and will of God the Mormons arc still being encouraged, aided and counelcd by Gad to believe in an J practice polygamy. God liceomes the chief violator of tho Idaho law and tueanti-Mormons should punish him. But the anti-Mormons arc citherchristianswhoaccepttbeBible as tho iufalliblewordand will ofGoft, or they are quasi Chrl'tians who support Uie churches, priests and preacher who accept the Bible, teach it, preach it an J Hold it ua as the will of God. They have Urns barred themselves agaln-t punishing punish-ing God as the alder of polygvuy among the Mormons. Tho moment Uiey should move In the matter Go I would arraign them for Infidelity and they woull discover that they were "condemned already." God woulJ say to them: "In accepting the Bible as my will; in holdiug it up as the only rule of fattn and practice; ln sending send-ing it to the heathen, you are aiding Uio belkf In polygamy. AH thst prevents Uie pracUcc of it Is your fear of public opinion. You arc cowards and hypocrites and deserve the damnation you thai! rtceivi"." The fact is, the acceptance of Uie Bible as Uie infallbte word and will ofGodis giving encouragement to polygamv and blgatny. Such ling tlie ca,"lt follow! that every Christian Chris-tian in Idaho and every non-Chri'tian non-Chri'tian who aids Chntian work baed upon tbe acceptance of the Bible as the will of God, Is equally guilty with Uie Mormous, and should be deprived of all rights taken from the followers ot'Jir-epb Smith. Everyman who brwhes tliat Uie Uiblo is the word of God teaches polygamy. Every person per-son who aids such a teacher aids jiolygamy. If Uie State of Idaho were honest it would disfranchise all such. Tliat once done, Uie only voters in Idaho would belheatheisls an J infidels who refused lo support preachers and ChrKIan mlssiout. Hut if Idaho were to execute t-ii law Iu this manner for one elecUhar day, the law would be Je-clan.nl Je-clan.nl uncouuitutlonal. The uucon-stitulionality uucon-stitulionality of It Is not lessened at all uy Uio hct that it is executed only upon the unpopular Mormons. Thus Uie injustice of tho law is seen nt ohcc, and all fair minded men must insist thatit is alurharous and depotic law, Uiat should be annulled. an-nulled. I have pointed out that the real culprit under Uils law Is GsiL But no procedure can be had there. Whit remains? Tho Bible. It Is the foundation of polygamy. Every acceptor of it as the will or God teaches ni Js, encourages polygamy. If polygamy is a crime, if tcac'ilug and aiding polygamy Is criminal, proceed againt the Bible. Suppress Sup-press Its publication, circulation and use in Idaho and Uie causa of the "crime" is at ouce removed. But if such a thing wire attempted Christian' nud Mormons would join4 to prevent It. Tiie Christians would gladly accept Mormon votes in such a contest. It could not be done. If. therefore, Idaho cannot execute lt law against Uie real culprit, if tho cannot suppress the causu of polygamy in her borders, she Ehuuld forever cease to rob and persecute the victims of au evil that sho Is lowciless to remove. If Uio Bible Is to rem tin as Uie infallible word and will of God, not only should no civil right be withheld from a Mormon because he believes in polygamy, but no law should lieenacted against polygamy and Mormons should be left to their on sense of the proprieties and the fitness or things as to how far or how long they shatl conUnue their faith iu and practice prac-tice of polygamy. This would be justice ard nothing else would. Congress should either condemn the Bible as an aider and teacher of crime, or restore to Uie Mormons Uie property virtually stolen from them by its unjust aud despotic law. But Congress cannot tnact a law condemning the Bible. Very well, let it then do the -other Uilng; Uiat islet it undo every act It has jossed against the Mormons and leave the whole Mormon question to be settled set-tled by Ihe Inlluencs of civilization. civiliza-tion. That would be Uie right thing to do and it would be Uie w be and speed v toiullon of the problem. Ciiaklm Ellis. |