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Show WOULD ANNUL RIGHTS OF UTAH AS A STATE 5S J5 SIMPLY COUNTERFEIT . OF -RELIGION FOUNDED BY JOSEPH SMITH, SB. ; , "Personally, a do hope this affair ) will put' the Mormonism of Utah Sj before the public in its true light. Their whole Institution is simply a counterfeit of that religion founded bv Joseph Smith, Sr." THE REV. W. B. LA Rl'E, MINISTER OF (!) "REORGANIZED" CHURCH. . ment that Congress passed a bill by which Utah became a State, with the "Reorganized" Minister Makes Strong Attack on Mormonism as It Is Practiced in Utah. PHILADELPHIA, March 14. Abrogation Abro-gation of the rights of Statehood granted grant-ed to Utah la urged by the Rev. W. E. LaRue as a means of punishing the Mormons for their adherence to the practice of polygamy. Mr. LaRue Is pastor of the Reorganized Reorgan-ized church, Latter-day Saints, at Howard How-ard and Ontario streets. This denomination denomi-nation Is an offshoot from Mormonism, It rejects polygamy and other objectionable objection-able teachings of the church in Utah. Mr. LaRue said yesterday: "Utah was barred from admittance Into the Union until its citizens pledged themselves to abandon polygamy. It was upon the strength of this agree- peculiar clause, both in the enabling act and In the Constitution of the State that polygamous marriages were for- : ever prohibited. "It is remarkable that the construction construc-tion put upon this phrase, "polygamous marriages,' should have left the question ques-tion in sudh a condition that persons who had taken plural wives were left to continue their relations at the suf-franca suf-franca of a clause In the State regulations regula-tions punishing ' such associations as "unlawful cohabitation.' "Thus President Joseph F. Smith hides behind this refuge and boldly boasts of his defiance of the law. It is quite possible for "polygamous marriages' mar-riages' to be performed In the Temples In Utah, also In other ways, without 1 the officers of the law obtaining proof of such marriages. "With this condition of affairs polygamy polyga-my is seen to be on the increase Instead of decline. The present law Is not sufficient suffi-cient to touch the all-Important thing which Is to stop the practice. "The only adequate measure is for Congress either to repeal the act by which Utah became a State and place the Territory under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government and vigorously punish every man guilty of this heinous crime or else pass an amendment to the Constitution absolutely prohibiting the practice of polygamy in all States and Territories under jurisdiction of the Republic." |