Salt Lake Telegram | 1927-06-03 | Page 11 | As I Remember

Ew Ewy 4 y Vi Still continuing to comment on conditions in Utah In 1859 as ns he saw them Governor Arthur Aithur L L. Thomas In his annual report to the secretary tary of ot the tho Interior said The last official expression of the Mormon people with regard r to polygamy polygamy po po- other than tho the proposed state constitution formulated In 1889 was mado mad on May 2 1888 1886 which read rad as follows to fo Is As our religious faith It based upon evidence which to cur minds Is conclusive lotions coa not notto notto notto to be destroyed by legislative enactments enactments enact enact- ments or Judicial decisions Force may enslave the bi body dY but it c cannot cannot can can- m- m not convince the mind To 10 yield Ild at the demand of the legislature ure or judge the rights of conscience w wohld prove us recreant to very every duty we Wc owe to God and man Among the principles of ot our religion Is that thit of immediate revelations from God one of the doctrines so 30 revealed is s celestial or plural marriage e for which ostensibly w we e are stigmatized and hated This is a vital part pirt of our religion the the decisions of If courts to the contrary This candid admission of their Is Its ts true today as when H lL was first fust made and it expresses the situation at this time Some young oung Mormons probably at the late election broke aw away ay from the ancient an an- dent clent discipline and voted as they pleased I h hope lipe pe the number 11 will be increased at the next election In that way the church Is losing a few adherents on the outer slue sille but there Is no change in tho the position of the leaders and the sincere ere Mormons Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons will never renounce pol polygamy gamy until they are Convinced d that God has commanded them to do so and they will whenever they have the power enforce and nd practice polygamy polygamy amy and every other Interest o of 01 the church whether it conflicts with withlaw withlaw withlaw law or not and will VIII believe that in inso inso inso so doing they are serving nerving the divine will and will gladly accept any punishment which may come to them because this Is the spirit of the martyrs The gentiles claim that the past and the present his history of the church does not support this claim j that the church Is a n political 01 organization organ organ- gan- gan with alms aims that are poll political I and that It manifests peater zeal zealin In preserving and perpetuating Its Us political power than in promoting the religious purposes for 01 which it was ostensibly organized They call attention to the fact I that the money which It collects collect from its people as tithing under tn tile the plea of r religious duty is mainly used in promoting political ends inand inand in inand and out of the territory and notably notably nota nuta- bly In Washington the caN capital tal o othe ot of the nation The Mormon people aro are constantly constantly constantly con con- advised to be united in their thel temporal and spiritual powers This Tin advice does not come from the layman layman layman lay lay- man but is given from the pulpit A of temporal anti ant spiritual affairs means that the people mus must be obedient to counsel and th the counsel always emanates s from th the high priesthood J. J A