| Show the mormon manifesto the silence which has hung so long a the councils of zion the reticence from tiny any attempt at argument in defence of practices pr well known to be in conflict with the prevailing principles ot of social poli polity tyso BO persistently main lave a at t length been broken ard nil who cared to read hive bare at length bien been hed through the column colura wt tot of the daily telegraph with nith a carefully prepared and well digested expose 0 ot the Nori mormon tion view of polygamy although and abounding more in rhetorical sophes tries than sub tn rew onion it Is i written with enough brcci ion to render its it aniam stir clear and nd containing in language tolerably lucid all that can be said in favor ol 01 plural ity it maybe jmj be taken as s indicating lb the e line of defense intended to ie be pu pursued aued not of that system itsell so 0 o much adof as of the ies themselves for or its ils practice at abold and manly and closet closes with ith a flourish orde of deflin flance cc which is not to be misunderstood but which would have possessed pots pois essed more force hid had the article brn been published in the official church or ato initial in iteal of appe iring in the columns of a piper which being unrecognized as ucb such permits the possibility of its being disowned at pleasure it s probably an emanation of the combined of the church council uttered littered after mature deliberation and therefore is to be understood as a kind of feeler put pill forth to sound bound public opinion and intended to be disregarded or r adopted a an a permanent policy ac fording to circumstances we have labored diligently to bring the ae leaders aders to this paint of declaring themselves 0 penly openly and have bare the vanity to believe we have not been without a certain influence fla inca in forcing the result this mormon manifesto atlease we have it and it is open to criticism without attempting this at present to thi the extent meshall ne shall content ourselves with simply glancing nt at some of what appear app carto to nt n as am the more salient points it is is claimed then first and last is ii insisted on indeed throughout that polygamy Is ii essentially a pat pait t of the I 1 mormon religion ioD while this is il true as a to theory in practice it is notoriously fal false s e true in theory because the 11 church carch polity is ia such that while the book of doctrines and Cove covenants nanta is pro a the law tho the first presidency of the church may at any time tup sup plant and render its dogmas a lea lead d ae let t ucb ruch a professed revelation on is L the ordinance adl pance of plurality false in practice because whether from a doubt of the authenticity of this pretended revelation or from disinclination large numbers of th lh people including nigh all the female portion regard it with cuch feelings of disfavor as permit them to practice it only with the greatest reluctance it has been it gid upon them with a perseverance Pe which exposes the motive and nd by this means many have bare beun been induced to embrace it who otherwise would never have bare done so while in dp de ance of bounel co unel 1 many more have bare steadily refused but bitt the point of this defense if point there bi be Is in ia the effort to make the practice appear a matter of conscience and therefore not to be meddled with by civil authority e ren even though it may infringe tb the laws of the land here is me of their strength streng tb the last ditch into which they intend to retire wh wb n ill all other positions become untenable able are arc even more mind I 1 than gati the roman pontiff if they cannot perceive at this late season that no man whatsoever his bis pretensions to divine permission can place his hia ordinances above the power of temporal or constituted authorities it is is the well established principle among all civilized nations today with one exception lut the ci ciril ril authority ti is paramount to all other and nd in the end taatto thatto which all other ether auit must succumb itic cumb the fil history story of overy e ri nation or of F europe mirope since inco and be fore the da daas ys of lh reformation Is IB little it else then a series of conflicts to wrench their elvil chil liberties from the grap arp p of a power t that bat li hid td seized them in toe name of religion if air cn can manage to persuade any number of misguided persons in other lands that he belsa helsa in tr truo u prophet and that polygamy Is it a divine institution he be must even together for the pro practice e tic of the latter portion of their omed creed in soiree ome spot of earth less lefts hostile thereto than this for here it is ab horent borent to the people tile the lawgivers law givers whom they create have so BO declared it and in these united bitten it should be remembered that on lIine voice olec of the people is the voice of god 11 I 1 vur our no notice 1 tice of this sem terni i official pro nto i is perhaps already extend td jbv b y jond and its ine merits rits but we cannot quit it without calling attini attention ion to one thing of f capital is i sought to be made hut but which is ii so perfectly per featly fallacious that it deserves special criticism wi WA quote 11 J bankruptcy is i a fearful thing to demand of one hundred thousand peal aco the Amerle for or more 17 demand P that they tile the I 1 fiill vir virtually tAlly idge themselves polluted their children lt tirl and as B thousand of of the yv young ng nati A ml w ifil in ielah ct it aearl M cr cf lw 7 portion that they the shall them delves eh c toe the meaning of all this is 1 ill ini ply that bebau a crime canne ilas lin been bacch committed anti and become prevalent solely through the agency of cri minnI lead leadens ets therefore the crime stielf iti elf must anist be legal iced nud nua the practice be perpetuated inor inor tier dr to timid shield the guilty guill front from their just juit Jet deterts erts murder arnn ina or morn morality lity inight demand immunity from punishment of their re queue but we should hardly expect the th claim to be recognized as ai le it is i very nao that this alin effort or ofilio tile mormon lender tl illi li eni ns as it is is impudent will till meet with as little favor for they alyin sa in effat ifju have made mil ie a law that flint we have 1 c broken so much tile the woree for tile law lavra lawa are sometimes wrong we believe ourselves infallible do not believe in in the law linne trampled upon it a a religious dut ergo tile thelna law must be repealed ri this is is the r to which inch these modern solomons would boull have tie iia arrive but it may ma be doubted if ordinary people will be able to tee things in m this somewhat peculiar light nor would it be a matter ol of prise should they jhc thc act upon very different con vict ic tiona ione taking into account the floal final flout or de lid flance nce which concludes tins this mot moat mo t notable production under tinder we MV deduce one or of two things that find ing themselves la in a dilemma from which they ibey tee eee no way ft ay iy to fo escape with be bloor 0 0 r by their own volition the mormon lead ers either intend to compel the govern trient to retort resort to force in in requiring rc ob obe c dienge to which hica they the willa un der peaceful ap pp protestor pro thy they will resist such baich action achion and court the consequence con 13 it will be seen that the former course is 13 not illious illi out tho the recommendation ot of sound bound policy since Bince as ai plurality is is claimed to be sanctioned by revelation ladon that position cannot be receded from without seriously endangering thu the reputation of the revelator for conis concis tancy fancy ut at least having received the strongest endorsement of the present fi first presidency of the church for them at least hast polygamy is 13 indeed not an item of doctrine which c can an be yielded and faith in in the system nemaia remain therefore we ire regard beird and do not wonder that those leaders regarded did the talk of col fax about another revelation as tho the merest twaddle aft iddle i ditt cut in in the event of their reporting re t to 0 the alternative ot of resistance to the execution of the law we imigine effectual means will be found to accomplish the object ought by the government and at the same time a avold old any serious amount of bloodletting blood bood letting without def deflating laing bat tile exact means mean may mat le be it ii i pre t n 1 ill wu MB IV tb the cormons mormons obey the thelia lair or mike make m ike them responsible for the full MIA ce of disobedience and we beg leave in in conclusion to express the belief that the anti polygamy law thun than which a more righteous was never framed will be enforced even though mormon ordination and rebellion should make it necessary to wipe alit mormonism Pin in blood a necessity nece sity we should sho lid be ba sorry lorry to see arlie arke and do not anthel pato |
