| Show MONOGAMY AND POLYGAMY fhe following communication containing bome tome aniie considerable amount of sound sense which appeared in a rec nt number of the commonweal commonwealth ah denyer denver cly ci y C T was written not for publication in that territory as theauthor informs the public but to be sent A ta a friend in washington city by some I stake on the part of an individual in trusted with f with it Us 8 transmission it was left in the office co r 1 ot the commonwealth Common ConiO Tonu the editor supposing that it was intended for that journal pub dished fished it much to the surprise of the writer I 1 who was not well weli pleased with is appearance bot not because he was unai un wiling ling to face the bausic and defend the statements therein 11 t made but because it was hurriedly and care besly written and not intended for the benefit of the people of colorado to whom it was waa I 1 inapplicable happ i li cabie cable As will be seen from its peri josai bal bai tal the writer ia Is tolerably well versed in P alaway f history biblical especially fully as much eo so alvila W as the executive of utah whom he gives a few home thrusts which may be deemed per soda as they imply the absence of know t p ledge leage as well as verity the appearance of 6 the article in the NEWS will not of cour courser sebe be colasi considered dered a full indorsement endorsement indor of ili iii ill all the sentiments A therein expressed they are however lathe main maln very correct but the diction is BOme home somewhat what objectionable in a few instances i stair I 1 WHAT SHALL BE done DOKE IT this is ii a question for statesmen havene have we got any statesmen if we have why have itley they not prevented the present evis avis why do men in high places go on complicating and L evils la Is it tt nt nit enough that we have a war about the negro and are threat entel ened with a foreign war that we must have a j further farther complication by hasty and illy advised legislation about an obscure territory 10 lo bated in the heart of a de range of mountains these are pertinent questions brought out in part by the reading of the of goerner Goer nor harding hard ing as published by bk authority not only are thebe these questions erol emol evolved ved but I 1 1 shall presume to offer an opinion on this thia particular bone of contention before saying my say it is 18 necessary for ay my own vindication against the blindness and bl bigotry otry cf the world to assert that the writer ij Is innocent nin hin orent of any sj bj apathy with polygamy that be he believes in the du dual duil 1 l relation mhd t the duties and obligations of the family circle are arc teachings of nature and absolute necessities r which cannot be omitted without A the grossest wron wrongs gs to the innocent and helpless I 1 I 1 shall not argue the respective merits of the antagonistic social system with these I 1 have lave nothing to do we have no right to contemplate themy them except in the light of their 1 political relations rights influences etc it ia is very plain that the great barrier to the admission of utah mah ia is the plurality of wives this the governor deci ceci eci acl ires tres be he will not discuss biblically and yet he concedes I 1 i the toleration of the practice by the oid od testament but that under the new it must cease and ahn falsifies the facts of history I 1 by statin stating that it prevailed to a limited e ex tenta tent arlien when he luew knew and every eiery well weil rea read ad man knows that it was and continues to be the universal custom of all eastern nat st ons t t outside the pale of modern christianity the governor then asserts as a fundamental pro j I 1 position position obit ion lon that no n community can happily exist with an institution 0 n so go import important atit as marriage wanting in all those qualities that make it homogeneous with institutions and laws of neighboring civilized civili ned sed communities baing having haing the same object 21 the subsequent tat lat rational lonal ional 0 al processes of the governor should teach him and all others that the less les we ire meddle with thit peculiar arrangement by law lav or force and the more we leave it to that inevitable law and destiny which awaits special and universal conditions and arid relations aut antagonistic agonistic to majorities the sooner we shall be rid of their discords bat congles was out of employment and must needs stir up more strife and hence a lav law to test the legality and constitutionality of the social system of an obscure mountain bound territory next in the gramme pro is the of action on their application cotely for the purpose of testing their unconstitutional legislation on the subject ot of marj marj elage after the passage of an eL enabling abling act and acx the formati formation cn of a constitution in accor dance therewith and sending their delegate to 0 o washington the omission of action was not only coly a slight but an outrageous t the object of which is too apparent to be mistaken and a all ati the sophistry ot of gov harding cannot conceal it ilia his recommendation ot of canoua census taking was adding insult to injury that congress has any abstract aba tract constitutional right to legislate on the subject of inetri diony I 1 most emphatically delty deny it calf cali can only be attempted on a far and implied in inference ferInce and that inference ia is not as clear as the right to lei lel legislate blate slate on the admission of slave states our lathers lever bontem 1 i plated equality in political power between orth oreb and falth they never expected to a new slave elave state knocking at the door 1 for ad mission admission they sup supposed ased the ab ollion of tle the th trade would cut off me the supply and slavery I 1 would die out and hence new states might le he added provided their form ws vas republican ican 1 ilat new ilen territory and ner nev ney siave clave states haye have F been added the prevailing custom was the dual syi syl system tern in social life anil antl the modern interpretation terp of the new testament the rule of society on that subject hence the pre bun sun eption that abere would be no digression and hence the omission of any constitutional provision pro or con again it should be remembered i hat the universal practice has been to leave to the states the enactment if f penal laws for the violation of the he dual system this is a novel case and should be handled bandied diacre discreetly aly jf if the territorial legislature of utah has failed to enact their plura liy in ift form the constitution fails to con condemn demit or forbid it and the question is not only open but it is complex it must also be conceded that though In marriage arriage with us is a civil act which the magi istrate binds and releases it ia is also a religious act instituted according to the pop ular raith faith in the guden G uden aden of paradise for mans 1 especial benefit t cand tand and god saw that it wa was 8 not good for man to be alone it is therefore plain that our practice aa well will as the legal sanction of our statutes are the results atour of our popular theology theo logy in proof of this I 1 only cite to the fact that thousands of our people refuse to be married by the civil elvil magistrate espee alleif he be belongs rim not to the household of faith originally in its sources the marriage system was wholly divine and has been made civil by modern innovation they the he cormons mormons Mor mons adopt the tha ancient idea make it excursively excusive ly religious ioui loui bind their consciences OR earth and determine their destiny the destiny of the wayward hesitating and resisting sisters who re fuse to be sealed pealed and aid in their divine mission and duty of multiplying and replenishing in eternity they claim the bible and so do we they claim jo smith aa as an inspired teacher while a very large part of our civilization claim that god calls and sets men apart specially to the work of the ministry expounding the word and saving boulb soula i 1 inthe I 0 the reasoning mind the di Terence difference is not great additionally to all this chev confirm their doctrines by miracles fe they claim with much show of consistency t the h e ancient gifts they have prophecy tongues interpretation of tongues and what ia is more paip anle anie the healing of the sick by laying on of hands bands while hile hiie bile we ignore all such euco evidences and confine them to the early and dark ages agee of christianity now then seeing that both systems are born of 0 religious element in man that all nations not accepting modern christianity and not cot claimina claiming cia cla imia divinity for their sanction not only adopt that which is most convenient but the vely opposite oi of our practice would it not be well to pause and consider who has the best authority who has the clearest sanction of the common authority for this very purpose I 1 now write I 1 would like to gee eee justice done I 1 would like to see statesmen pause and tremble before they torce force on us and the world another war involving not a merely moral or political antagonism but a fight e which essentially involves a religious c controversy for after all the popular prejudices in the states on this subject are the products of heir their theology now then I 1 affirm that the mormons cormons have the advantage of us it was universally practiced in the early ages of the world 1 I mean wean historically ad it was taught permitted and practiced by the jews in its most odious form wives and concubines as the special and chosen I 1 people of god ad the toe old od testament in no case condemns cond emna it fth pol polygamy gamy was the common practice ce at the time of christs advent and subsequently during the period eth the new kew testament no where aher presents an emphatic denunciation of the practice it 11 11 simply contents itself with jeneral descar descriptions p ot of the relation defines their duties and requires the bishops and aders E ders to be the husband of me one wife thus permitting by a fair legitimate inference the laity lo 10 adopt the common practice without of of rence fence just as the M E church tolerated the budig and selling of men women and db children ildren lidren by the laity and denied that privilege to the bishops I 1 do not propose to argue this series of assertions sert ions all but the last ire fre known to schoolboys and the last would be known it common sense and reason prevailed instead of ignorance superstition bigotry and general intolerance of difference of ov opinion modern civilization has adopt edthe dual system and theologians construe the new testament to harmonize with their views I 1 unhesitatingly affirm that no man can put a legitimate conr construction st Bt upon the new testament and clearly condemn the of joe smith it is proper to call public attention to another fact we are compelled to tolerate the polygamy of all the indian tribes nearly in the country are not alot the wiseacres wise acres alarmed at this innovation thib this incongruity this bar and yet there would be about as much reason in a crusade against 0 the sioux the Arapah oes etc as against the poor deluded Mor mormon morg more with all ali altheir their thein quis achs they have their uses they have peopled the desert they have bave made the wilderness to blossom ai al the rose they havo bavo sustained life in the f fastnesses alstn fast eases cases of the rocky al in the face ct of perpetual snow 5 like our pilgrim fathers the they y fled from civil ad reiugio is a intolerance from ohio Ohi othey they fled to missouri thence to illinois thence to salt lake iley ibey they have energy zeal faith they are a brave people they the area are a feebie feeble ft appe ppe ope it Is to an impossibility that they cao can harta baria ca us it kt is to us a watter matter of no con gehu sequence ence whether they are admitted as a state e or not so long as they do not invade us so long as they leave undisturbed our great lines of travel we should at least to enjoy unmolested their peculiar views and let those uniting their destiny with them endure the consequences of their indiscretion I 1 say let hem them alone if you want to increase their faith and zeal and make converts persecute erse cute them make martyrs of a few bing brin them to the faggot and stake let a few of them die amid the flames testifying as they would 2 their unshaken faith and you will only increase their numbers if the boasted civilization of the century and of people is not sufficient to tolerate and quietly eradicate this social heresy without violence then this heresy ought to survive and its ita op p position ought to peri perl perish sli sil i this great nation should remember that though the cormons mormons have erroneous erron eoin ideas and bad practices their persecutions have been of the nature of mob violence and in many cases unjustly u 11 aus aly severe and brutal the innocent have hav buffered reg with the guilty that they should feel soured is but jia ria natural tural that they should retaliate in the same spirit and with the same reckless disregard of innocence or guilt is also natural this is a part of their religion and the sword may compel oed obedience lence but it seldom wins affection lenity 1 conciliation toleration tiou tion mild measure measures should be used deny them admission if you like but practice rio iio fraud no deception tell them squarely what you mean and in the end you may succeed but any attempt to legislate away a mans faith in his prophet or god is folly is madness I 1 have thus written because evil counsels prevail I 1 have no sympathy with mormon ideas or customs but I 1 deprecate the waste of treasure and blood when ni nr good can come cosne of the waste JOHN jonn B worra 1 |
