| Show NOT A orlue CRIME AT ALL IN ITSELF IN the vic late decision of the courton court of the territory in the reynolds caselt is remarked as a palliation fora for a certain alleged error in the lower court that some cf aurora might have been supposed be of the opan opinion lo 10 n that the defendants offense offence was not a great crime the doctrine that polygamy right having been sham shamelessly elesey elesby preached and proclaimed and in tuis thia territory Teni tory from its ita first settlement to tho the present time if any of the jurors had supposed that the statutory offense offence named was not a great crime they would have supposed quite right if they had supposed that it was no at all in itself they would supposed quite right if they had slip supposed posed that kind of marriage was intrinsically as moral as sacred as honorable as any other kind marriage they would have supposed quite right eight there is not a sentence in the bible that thai goes to prove the plural system of marriage wrong if god commands a people not rot to marry at all is ii wrong for them to marry if he commands a people not to barrry more than one wife it it wrong for them to do so but nut there is not one word in the bible to say bay that marriage of itself or is morally a crime not one neither is it within the power of the supreme court of utah to prove that such marriage is morally a crime great or small assertion is not proof no matter whether a judge or anybody else makes the assertion anything may be made a crime statutorily but that does not change the moral nature of the deed the roman catholic church considers mono marriage on the part of its priests a great crime the united states considers that marriage is a crimo crime and has made a law to so designate it yet neither nor marriage is P a crime of itself in some communities in these united states where poly camio gamio marriage is considered an awful crime moral perception of the people Is so 0 confused that they llave have actually made prostitution legal by licensing I 1 it t and such a law is i very powerfully advocated and numerously supported in many othor other communities in this country that would rage fearfully if any one were seriously to propose e to legalize poly gamio gamie marriage at tho the same ime time the bible has not one word condemns cond condemnatory emna tory lory of that kind of mar ria iaze laze e but it mp eg presses ulues and pungent condemnation of all kinds of adultery and kindred crucs milton Cli cil channing anning luther ane anc thon zwingle bacer selden belden paffendorf puffendorf Puff endorf bishop burnett rev bev madan and many others have uttered and recorded their convictions to the deflect that le marriage is eminently scriptural and morally right men may not like this thing that thing or the other but they should be fair and consistent in the expression of their likes and dislikes and not misname things nor call certain things great crimes which are not great crimes nor even crimes of any magnitude at all of themselves but are made merely statutorily criminal by the injudicious laws of erring men le marriage then not being morally a crime crimp but rather a virtue an and as the apostle says honorable in in all why should there be any shame maui mauf fest gest in those who preach preachy proclaim or practise it we ve fail fall to see any whatever why should a man be ashamed of doing that which is just and right and honorable in all |
