| Show ABOVE THE LAW 11 OE OTE ot of the falsest as well as most frequent charges against the mormons cormons Mor mons is that they are generally hostile to the law if th the 0 statements made by their enemies dem WPM are to be believed the people who 1 made utah and brought it under the dominion of the united states are in a chronic state of rebellion against the government it is supposed that they came to the mountains modnia ins to set up an independent commonwealth in its spirit and intent to the nation which had failed to protect ita people from mob violence and religious antole intolerance rance the cry of rebellion has been raised against the mormons cormons Mor mons whenever any renegade official i 1 wished to cover up his ill III doings in this territory or any company of sharp specula speculators tom smelled an opportunity port unity to make money by fat contracts it is anlu aniu amusing allig when reading the comments of eastern papers on utah affairs 2 to note the manner in which they allude to the lawlessness of the mormons cormons Mor mons as a well known and settled fact the truth is there is no community in the united states who have a greater respect for constitutional law good order and national and local authority than these same in maligned aligned mormons Mor mons 31 to bein with obedience to thelah the law is one of the tenets of their faith this is inculcated in revelations which they hold hoid sacred here is a quotation from one of them let no ahn break the laws of the lanu land for he that keeneth th the a jaws abel of god hath bath no need to break laws of the land and again therefore 1 I the lord justify you yon and your brethren of my chy chi church ach in befriending that law which is the constitutional law 0 of f the land I 1 and a as pertaining to I 1 jaw aw of kanj man whatsoever is 19 more or jess less than these mese cometh of evil 11 then tilen the people who compose the community which has redeemed this tilis onee once desert waste are naturally law abiding They have been mostly gathered from froni coun couil tries where the law is paramount not only in ju theory but in fact their thein frugality industry tion in labor and quiet tena tenacity cily to principles athey hold to tobe be true are I 1 incompatible with turbulence and lawlessness no instance of rebellion can be cited against them and no infraction of law on their part can be substantiated the mormon re bel bei bellion llon lion aa as it is called was simply resistance to an armed body of men who attempted to march into the territory singing ribald songs burdened with boasts of intended outrages upon women and threats of violence to leading men no notice of daany any kind was served upon the then governor of the territory that they were ordered here by the government no official intimation IV wab was 9 eiven given iven that be bb was superseded to t the h e people of utah those troops i were simply a formidable a and nd threatening mob until word came from washington and then they were permitted peaceably to enter 0 our ur borders if but there is the violation of the a anti polygamy act yes A law plainly unconstitutional and therefore for evoid vold void A jaw framed purposely against a religious tenet and practice which had been established for year biars the 11 mormon marriage system was not instituted in opposition to that statute but buttee the statute was enacted in illegal hostility to 0 o that establishment of religion but do not your public speakers declare that they are above the lawf in the sense in which all al citizens should understand and act upon the sentiment yes in the nonsense eliae of its application by our traduce traducers rs no the only way war in which we strive to live above the law jaw is by aati acting ng so that the law has baa no valid valli claim upon us no man or woman is under the la law who keeps it in letter and spirit they who violate no law oco occupy udya a higher place than any enactment it cannot reach them they only who place themselves under the law jaw by infraction of of its provisions are within its grasp or in danger of ot its penalties there may mays possibly be nals among mong us who are liable to the law and in fear of its terrors ter rork but this cannot be said truth truthfully full tuli y of the community on the contrary the masses of the people who built up this territory with their leaders entertain the highest respect for all actual laws human and div divine ne and in every country in which they may sojourn their faith instincts and inclinations lead them to observe the regulations peculiar to the locality whether they deem them wise and just or foolish and oppressive they have endured abuse aduse with without ou resentment 4 violence without retaliation and horrible persecution without reil resistance stance though unshielded unshielded by a government which should llave have secured to them theril the nights rights of citizens aa as soon as they reached this asylum by the borders of the lake they unfurled the stars and stripes to the mountain breezes and sought bought at once to secure national recognition as a new state in the union they have never re belled they have never repudiated the constitution they have never inculcated or yielded to the spirit of revenge but in their past trials and their present prosperity using the phrase in its proper meaning and intent it can be far more truthfully said of them than of most mow people in iii this nation that they live above all ail constitutional law |
