Show editorials WHAT THE WATCHMAN SAYS THERE is a quickened interest in all parts of the country in regard to the growing powen power of mormonism in our western territories it ia is rapidly extending in its demoralizing influence especially in colorado and idaho where it claims to hold the balance of political power in utah there are thousands of children growing u up p with no other education than 1 what v hat the mormon schools furnish a and nd where the they y use an alphabet exclusively their own so that the children are unable to read books in the life english language they claim that the le relation is not the same as civil and christian marriage and that a state law imposing cosing penalty upon bigamy or polygamy agamy I 1 would not touch them who bo have a religious system of their own every enterprise that is started ed is made subservient to the mor imn mon church as far as po isible and pay one tenth of its earn earnings into the treasury trea sury iury of the church h the available revenues are thus very large amounting to several millions million yearly and furnishing abundant re sources for the propagation of the faith and the sustaining of its interests it is a great political power thoroughly hostile to our government its religion Is only a cloak to cover its nefarious practices and its political aspirations the above is taken laken from the watchman a religious paper lub published in boston we need no not inform our utah readers that the brul article is a tissue of falsehoods but I 1 people at a distance who wh k are not acquainted with a affairs f in this territory 0 seeing eel I 1 n 9 sueh such statements in an organ of christian J orthodoxy may take taw it for foi granted that they must be true oi or such a respectable and pious paper would not make them in BO sd unqualified a manner we will briefly refer to these assertions sert ions in their orden order immorm mormonism on does not claim to hold the balanca balance of political power in colorado olo idaho or ir any of tha tho the ter li tories named there are member of bf our church in those territories and such of them as are citi zelig of the united states have the same political righta as other citizens tio no moie boie more and the demoralizing influence encell they exercise consists of settling upon the soil and bringing it into cultivation building up neat little villages and tawni 4 living in order peace sobriety and industry erecting schoolhouses school houses and places of public worship minding their own business ness and interfering with no one everybody who tells the truth tru t los ios s constrained to acknowledge that they are are valuable colonizers and ii a desirable addition to the population and iet let the watchman write it down they uphold and observe the laws of the territories or S states ates wherein they reside the ma marriage 1 0 o laws included and in this rek t as in others are an example to most of the people who profess to be bi e christians in utah the children educated in the mormon schools use the same kind of books that are in lil v vogue throughout the countr country yVor for Por ing instance tance readers andE leinen tary spellers in some schools th the Paci pacific coast series rays bays a arithmetic Cor nells nelis and geographies Pin nocks grammar steeles philosophy pecks ganoos physics Ha mills elocution and other books in the english language the watchman should be careful when fathering the falsehoods that are in circulation about the mormons Mor mons and while eager to aid in passing them flem ilem tiem round would do better to state its authority for the rumors than to assert them on ra it own responsibility the foundation for the nonsense no doubt was the aid given to the reform spelling movement in utah by the arrangement of the deseret aph alphabet phaneta ph abeta a modification of pitmans ditmans Pit mans which was designed to fo facilitate the study of spelling but which has haa not lately been in use in our schools it was not dot intended to supersede the common alphabet but was learned by some of our child children ren in connection with the old form what we are said to claim about our marriage system is stated by the watchman in a singular mabrier man manner rier and is so foolish as to need no comment As to the tithing of every business enterprise we beo beg to inform the watchman and other other violators of the tho ninth commandment that no I 1 one is in such bondage here tl that ate he pay one onet tenth t or anything any thing else into the mormon church our church members pay tithes as a religious duty and it is altogether an ecclesiastical affair in which there is no subservience and enterprises of a business character are carried on as as in other athar parts of the cau country ohp fhe Keye revenues arising from the tithing are not billions jn illions annually nor a half of one million and they are arc expended n ded for the general benefit of the ae church the tho suppora support of the tiie poor tiie the erect orect lop iop of t temples and alid other othier edifices and various valous church uses and the leaders of our church are under exactly the ame obligations as others to contribute their tenth those who assert that these gentlemen appropriate prop tle ile tie funds for their own emolument or for any ulterior purpose simply talk about that cf which atie they y know athin pt nothing hIn or they lie lle h e under as great a mistake or spirit of calumny as the watchman does further this is a matter that belongs belonga to the people who pay ay their tithing and it is no onea onek ones business but theirs how much it amounts to or what is done with it the statement stat emont that our church is hosti hostile leto to ile government is all an oft crepea repeated ted but stupid and altogether groundless untruth truth there is not the me slightest excuse for it neither in sentiment nor in act has this church placed itself in political hostility to the government the church as an organization is not a political power its members have political rights nighta in common comm ibn ion with wl til other people they rhey nothing more they interfere with the rights and privileges of no political party and seek to deprive no person of the exercise of any political prerogative rogat lve ive but on tho the other hand such pious papers as the watchman aim to deprive u us of our political rights and tox toy to relegate us to a condition of serfdom Berf serf domi why just because we have a dafft different rent religion from tue doam dogmas as and clash clashing in g creeds of apostate christendom of which the watchman Vatch man is a representative this is gismot biot the first time that the bostonian exponent of orthodoxy has assailed the mormons cormons Mor mons with bitterness ness and mendacity and while hiie hile we have aavo had occasion to notice I 1 its to falsehood and anti antl christian chriatian spirit we have never had the pleasure of seeing it retract when its errors or calumnies calum nies have been refuted there is no enemy of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints so utterly atte r y unjust and untruthful in assailing us and our faith as s th the e acknowledged exponents of modern moderns purlous spurious christianity MEXICAN MISSION i co conference ON MOUNT on monday morning april ath at 7 6 clock elders moses thatcher thatch er james jamea Z stewart i rz 1 young and three native brethren bret hren bren left thie the city of mexico mexica and proceeded by the ballway Bail IW Iway way a distance of about 40 miles to toi ozumba reaching which we proceeded to the house of brother broth er lino zarate wilom whom wa we had baptized on jan of the present year yean H he and his wiro wife received us kindly and after ing jur of refreshments we spent the aften after afternoon noon in walking through the fields and viewing the tho surrounding coun country from a beautiful little tim ber clad mountain which ris nis rises res ses oil out 1 0 of f the valley J mediately immediately med lately west of the thib orchard surrounded village of chi mal located ber perhaps hapka hapia a mile mlle and a hail half southwest from ozumba dzumba among tb the thick pine dine treesa trees the lea iea leaves ies des of which carpeted the ground before leaving the mountain bro ting lamo zarate zerate being heing each in turn to the lord nord to prosper us on our contemplated journey on mount aloun whither wp desired to go to hold conn conr conference arence an and d 0 otherwise ther wise worship the god of israel israe leaving ozumba dzumba at 6 a m april we walked to a distance of bf about 17 miles and partook of a light breakfast while one of our bre brethren thren secured a horse t to carry our provisions and bedding at 8 a m we left the latter place for the mountain being nine in number dumber seven of whom weremey berkof the church we had two horses one of which was for use in n casely case any of ot the party patty should fall fail in aft performing 1 ld ruling at 3 p m after r having traveled nine hours ours save two brief stoppages we w e deac reached ed the upper edge of the timber lipes fifteen or sixteen miles frona ozumba dzumba the length of time required in making ing this distance can be understood whence when we explain that we had reached a point probably and feet aboyo the bei sei sea the last ten miles beling much lilethe like the steep sleep drag roads in utah over which wagons are never hauled our party were all in good spirits though considerably sider ably exhausted and having rested a short timo time huge quantities of pine pino wood were liy lly plied piled up for for lor our night camp fires we were no longer in a trop tropical leai leal clime for the chilling winds came down upon ui us from the ice lee clad rocks rocki and frozen snow extending downward moro more than feet from pie the summit of the thu grandest ando andt second highest highe st mountain on the tho north american continent for the attee alec name nta for smoking mountain is 17 0 feet above sea level H having a prepared and eaten pun pur frugal R meal we built a regular old fashioned camp fire around which we closely held beld a short and interesting meeting which whick wa was s opened with prayer by elder thatcher ner her elder stewart explained the object of the journey to be as above mentioned and trusted that each of the brethren would feel it a greit great privilege to serve the lord in such a p pure uro ure and hud holy place as we must feel t this his to baand urged all to be prayerful fu I 1 that we might berye the lord acceptably elder Silv sll Bil lano viano artiago nil nativo nit native tIvO elder spoke of the hope hode which gladdened his heart regarding garding ie the deliverance of his race and people from bondage superstition and ignorance ance it they would receive the truth brought and freely offered without money or price by servants of god yet expressed fear that many would stumble over ove raud rand and pass by as aa the priceless celess edless treasure of eternal salvation loving and hoping for the things of the world rather than the things of god said that a number who had joined the church plainly la in ay indicated by t their beir works that that they desired these things more than the truth brother ventura pais expressed a desire to increase in faith and good works and said it was a pleasure and privilege to be with his brethren whose company he appreciated and add enjoyed elder thatcher thacher explained how happy and great the forefathers of the Lama bama 3 were vere ere when thearo they re joicey people in serving ser v the god of their ancestors baid said that thab the present deplorable cond condition tian of blind blindness nessi misery and bondage of the mexican people referring jg to 0 the remnants of israel was the result 81 it of disobedience the killin gif af prophets and reject rejection ioni loni of god and his commandments by their heir progenitors ro g 15 centuries ago a servants er n to of godbe come to this peppie offering the means of deliverance ahdor and of salvation but obedience obed lehn lehm to the laws lars of the almighty is alone ione the medium through which ic h they gan can can be made pure hap happy py and free if the 0 remnants of of israel re reject this hib his the only means of escape as ws did their fathers they must remain hi in the their 1 r present wretched gondi dondi condition tion i of servitude bowing down to strange ga gods until they were iera willing to repent and turn to god glod with full fuli purpose of heart said those who wh d iove love love iove the truth will manifest it t by their thein works having received the light they will leeg let iet it jt shine while lle jle warning their neighbors our ur hearts bedr have been heavy and our souls have mourned over the indifference and wickedness and abominable pr practices eti etl of this people and yet we have pitied them knowing that they have been ol taught illi all manner lier tier ller of false doctrine to the corruption of their hearts the tha dire dirk darkening ening of their minds and the the oho pollution of their souls we come upon thal tha mountain far above the pollution abominable soul soui destroying dest practices which darken th the 0 valleys below that we may mayi surrounded with wim the sweet air alf of heaven and upon sacred uin un defiled dented ground pour out dur our souk bouk BOU sou I 1 earnest desires in prayer for fon th the people that light jo joy T peace h happiness ap and the freedom of the gospel may come to them meeting dismissed with prayer by brother femando fernando lara the night hight became intensely cold owing to which we slept but little for our bedding was not nott abundant the howling of mountain lions around our camp kept us irom being lonely most moat of the night might on the morning of april ath we were astir at 4 and having eaten breakfast and had prayers we commenced at 5 am to climb the mountain the first hour wa 60 occupied in walking through heavy black blaek sand h and nd bu burnt mf cinders not 1 unlike the formations at soda springs 1 I T three hours hard bard I 1 work brought us to the first ledge of reddish rock which glistened 11 like ilke ke burnished w pott erys we nye were ascending on on the southwest side bide and d had bad reached at this an niti tude ol 01 0 probably not lesatz le satU gan van an 1000 feet and notwithstanding the gret gritt exertion required in hi climbing the steep ascent we ive were obliged tare to re tai tal noun nour coats coata for the air seemingly wc dmd thinner and colder at ie leach ad h Me alep pandit and it becoming I 1 evident oatt that jt would be unwise ton lot home come of the faitolo party to proceed higher we concluded to hold hoid our conference here elder stewart prayed and the spirit af pf the lord rested po n us hearts ia to rejoice elder artiago followed by his own on request praying most aam earnestly sti y the tears rolled down his bis meeks cheeks that nod 1 0 ad iv haye have pity city upon lifs people and deliver dellver hustace his race arom from the dar darkness k that blinded their hardened their hearts there were nine persons oom composing posing the gathering ather eight in the church and one ong believer the other othen young joung man having bem ben left to watch cam eam camp elder stewart made some bome remarks pertinent to the occasion explain ipg that this day we ho honor nor non and commemorate i bad as ag the alst annap anniversary of the organization of the church and taen then proceeded by y ro to guest quest aest to present the presidency yohn john john taylor gedrge Q cannon and joseph F shuh they were merw merd i ach each b by v vote td unanimously sustained in their hall high and d holy calling the eleven Apost leswith ru tt as their president were susia ed in like manner and so were all the general auth authorities orlden of the church churell as |