Show THE SITUATION eron enon A L an ohio gentleman gives ills views on the utah question ohio april ath 1884 respected friends pride has for a long time kept me from addressing you upon a subject that has been first ta in my mind almost constantly for the past two years not being accustomed to communicate by letter you will excuse me if I 1 fail fall to make myself understood as clearly as I 1 would ifould like having been so ion lon long iong a accustomed to so called christian christia n civilization and knowing so well weli the treatment received by our fellowmen fel from those calling themselves christians I 1 had almost concluded that christianity was a fearful farce and revelation a fraud A better civilization founded on the true principles of christs teachings building up in the west should cause all ali true lovers of the true principles of christianity to rejoice with exceedingly great joy although many of ofus us may never be beso so fortunate as to enjoy the blessings of this better civilization while in the flesh all who have learned the truth will he be better from the knowledge gov murray is building better than he knows when giving his reasons for vetoing tile the recent enactments of the people of utah for the better conduct of the registration and elections in in your territory that bill must commend itself favorably to all fair minds the position of the governor to the contrary notwithstanding that god can even make the emissaries of the evil one assist in spreading the cause of truth is evidenced by this remarkable document of the governor simpleminded simple minded people who have never had an opportunity to associate with minds of large views like gov murrays Mur rays are unable to understand why the words marriage relation should follow illegal cohabitation before he can give his consent to a statute the clause is to accommodate those who have lady friends as many have here in the east who are regarded far higher than wives this it seems to me is the thy only reasonable reasonable construction that can be put upon his action for he surely can not be such an idiot as to think that the country at large will sustain his action thereby th ere giving him a further pretext to coil coh the slimy arms of fraud and deliberate falsehood around an innocent and unoffending offending people even 9 ii it be that plural marriage is a crime against law and morality it does not seem possible that there is ia a monster called a man in this nineteenth century who would reduce one hundred and fifty thousand free american citizens to the most debasing slavery for the reason that there is a small per cent of criminals among among them that a lawless and wicked mo mob b backed by religious fanaticism did some forty years ago despoil your peole i pie and drive them from their pleasant rard eard hard earned honest homes after deliberately I 1 libera tely and brutally murdering in cold blood your much beloved and noblest men has become a matter of history that is not now disputed by any an y one who takes the trouble to look up the fact this great injustice and contemptible coup temp tible outrage conce conceived ived and carried out by the very lowest low est depths of human depravity can never a again oain gain be perpetrated while the citizens of the united states enjoy the least vestige of a free government his excellency has for the time at least certainly forgotten that utah territory is a part of th the united states mates and that the right to free government is as dear t to 0 all the citizens of this country coun try including those of utah as it has ever been so long as the tle tae people regard the action of gover governor nor non murray as an attempt to popularize prostitution at the expense e x of plural marriage the matter will be given but little thought but should he lye attempt to invoke lle lae the aid of the general government to assist in carrying out his nefarious scheme there will ivill arise a storm of indig artion throughout the entire land greater than even the governor with his assurance dreamed of the better class of citizens of this city can more fully sympathize with you in the calamity inflicted upon you by bv the an of your present governor having avin but recently passed through scourges urges of both water and fire the remembrance re rembrance of which is kept vividly in our minds by the destruct destruction iou lou along alono our river front and in the wreck of 0 our u r court house witly almost all its contents euli euil accounts of both have reached you long iong since no doubt through the newspapers had it not been for the prompt action of the citizens of the state our lla laa paris ris of america would 11 ouid now have been a mass of shouldering ing ruins trusting that the great father of all will temper all our afflictions with ills his tender mercy and make what seems to us at times to be our greatest trouble and trials in the end to DC be our greatest blessings hoping you will continue in well doing continuing faithful until all are brought to a full knowledge of the truth as it Is in christ is my humble prayer respectfully yours 0 urs 1 J 1 I HA illies Il AIES ales Es |