| Show f J MORMON LADIES ON PLURAL MARRIAGE THE tue mass meeting at the theatre oh on saturday afternoon was waa the result of a spontaneous effort on the part of a number of ladles ladies tini tin this thia city representative Ee mormon women originated the movement and the large audience that assembled cordially supported them and endorsed end oried the sentiments which they uttered the impromptu speeches were full of womanly earnestness nest ness and sincerity and the written addresses each esch ch of which was composed by the lady who delivered ity it carry with them unmistakable evidences of devotion to the cause they sustain there cannot be a greater mistake than the popular idea which the originators pt the present crusade are to foster that the mon Mor mormon mom women are opposed to the doctrine and practice of plural marriage talented ladies ladles who have proven their devotion to their religion by clinging to it in iii the face of death and trials trial worse worse vorse than death are among its very foremost advocates t es and thousands of loving joving wives and mother in utah ano aro as strongly atron gly convinced of the divine origin of celestial mar ringe as odthe or the divinity of jesus christ and resent any interference with their marital relations as strongly etron gly at least asony as any man inah can do the meeting in the theatre could be duplicated anany in any of the central towns of the territory and in the discussion of the Mor mormon question whether inthe in the pulpit the press or the Hall hali bof congress it ought tobe to be known and understood that our marriage sy system stern is upheld defended and advocated by the great greit mass masses of tile the V women omen of utah those who ioppold it forming a numerically meri cally minority we publish the speeches in full the he extemporaneous remarks being reported for the NEWS by brother georgev gedrge george JP gibbs the meeting was called to order orden at 2 pm byars by mrs urs zina zinn D young the house was filled in nearly every part miss bliss eliza jl snow was elected chairman of the meeting mr 8 11 kimball secretary and mrs augusta crocheran assistant secretary the then ihen bang eang the standard of bf zion after which the meeting was 10 opened by prayer by mrs prescinda kimball the choir again ban sab sang bang g on beng being called to the tho chair miss eliza IL snow said if it now becomes my duty as predent president at over ovel this assembly to 0 state the object pf af this meeting As saints of the living god and as those who have beon been persecuted and driven from our homes from place to place and now located in the valleys 0 of f tb these 00 mountains having been misrepresented from time to time we claim the pilvi privilege leg e to today day ol 01 of representing our gur se deives Ives As true and loyal american citizens w we 0 claim the night right of protection by that government under hll which hil ch we live ard and the free exercise rise of our religious rights itis it ia for the sake of our religion that we are located here and Inai inasmuch much aa as we th the a veritable woran ot of utah ulah those who came here nere aben ehla this land jand and soil belonged to io mexico end anAw ablo bo through our faith and prayers and indefatigable labora hors have as platea assisted I 1 in n reclaiming it making it habitable and beautiful we claim that we have under god andlinger and under linder the glorious constitution of our C country oun t rys which has been bequeathed to us bymer by our forefathers and which we believe to have been given by the inspiration of god through our noble progenitors to believe as wo we plea ples belo bedo seto to listen to the voice of god when whan he speaks to td obey him by keeping those commandments mand ments which he has hag delivered unto us knowl knowing ng that he has spoken in these last days by his i own voice by the voice of his well beloved son and by the voice of angels to him whom he raised up and made his prophet and beer seer that he has gathered his people together from the four quarters quarter guarter of the earth that he is establishing a government upon the principles of purity peace and righteousness we feel that it is our righetto right to worship God according to the dictates conscience without fear or molestation under the protection of that government which guarantees unto us the right of conscience and inasmuch as one of the most important principles which god has revealed and which he requires of his child children ien ibn to practice has been assal assailed led we feel that it is our right to express our views upon this subject before the principle of plurality of wives was known to be practiced by the latter day saints fc we were driven our prophet and pat patriarch larch were vilely massa creed and not one of the perpetrators of the atrocious deed has ever been brought to justice we have submitted to these wrongs wo we have suffered oppression privation hardships and misrepresentation and now we feel that it is our right and duty demands of us to express our sentiments I 1 am ain proud to state before this large and honorable assembly that I 1 believe belia belfa vein in the principle of plural marriage just aj a credla sacredly as I 1 believe belleve bell eve in any other institution which god has revealed and 1 I believe it to be necessary for the redemption of the human family from the low state of corruption into which it has sunken and I 1 truly believe that a it Con congress greba gresa of lc men who were true to thir their waves wives would conner confer ac a far fsr higher r honor upon a nation n add arid would perform b etter letter service 0 to tb the e country than a congress composed of unreliable hus hua bands virtue is the foundation 1 on of the tue prosperity rity 1 of any aby nation aud and plural marriage tends to virtuel virtue purity and alid holiness nesi v V arnd arid those who represent the women of utah and de il graded are either elther aiming to bring evil Know not what they are doing and I 1 feel that although I 1 deprecate the faise false and odious representations of our aw con eon and the vilification of our characters I 1 view with pity and with commiseration those who have banded together in our midst ca to work tip up a crusade that is cil cit calculated anid arid designed to subvert and to sever bever the most sacred ties tied existing between man and woman to separate husbands and wives to put the reproach of bastardy u upon p on their children and tram trample p 16 upon the holiest hollest affections of the tho human humah heart 1 I 1 say f X look upon them va with t h sympathy and commiseration thoy they are trying to measure arms alma wit with h the almighty mig laty they know not what they do dol DOI feel feet a of revenge towards them no my sisters bisters I 1 do not they are in the hands of god we are in the hands of god and to him we submit all these matters yet it is our duty as far as we have the arl privilege to plead oui our oun own cause realizing fully fally that it is better to represent ourselves than to be represented misrepresented inis mis and leave vengeance unto god who has said vengeance Is mine and I 1 will repay for this thia purpose my blat slat ei stars i ara era we have met together to express our feelings and to plead our cause the foll following dwing addres address was wag then read by mrs bathsheba W smith mith it is somewhat surprising that we who are the true representatives of the women of utah h having in connection with bur out husbands assisted aa debert in redeeming there these once onee desert valleys should be called ed to assemble a to vindicate ourselves against misrepresentations made by our bur christian sisters those who have arrived here at so late a date and forso for norbo so different aa an object wo we were our homes to seek beek refuge some bome somewhere where else elbe for the testimony of jesus and the word of god they know why weare we are here we came because we loved god and the tha principles of righteousness counting all things as dross drosa for the he excellency of the knowledge of god who had revealed himself in our day hoping that far away from a professed christianity we might live luperce in lu peace and him who had highly so favored us and live accordance with choso thosa principles piea plea which alone nione endless lives asa As a legai legal citizen af oft his this great republic I 1 enter thy most fervent protest against this unlawful fill and unhallowed crusade founded on congress has no right to interfere inter fere lere with our most sacred religion As well might that against baptism by Immer immersion stonas as against plurality of wives god has revealed these principles and they must be sustained with our own free consent our out husbands take more wives and when children crown around our shered sacred family altars we wd bow the knee and supplicate our heavenly fathers bless ingon our household ein eln his divine favor as legitimate wives with hon honorable drable grabie 1 children we regard dour ur husbands as men of true virtue and integrity who tike upon themselves so great a responsibility in honoring the laws of god and we wf bear beal them up in our faith and secret prayers pr ayere let our sisters in the united stakes know this aud instead of seeking special legislation to infringe upon our liberties alet let iet them rather take the hon honorable orabie part pard and protect us in our rights and thus make for themselves a nobler record A sis bis er zin zina a D young delivered thet the following fol Jol lowing extemporaneous speech tile ladled of utah whose i intelligent look upon n could I 1 have had a vision of BO so grand m a spectacle 0 years ago when as a church few in numbers we vye were were struggling fop for an existence antho on the tho earth I 1 question 0 n whether r I 1 then could have believed my eyes nor por could I 1 then have thought that god so great a bles sing slug thal that L should behold po 0 o goodly a number of intelligent ladies ladles wh who ph hate have ayo avo had the tho privilege v I 1 le y e of heing being ba baptized info christ chrisi af putting tatting ori on christ countin counting gt it n no 0 robbery with god dod to be heirs and joint heirs heire with his son wolf jesus it was for this purpose you and I 1 found a resting in these valleys of the tho moun as has haa been remark remarked eld Lid was not then united states soil the 1661 incidents denti donti of bali nur our coming here inthe manner we did thel fatigue tho the he suffering cold and hunger as well as the adart heartrending f scenes elenea nes through which we passed have oft ofton often been penned but oh ohl none can caff realize reallie them thern or appreciate fully our feel angs when contemplating those early experiences but bat those who passed through them those scenes have have passed but we are aro sometimes te reminded minded OF of them especially when crop pings pinga of the bame same spirit are witnessed in those who us bs in our rights which prompted those who forced ua us our sufferings the uhe of our holy religion that is assailed is one that ilus lies keep in my heart could I 1 ask aik the tho hearers toi isten could I 1 beseech the earth to be still and the brase braye men who possess tho the spirit of a washington to bear hear what lam about to bay say 1 J am the daughter of a master mason ram lam am the widow of a master masten mason who when leaping from the windows of carthage jail jall pierced with bullets made the masonic sign of distress but gentlemen ad addressing dressing the rep of the press tha that thab were present those signs signa were not heeded except iby the god of heaven that man the prophet bf the almighty massacred ma sacred without mercy he is now with those who are crying iwais a little longer until the blood of your brethren the la Is shed applause sisters this is the first time in my life that 1 I have dared to give ut tit terance torance to this fact but bull I 1 thought tl I 1 con pon could id trust my soul to say bay it on this occasion and I 1 say it now in the fear of Isra israels ells god and isay I 1 say it in the presence of these gentlemen and I 1 could be heard heard ty by the thew whole brotherhood of masons throughout abut our proud laud that lna ina institution ti I 1 honorof hon honor honer if its piea plea were practiced practised and strictly adhered to would there be a trespass upon virtue no indeed would the hon honorable orabie brable wife or daughter be intruded on with impunity fm v ani nay rf Ver nilly tilly lly liy would that the ladles dieb dies or of Ameri america cx with the honorable mra mrs hayes at their head would that ibe the he Con eon congress kress gress of 0 the united states he tle lawmakers law makers of our nation could produce a balm for the many elu which exist ih our land landi throb through kli tha abuse of virtue or could so legi legislate Blat 0 that be protected and cherished as the tha lifer which heaven given asli I 1 oom wey ve in common rith with mady many a woman through throughout orr our 1 d mould hall with withey joy he approach of such auch deliverance for such sucana Is tife th e deliverance that thab woman in in needs the principle of plural marriage Is a honorable it is a principle of the gods it is heaven borm born godre god revealed it to us among other things aba asa as a saving principle we have accepted it asb ass as sueh such b audd hd we know it Is 3 of him for util ahe fruits of it are loly worthy men and add women of old practised practiced it even the savior himself traces nis nia lineage lineave back to parents we wol are proud of the prin principle cipio because we understand its true worth and we want our children to practise ilso ilse iti it that through us a race of men and w women oi may grow up possessing sound minds in wound sound who shall liv live a to ake of ota A tree Y I 1 some bome of tha the ladies who have so recently come among mong musj have thought mit fit nit fit tp band wind together for what if they truly want to benefit and sex idt let them direct their labors lab iab ors orb among the many unfortunate women of the towns and cities from whence they came they chey cannoa cannot help us ils god alone cab caa do that and wa w ar aro e a ready already I 1 bless biess lessed edwith with co comfortable ancha and happy appy homes with rights and privileges which they can pan neither g give vo nor take fromes from jis and ard we are blessed with husbands wh whom oxe weha beha we have va 6 con 4 d e we honor them as th hey ha honor ai ar thein their god and let nie nio me te tell teil 7 lyou you J ply my 4 sisters there ther e aro are many good goott w women omen 13 in n our lahd and today to day who wash theli their husbands were as honor honorable abio ablo as durs ours and that they could je 9 to theirs thelis as we can ican to ours we wo our hus has husbands bailas w we e ove oun ort out ca children pdt eln gin and we love 0 our ak religion an dhere is abundance of proof in what we haye have 4 done that we are sincere the next nex t speaker w wag as mrs mr hannah ran T king who read i the following written by py herse herself lf r he heard rt in ili iny 1 youth duth of the tho perfect fre freedona freedom edons and the glorious liberty of america of the wealth of her cit citizens izene that there were no p ebur bur in n america I 1 that fraternity ana and edua edun lity walked hand in hand band handa that her constitution was vas the most faultless thing on earth that tho the fleiger of GA was palpable in ita its formation that thit the country produced rod prospects ecta grand aud glorious that 1 her hills were mountains m tind and her he rivers seas beag that he Worship 0 o ethe was fr fre ore eirand frand sed to all without any restrictions even though it were absurd d or to be so still it was as |
