Show chele SIDE OF IT A mass meeting of mormon women media in favor of tho the doctrines plural marriage was lately held hold in halt salt lake city about 1200 w women 0 attended the meeting no men were present except the reporters and very few gentile wo men were among the audience from what we can g rathar the meeting was waa fairly representative and what do thebe theae bodien abo must know the meaning of f plural marriage from experience say in regard to the twin relic relle they were enthusiastic in their approval of ilas a company of methodists would be over class clasa meeting gg they declared plural marriage to beadi vine institution and one that WAS fraught with bles bies blessings slugs sings to them this declaration does not prove the fact for we know that thai many hate fill till curses have before n now OW been declared biet blet blessings sings buethe but nut the tho distinction to be drawn Is that those who profited by the social curso curse have heretofore praised it while here on the other hand halid the supposed victims are ithe eulogists we do not remember to have heard that during the existence of sla sia slavery thes thea the layes slaves held a rn mabs mass meeting to praise the peculiar institution een pen eer hapa this mass meeting simply bear beani witness to the excellence of mormon discipline if so ao that discipline pline can not nob only keep unruly pas passions eloria in check but can change human nature there can certainly be no objection to agitation against the doctrine of plural marriages there ia Is every reason in favor of discussing the 1 question I n in all its forms A doa trine of this kind cannot justly claim immunity from criticism but nut discussion is one thing and repression is ja another the of the united states should carefully avoid avold any thing that savors of oppression for conscience salie sax sak e lla kis majorities jorj jori ties may shift the minority of today to day M may wyt be in me elie majority to morrow I 1 if it la Is once dee dec declared lareo that the majority may prescribe the opinions of the minority what hoper hope would t bere pere here dere be of the continuance of toleration the practice of plural marriage maybe may be denounced als ala s very odious and reprehensible and jet yet there are millions of in india who are polygamists iata and at the same time rood good suh sub subjects dems jeAa of her maj majesty esty the queen or great britain and em press of india the british authorities ties do not attempt to change their opinions Ds nor deg degrade trade this practice into a crime A practice might be odious and barbarous and yet it might be better to permit it to die out through growth in civilization than to root it out by fire and sword the tha above is clipped from the N Y graphic of nov A previous number of that illustrated paper contained views of several prominent buildings in this una city and a well written description and historical sketch of utah with ady any of the ahe nonsense and abuse which generally accompany auch such contributions to newspaper literature the graphic grap nig nid hig has placed this subject very fairly before its wide circled I 1 0 of f reader leaders we fully endorse arse I 1 81 that there fa is every reas reabon in favor of d discussing the ie quest question lob iob of plural marel maril marriage 9 lnell in all nil its forms we do naj ik nat claim for this doctrine immunity front crit on the cont contrary iary we invite it but as the graphic ays dis dis dig cotelon is one thing repression another the church of pt jesus jesu chrish christ of latter day balnes has baa never objected eeten to the discussion conot ot principles it has had thrown kopenits open its houses and tabernacles to prominent orthodox divines who were wore vehemently opposed po ked to ila principal pad tenets et it appeals anly to lila ilia he hons tona clence blence elid and tim judgment of mankind it at tempts no norce force in JA thea thed mul mui gation gatlon a fl D ti of its and 4 there thero therefore forb repels any repressive measures on the part of its iti enemies ehe the practice of plural marriage 1 is 4 denounced as his xer ver very elod Plod odious lous ious tend tind reprehensible but zut denunciation and proof are as different from each bach other as discussion and repression and it very little for the talents of the champions of enforced monogamy or else for the position they assume that all their efforts against plural marriage par take bf the nature of force rather than of argument bome borne of them call forthe sword others for mob violen violence ce and mid the most of them for penalties and prisons to put I 1 it t down Is it nots not nota a little singular if tibb marriage system or of christendom Is s BO so much superior to the mormon method as la is claimed that its lm mense advantages cannot uie tie made ay parent to ua with all nil the facilities at the command of christian churches societies ministers rs missionaries 9 sion blon do aries narles journals tracts meney money and ability why is it that the professed disciples of jesus appeal not to the christian gospel bu buu but t to the secular law they do ilo not attempt to convert but are anxious to punish uba and yet it is generally admitted that the cormons mormons Mor mons are sincere in their convictions of the truth of their system those convictions haye have cost many of them homes frie friends rida tida and ind native land the Tho proofs of their sincerity albe erity stand up III in shii shining linh prominence before the world the imputations of their thele most forward opponents spring from base and grovelling gro velling nat natures dires tires and are the bf low and bestial bestial suspicions auspicio lis generated in the imaginations of the depraved and deil defiled led does it not seem probable that a body of religionists who are as aa industrious dust rious as they are devoted and believing could be reached by reason better than by force the people who come herd here from various nations nation are not gather gathered bd up as its mere emigrant colonists with the sole objector object of bettering their temporal condition they are all except the very youthful vui persons persona who have brome become convinced that the i religious system popularly known as mormonism is a divine establishment and they flock to utah as its centre and chief sanctuary such p people eople can be approached by argument and scripture but any kind of compulsion is persecution in their eyes their faith falth and und give them nation n and resistance they naturally reason within themselves that forcia Is ls attempted in the absence of logic that threats and prisons are aye used to supply the place of proofs and biblical quotations who can say bay that they are not right as well as consistent this periodical outcry against the mormons Mor mons ia Is started by a very few and very iery very insignificant individuals it lit begins in salt lake city and catching the popular ear and being in accord with popular sentiment foun founded ded on popular ignorance it soon swells into a great noise but generally subsides like loud thunder unattended by lightning and doing as little appreciable damage the object of its gators la deil dell utah can be made a rich territory for or state if the cormons mormons Mor mons could be driven out aa as they were from missouri and illi lill either by mob violence or re t ive iva laws executed by hostile ofil bials biais the conspirators imagine that they would fall into a fat thing offices OM ces cebreal real estate municipal and general of 0 the whole region and its resources no matter how much it may be denied this is the whole matter in our faith our in marriage arriage relations our peculiarities of doctrine or practice have no real bearing u upon p on them nor tho the nation they a affect ua us alone and as we co consider a d er favorably the pretext of delivering a the downtrodden down trodden plural pl ral rai wives is the paltriest pal pai palti triest lest iest kind of rubbish the mormon women do not want to be delivered la in any way that their pret pre i tended champions can CAU leip belp ig them but ask to be let agne to carry out what they most certainly believe belleve to be a divine command mand the jegi Jegl demanded the general pressure called for their object tho iho personal emolument ent edt of A few fow adventurers and nothing not bing hing else and if tle tile tie excited christians b of different denomination denominations will only pause and reflect and en q n beav deavor ar to by the spirit of the nazarene irk ilk ij their a assault on what belvo belve to bo gross a error they will hesitate ef ab about t p laying playing into irto the tho handsol hand sot a tew tow few fow av p plotters aswaq who care no more for godana god and truth ihan than they do for the motes in our glittering sunbeams or the little midges that float on the bosom of our saline lake let them thiam agitate if they choose let th them am criticize denounce argue ridicule and berate if they galef will wit but let all christian sects bea bes beware re how they aid in the introduction of religious repression into the scheme of government in this country for interference with the freedom of conscience and action of the mormons Mor mons 17 will prove the tho thin end of the wedge of bigotry and that will ultimately mate lybe be driven home to the very heart of every sect but that which at bome some not distant date happens to td be the dominant ee ecclesiastical system ot of tho the dou country their theli bide hide side slue of the ilu liu question estion will about that time timey be us ad important to them theia als as our side of it is now to us 4 C |