Show A straightforward STATEMENT A freethinker GIVES ills HIS VIEWS ABOUT till tild AND THOSE WHO calumniate AND ABUSE THEM E editor deseret news arees I 1 traveled from the mississippi valley to california over twenty three years ago and before the bull team was ceded by the lightning 0 express of the railroad over twenty years ago I 1 traveled the entire length ot of utah territory from the virgin river elver to idaho passing passin through all the mormon villages on tk the c main mam line aine of travel trav el and the friendly liberal hospitality of the mormon peo pc is not yet forgotten this attempt at a letter is intended as a grateful ac knonk to them for kindness receive received ed at their hands long years ago I 1 am aware aw are that itis and has been for years quite fashionable and popular to abuse and the mormons cormons Mor mons and that a good word spoken for them lays the speaker thereof liable to be insulted but I 1 never feared a mistaken public opinion any more than I 1 fear narrow sectarianism I 1 am no sectarian I 1 fall down and worship according to no creed or doctrine set up and taught by mortal man like myself which would save a few and damn a million I 1 am a freethinker and have a reverent and abiding faith in the goodness the mercy and th taj justice of the great un baon kao N a almighty power we call god to deneve jenevein nene bene vein in the ultimate salvation ot every good and honest soul on the earth or that ever was or ever will be on the earthm care not in what church I 1 find nind a guanor man or if in no church at all so long as he is a good man that Is all I 1 want to know and all I 1 believe that god M i ants to know about him I 1 want ant aut to say bay in defiance of prejudice and bigotry of jew or gentile that I 1 an am acquainted with mormon men and vorn women voin cu who are as much entitled to respect lt as any people and I 1 believe tnt tiiu ni to be intrinsically as good as any people anywhere 1 I I 1 lion don t endorse the dogmas or doctrines of the mormon church any auy anymore more than I 1 do those of the baptists the presbyterians rians or roman catholics but I 1 do say they ought to eanoy the llie same ame liberty under our free governale fit rit to worship god according to t the uhe tle tie dictates of their 0 wn consciences conscience s as Ls is eared by any other sect or de nomination I 1 have ha c no excuses or apologies to offer i m a defence of polygamy or plural marriage it may be sin gln vice or error in ia moze who practice it but if the s of tiie tile united states feel called as missionaries to purify society by legislating vice and error out of existence they ought to begin the good work ri lit in washington city and as ahk thy the circle of their pious lalL labors rs they should clean up the filth of new kew lork lorr chicago st loul louls and so on throughout the tile country they would tind und an abundance of imm im oralf t ty huli hull is winked at and tolerated iut tut that comp compared lared to mormon polygamy makes it appear respectable I 1 will illustrate the inconsistent warfare waged against the mormons cormons by somo some facts thal thau have recently come to myown personal knowledge right lier ller glat elat ibis co tennessee I 1 two mormon h elders eiders from Utah have this neighborhood foreve nU montus months 7 their names are jos ani aal john A bevan V vb sn opportunity offers generally in the open mir mtr as bigotry closes fhe baptist sV and methodist church dogs to them they whey vilt tiit vilt where invitations aie are ake entena entend cd and deliver their message in a kin kind and joving malmer maimer to apy aly who will 11 alsten en they intrude on no one they are mod 0 t plain well weli behaved 0 gentlemen atsy irey volunteer their assistance in the manual labors of any one who offers them thom entertainment I 1 have seen them put their bibles in their dockets and chop wood haul wood E rockets sockets usk ilsk airn carn corn etc during the colb cold coid weather while they were visitors I at the home of bf my aged father I 1 have invited them to my humble home and enjoyed their visits visit when they came no more perfect gentlemen than 1 hey gy ecer ever entered clit tiit ered my door yet there wha would if if they dare drive anve them out but molland malland mob molt and tar and feather the tue them in I 1 ar am q glad giad these violent fd natice hatice are too few to be danger oas oris and nd that some gome of the best intili men in the couf country itry have beer been kind to hunter and boyo bovo bevan bexan o the fact I 1 wish to note Is that those who curse and abuse the mormons cormons most are arc generally men man without any predence pretence pre tence to piety themselves or branded who wear a church mask to serve the devil in men who violate then their towa and beget children by lewd and ignorant gnor aut ant prostitutes I A nave written more than I 1 intended to write when vh n I 1 began but have not ilot written half nor the llie tenth I 1 could write truthfully so with good goodwill will to 04 and aud malice toz tOj ione lone I 1 ano anu respectfully T J birry barry ltee ikee valley H hawkins co tenn february esth |