Show from tho the boston THE moemon MORMON SYSTEM 1 I X THE baith FAITH DEFENDED BY ONE OF OC s ITS i ender elder cummings a missionary of tha the mormon on faith sends ua us the following letter on the recent decision of the supreme court the point which he enforces is that the law jaw which ig Is now decided to bo be constitutional has been violated by men who acted conscientiously in so doing and that the consequences of acting on the principle that the law haa baa been I 1 in force all thes eyears that there attempt atte E i alo enforce it would be terrible to them 80 far tar they are undoubtedly right thousands of persons persona who violated the law were encouraged e cou raged to todo do BO so because they did dij not believe the law was valid and however foolish they may have been J most moat of 0 them acted conscientiously and do not now think they have transgressed any moral law what they want Is immunity for the past and the country would gladly concede that if it it could have from them security forthe for the future to the editors of me the boston daily advertiser the recent decision of the united states supreme cou court rt in the reynolds polygamy case which affirmed the constitutionality of tho the law of 1862 together with the of a class of the non mormon residents of utah to induce congress certain proscriptive jaws laws inimical to the latter day saints has once more thrown the ever even recurring mormon question before the public the courts and Cong congress rss in view of this fact it may not bo bd amiss to give briefly as may bea be a co concise n clao ciao i 1 statement of the position held by the latter iatter day saints in respect bt to the q question festl on at issue which is one involving their right to practise what they esteem ta to bo be I 1 a system of marriage enjoined upon them by divine command and thus a vital principle of their religion joseph smith was the founder of the church of jesus christ of lat ter day saints that c community om regard him as a prophet prop heti seer aud revelator rev elator raised up of god to us usher her hen in a new dispensation of the gospel he published in addition to the book of mormon a book called the doctrine and covenants this work is composed mainly of revelations which he testified to having received direct direst from god and the church accepted them as of divine authenticity these revelations contain laws for the government of the church in its religious faith and practices as well as in temporal affairs and in one of or them received july 12 A D 1843 the church is commanded on pain ot of divine displeasure plea piea sure suro to institute the practice of plural marriage I 1 quote from the revelation referred to ifor beheld L reveal unto A a new and ever laring lasting covenant of celestial or plural marriage and if ye abide abille nat not in that thad covenant then ye are damned dam ned finno for firno no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into iffy my glory didis Y 11 this thia command in relation to marriage is accepted by the latter day saints of ote equal cual bindl binding n fo torce r e e v wilh with it h tue the command ith thou 0 u a b a lt not n 0 t bairy mey they believe belleve that their happiness in the world to come cc me depends upon their present obedience in inthis this law it may be argued that this ibis belibei beiler belief in the divinity of joseph smiths mission is fanatical and in plural marriage absurd this is not the question at issue before congress and the courts but it is Js have the latter day saints a right under the constitution ution to practise fise their religion they hav have e always held that this right was waa theirs they argue that th espirit of Nnie american rican institutions is one of rell reli religious gibus freedom fer for all denominations let them worship how where or what they may and ana as asan an inviolable guarantee of the liberty of conscience they thoy lave hitherto relied upon that provision odthe of the constitution which declares congress shall make no law jaw respecting 8 spec ting an establishment of 0 religion prohibiting or th fre free ey crome crowe thereof 11 1 they thy admit that there must be a limit td the freedom at 0 action and practice on the part park of citizens ns on the plea of religion and this limit is thus concisely expressed bo so long as a citi citizen zeni in the practise of his hia religion does not interfere with the rl rights lits of his fellow fe ilow citizen to life ii liberty erty enty and the pursuit of 0 happiness the law can have no hold u upon on him the matten matter day saints affirm that inthe in the tha practise of their religion n they in no conc cone conceivable elsable way way interfere with the rights of others nor do they violate any constitutional law hence in marrying plural wives their consciences have acquitted them of offense offence against the laws either cither of god or their country the unconstitutionality ot 0 the antl anti polygamy law of 1862 has been so long tacitly confessed by allowing it to r remain for nearly sixteen year years g without an attempt at enforcement that the question of their righta under the constitution seemed settled and now at a this late day an attempt la Is made to a law so 80 long considered unconstitutional and a dead letter which attempt if it successful will sever sevar in thousands of families the kenderest ten derest and most sacred ties known to the human heart it will cast adrift thousands of women who have hitherto been lib honored nored wives and happy mothers rejoicing in iti a social clai and religious recognition as aff buchi such buch and will brand them with infamy r it will stamp the abhorrent mark of bastardy on tens tons of thousands of innocent chii whose birth has hitherto been deemed hono honorable to them and the mothers who love them and whose fathers have taken pride in lu owning rearing ifandy and edtl educating a ting them it will make fel fei felons ons 0 of f men who through toil hardship and sacrifice unparalleled in modern religious history have redeemed a sterile desert making at k to blossom as the rose producing immense wealth to the country men meli whose temperance 3 industry and frugality and piety challenge comparison with any ether other community on earth whose only onnen offen of lense ble 3 confessedly is their practice of the same bame system of marriage that the prophets and holy men of gid haye haxe enjoined olied by precept and example they the bave have always held that the div divine ine ina authenticity of joseph smitha smitha mission fon lon and revelations was a theological not a legal question and that marriage marTlA gd wab was a religious sacrament hence no more proper a subject of legislation than baptism only so ad far as laws maybe may be necessary to td preserve preset ve its sanctity from violation the decision of the thep supreme Cd court furt fart of the ugilt united d states slates la id against this position and while they ar reluctant to admits hat bat or pr that thit authority r to decide what I 1 is s and what is not lot or gr to liberties lix lit in fix the of heik helk heir beir god they still do not desire dwire while puri juri pursuing that worship to violate bouto 1 any auy of their country ja laws w they are patriotic love their co country uin tin arv a ind and its institutions and anet reverence reVeren 66 the constitution con i ution as ha an tra docu doeu ment but this is 1 to toi 0 much to toas toab as tl them to submit to the of family ties as strong tender and sacred as thoe those of any monogamous household it would be barbarity unparalleled to cast oft and brand with infamy their hitherto honored wives to stamp their innocent ox off spring with the mark of bastardy ardnt and ard at the iho ame time grud punish by fie flo fide and imprisonment the hus bus bands and fathers however strong the public prejudice against I 1 their beir religion the latter day Saint saints scan can not believe e that Con congress gress grets or public opinion e p dunlo u ia t 8 prepared to have these 6 cru eru ellies tl es inflicted uram hem bem they thet therefore look to congress foursome measure of relief should wat that resource fall fail there is only one other the god whom they have hitherto trusted before the advent in im utah of the class of ifon who are engaged in the ibb preben presen present t crusade against nine tenths teritha of the territory tor y Is inhabitants there could not bel be found in hi a huri hundred died and ind fifty towns cities and vill villages abes aieS of the latter day saints a dram shop or a prostitute but since sindi e their arrival both have appeared and anti are sustained in spite of the strong opposition of the vast majority of the thie people jt Is doubly galling to the iatter lifter to know kuoy that thad those webar who are loudest in denouncing do liou ilou n cl og plural M marriage ar ria ris geare gearo are the very ofala who introduced prostitution and drink ingin thell their community plural m marriage arriage may be abhorrent to the opinion ot inist country but it itla iela ig always well weli t ha v a both 6 0 th sides aides a fairly represented whore laore extreme 6 mea men measures reb are resorted to tg or j I 1 vez very resh reen respectfully y B bi F jr 4 missionary of the church of jesus chilston chiist Chil of latter day saints sainte JO 0 myrtle street t boston inston 1 feb eb |