Show THE CAM FIRES I 1 CLEAR LOGICAL AND DISPA dispassionate DEFENSE OP OF THE MORMON BY A STRANGER r suitor deseret the writer of these lines is only a visitor to this lamous famous city who came here to see and hear everything if possible just to be able to judge for himself about the people located here ud and their institutions for many years I 1 have been connected liec ted by ties of friendship to some of those who took a prominent part in that ever glorious war of america which liberated millions of human beings from foul slavery and I 1 have always wa felt my bosom swell with love go aa veneration towards those men who were the instruments in the hands of the almighty to accomplish this wonderful work naturally there om I 1 have taken a great interest in the meetings held this week in the city the camp fires and I 1 think the remembrance thereof will late it if ever vanish from my mind the owing glowing patriotism the noble enghu gium the overwhelming eloquence the sparkling wit of the members of of the grand grana army of the republic has shown me that america is indeed the great nation I 1 have always thought tier her to be A people of such men and women can never never be trodden down by the feet of tyrants I 1 have however found fouad it very strange that people of this city should have thought proper to convert the camp fires of those noble soldiers into meetings gil of political agitation night speeches have been made against the people of utah and their institutions they have been ridiculed and every fool can ridicule a thing they have been accused of crimes the they h have ave been shouted against like paul au i at ephesus where they shouted for two hours houra without a pause use great eat is diana of the I 1 ephesians phe i great is diana of the ephesians Ephesia phe as they have shouted until air voices failed them and their color changed into that of a boiled lobster down with them I 1 I 1 do not think the expression I 1 crucify them I 1 I 1 was used but a noble wish of sending tae me whole territory to hell has actual arbeen IT been uttered it I 1 was not mistaken now I 1 cannot help feeling this to be very strange I 1 had thought that an opportunity like this when a city is honored by the presence of a great number amber of the most illustrious sons of the he country w would oal have been much better appreciated a ap pp if all local dissen dons w were ere ford forgotten gotten for im a momen tand ath one h heart eart had joined in enghu boic welcomes of the lil liberators aerators of ikone great fatherland the accusations made these evenings against the people of utah are tery serious they have been accused of treason to the government of murder ot of perjury of hypocrisy of lewdness of cowardice and then again and above all of treason being a stranger here I 1 do not wish and I 1 am not in position to give any opinion on the points of difference between the people of this territory and their fellow citizens of the united united states of america it is for others to do so but as a visitor to this place in this time of great commotion I 1 may mar be allowed perhaps to state just what has been impressed upon my mind b by the very same speeches to which 1 have been an eager listener and then first of all let me point out the vast difference between the made and the proofs produced deuced the accusations of ory ry lewdness and disloyalty are arb made mst the whole people the mormons cormons la Is whole are accused of these crimes seir leir institutions are stained their immunities mm unities are pictured as murder ids 0 u unchaste naste e and treacherous and abat what ar are e the proofs that the people are murderers this was the proof that a murder was actually committed by a mormon and an assault by another now how I 1 believe that such suca an argument could never have been used except for the purpose of painting the devil upon he wall waif so as to frighten the soldiers and make them draw their victorious sword sin self defense Is there any state or territory in america where murders and assaults have not been made Is there any denomination that causa can say gehad we bad never a member who committed committed murder it if not by the same mode of reasoning they are all murderers but no man of sense ever reasons in that way to my mind this way of reasoning only carries disgust against the reasoner other proofs there must be it if that grave charge shall appear to be more than base slander what is said of the charge of murder applies equally to the charge of perjury it if there are cases of pr ejury that bat does not prove that the people as a people teach or are taught berj perjury tiry and isay say more any woman who de serve shat name and who was dragged before a rough public and there by a stranger a man were asked questions which society deems indecent any ady young woman who under such circumstances cum stances gave way to the temptation of of not answering or not knowing alfor for one would heartily forgive I 1 1 should should like the soldiers of the grand army to fancy their own dear sisters and mothers and daughters in this position and I 1 feet feel sure the they too would forgive them nobody can think perjury otherwise than a sin and a great sin as eveia lie is but sometimes there are arc such cir cum stances connected with sin even with murder that an impartial J jury ury says ROC w guilty and I 1 think this may justly be sam aa of some of the cases of berj perjury ury i L A il i l Y 1 W by the jujen atkis week the proof of is of course polygamy and the american eople people were called upon to come acx and help against this practice now I 1 do not want to say a single word in in defense of poly polygamy amy nor of monogamy but this is will what at came to my mind on hearing the constant denunciations against the mormon people on account of polygamy are the monogamous people of this country after all so much more chaste and pure than the mormons cormons Mor mons do the women of utah need protection from their sisters in new york I 1 heard beard the offer made by the president of the relief society and their arms and homes should ever ie be open to any fugitive and so on well I 1 felt as if I 1 should like ike to advise the women of utah a little there are thousands ot of poor women right in new york oppressed by brutes under the name of husbands I 1 know not if they ever had this generous offer but let them first go aud and be relieved and when you have seen what reception they get profit by their examples if you should ever need protection words and phrases cost little on the question of polygamy polygamy philosophers may differ some may think it a crime and some way may think it a remedy against some of the most prominent evils of mono armistic so clety one thing is certain and that j is that lewdness is not promoted by polygamy any more than chastity is promoted by monogamy I 1 should think that purity or impurity springs from the heart not from social institutions where the heart is impure no law will ever be able to extinguish its burning fire civilized society in our time is the best proof of this it seems itself to be corrupt in many parts of its body and it needs a thorough cure before it undertakes to act the physician but the great point is I 1 understand that polygamy is now prohibited by toe the laws laws of the united states and these laws must be obeyed I 1 can understand der stand that but I 1 can not understand that the GA G A R are to be the guardi guardians ansof of the laws in utah any more than everywhere else I 1 have heard that the great cities of america have ve many crimes to answer for houses where impurity is exhibited for sale there are sins of lust committed secretly by all classes of society people speak of infanticide and similar secret deeds of darkness are said to be fearfully common now I 1 say that it has not occurred to me that it is the duty of eradicate all these crimes from Americ american ku soil but if it be so let them commence in the east let the cities of new dorkof philadelphia of chicago cry out to them come over and help us against all these lawbreaking law breaking methodists and lutherans Luth erans and just analogous to what some citizens here have done this week and let the soldiers begin their work in right earnest it strikes me that by the time they have accomplished their work in the east their help in utah will be needed no longer among the charges brought forth against the people of this territory that of treason was the most prominent wae oae and that which was depended upon as the most effective one this charge was constantly repeated repealed and to put down treason to make them hem obey the laws and similar expressions were always sure to be applauded now ilhan were the proofs given to support me charge of treason this not the ae applause was to me the essential point it was stated that brigham young on hearing 0 of f the assassination of abranam abraham lincoln inco I 1 n could not conceal his exalta exultation ion B but t strange to say it was as not ath stated ed w what h at briehan youn young did on that particular occasion aldwyer A lawyer ought to know that a bare statement is no proof what the speaker took for exultation was perhaps not exultation at all or if it was perhaps it was over something else without the least connection with abraham lincoln As a proof r bof this statement is to me worthless fess but bat another thing was often referred to it was said that the american flag had been half masted on th the e ath of july the birthday of the nation and this was stated mind you to prove that the people ot of utah are rebels that their religion is organized treason and their leaders traitors if the s speakers eakers had been content to lay this af pf fearful earful charge on those persons who half masted the flag only I 1 should not have won wondered derea so much but when they on account of that flag story cry treason ag against the whole people why I 1 say that is organized treason against all the rules of logic I 1 know of first of all was the half had masting ot of the flag an act of the people it so in what representative assembly had it been resolved to half mast the flag if this cannot be shown I 1 venture to say that this half masting of the flag is not to le be attributed to the people nor to their religion and then is it quite sure that this half masting of the flag was meant to be an insult to the american people can it be attributed to no other motive than this if it can cad why not try to give it the best motive rather than the worst an one I 1 can admit that this half masting masling of the beautiful american flag on that day must have been a surprising sight but I 1 cannot admit that it proves disloyalty perhaps it meant sorrow perhaps those who were responsible for the often mentioned act whoever they were meant in this way to tell america that she has sons and daughters within her boundaries whose grief is so go great that even the day that brings joy to all her other children can but partly be enjoyed by them you speak of the disloyalty of the mormons cormons Mor mons that they consider america and all the world as their enemies that their children Lh ildren are taught this from infancy but it seems lo 10 me that the world at large america included has compelled the mormon people to consider it as their enemies look at the short history of the mormons cormons Mor mons when lathers fathers have to tell their children childr enof of all those bloody deeds of a fanatical mob headed by ungodly agitating orators how can you expect otherwise than that such facts must leave the impression upon u on their minds that they are friendless frien friendless dYess in a land land of enemies hatred begets hatred as love begets love this needs no proof the mormons cormons are a highly wronged people their history is a continual al chain of wrongs done to them if they therefore sometimes are not so enthusiastic in their exaltation of the american birthday this accounts for it but I 1 have heard it said that the severe sufferings which this people have experienced they have broell brought glit upon themselves by their own iniquity it is said for instance that joseph smith was killed for s stealing ealing t sheep and horses and for other acts ot of immorality now I 1 was not at the spot where these events took place but one thing I 1 want to say and that is if joseph smith was able to convert people to his religion by stealing horses and sheep then he has performed a greater miracle than anybody before his time just try it I 1 want your pastors and clergymen to try it put on your robes and go out stealing before you deliver your sermons and if you ever this being known convert anybody to your faith or nil fill your churches with people eople I 1 will make one of your audience audience augi ence just give this a fair trial before you speak of the mormons cormons having brought their sufferings upon themselves reflecting upon the speeches delivered this week against the people of this territory I 1 have been stron strongly I impressed with the feeling that some of the orators did not mind at all what they sail said that they cared but little whether their arguments wera were valid or not that it was all ail the same to them whether their conclusions followed frum from their premises or not only they could gain their one point kept in view throughout the whole proceeding viz to arouse the whole american people against this part that and nothing else was clearly the sole object now whatever attribute this may deserve I 1 leave to others to say but I 1 am sure that it is not in accordance with that religion ion of love whose founder instead of crushing his enemies with thunder or fire prayed for them and gave his own life to save them are the people of this territory so fearfully led astray remember that not hatred but love will save them and remember also that if america should undertake by persecution to crush this people at a breakfast remember I 1 say ay that though it cannot be said that persecuted people have always been right it can be said and it shall be said in the sacred name of liberty that persecutors are always wrong VERITA salt lake city july IM 1886 |