| Show TRUE CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY THERE are people in every so called christian country who consider it part of their duty to Int interfere erfer e with the opinions and doings of their neighbors in the egotism of their imagined superiority perio perlo rity and infallibility they make their views of what is right and proper the standard of faith and conduct for everybody else not content with endeavors to influence and induce others to stretch up or shrink down to their chalk mark they proceed to force when persuasion falls those fanatics at a distance who worry themselves and the country over the mormon question are of this class oblivious of the corruptions corrupt ions of their own society they are eager to reform imagined evils in utah without taking the trouble to investigate he be marriage system of the people whom they assail they take for granted that it must be wrong because it is different from their own andyes and yet the evils that are prevalent in monogamous society are so great and widespread that they are surely sufficient to raise a serious question as tu to whether bether theres there is not something wrong at the root of the prevalent system the laws that have been enacted against mormon marriage have been passed in this mingled ignorance and egotism they hive have been urged by the r elig religious ious prompted by political conspirators they have originated in that spirit of meddle makin making g and desire to reform errora error but their own which has been a baar act of rew new england puritanism from the beginning it is contrary to the principles alpi a 01 of f civil and religious religions liberty on W which h ich this government is founded and savors of that persecuting and coercive disposition that lit the martyrs fire and forged the instruments of mediaeval media med eval lieval torture this nation was built upon the basic principle of the greatest individual liberty compatible with the public safety people were to think and act as they pleased so long as they did not interfere with the rights ot others religion Be ligion was to be completely free this immunity of religion from restraint maat something more than liberty of belief it comprehended the f free ree exercise of religion the right to believe without the right to act on that belief would be worthless faith needs no human protection the mind of man is free to think and believe without any I 1 legal guaranty 0 laws cannot bind it letters cannot chain it down prisons cannot confine it it is the right to carry belief into active exercise that Is meant toy by constitutional prohibitions against interference therewith of course there must be a limit to that liberty the line by which it must not pass is infringement ement upon the liberties of others society may enact jaws for its own protection it may legislate to shield the weak from the strong to secure individual freedom and to prevent personal and social des destruction traction but it has no right to enforce the views of the many upon the few nor to prevent anyone from doing that which moy may be considered wrong by the majority if it only injures himself the fol following lowin extract from the writings of the cerebrated cerebrated mill puts this forth so prominently and sharply that none can fall fail to see its pertinence that principle is that the sole end for which mankind are warranted individually or collectively in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self protection that the only purpose tor which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community against his will is 16 to prevent harm to others his own good either physical or moral is not a sufficient ent warrant he cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him aim to do so because it will make him happier because in the opinion of others to do so would be wise or even right are good reasons for remonstrating mon moa with himl him or reasoning with him or persuading him or entreating him but not for compelling co him or visiting him with any evil in case he be do otherwise to justify that the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to some one else eise the only part of the conduct of any orte one for which he is amenable to society is that which concerns others lathe in the part which merely concerns himself his independence is of right absolute over himself over his own body and mind the individual is sovereign mm min p 23 bringing this indisputable doctrine to bear on th the mormon question we w maintain that the marriages contracted under the religion of ane latter day saints are properly exempt from legislative interference the rhe parties are mutually agree to the compact they do not interfere with or infringe upon the marriage relations of others no one is forced into the association society is not injured by it that society is really benefited bythe by the sy system is capable of demonstration but that is not necessary in this argument As the supreme court of the united states bates has declared it itis is time enough tor for the rightful purposes of civil government for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order this was quoted by the court f from rom the language of the atie great J Jefferso Dand is in accord with the sentiments of mill kill it cannot be shown that a Mor mormon morill family in which one man is the acknowledged husband of more than one wife and fattier father of their children interfere with the peace and good order of the community in which they live or of the nation at large they are simply acting upon their guaranteed liberty of conscience and religion doing bagno no injury to their neighbors or to society it does not signify that the egotists i ts and puritans consider them in gross error doing a wrong to themselves and risking their eternal salvation that thajo is not the business of the government it is only to be met with witha 0 argument and persuasion not with pains and penalties because it does not attempt to destroy or injure n society or invade the rights of iii individuals divi duals the venerated madison speaking in the religious liberty guaranteed in the virginia declaration of rights bights said the only proper objects of civil government are the happiness and protection of men in the present state of existence the security of the life liberty and property of the citizens and to restrain rest rafn the vicious and encourage the virtuous by wholesome laws e equally extending to every individual but the duty they owe their creator and the manner of discharging it can only be directed by reason and conviction vic tion and is nowhere cognizable but at the tribunal of the universal Univ emal judge that is the position taken by the latter day saints ibey claim this religious liberty for themselves they accord it and extend it to others the laws that have been specially framed against a part of their religion violate this principle of freedom and aad I 1 in that respect violate the constitution of our country to obey and sustain all constitutional laws is enjoined upon the mormons cormons Mor mons by their religion and the indisputable tact is that they do obey the laws both local and national with such fidelity that they are an eminent example to their trad acers and persecutors only a small portion of the people of utah comparatively have practically entered into the order of celestial marriage which comprehends and includes a plurality of wives and they have done it under religious lops ordinances and regulations they do not interfere in any way with the practice of monogamy A great deal of foolish bluster amy is a indulged in about the danger threatened to the american home hom il but it has never been shown how in I 1 the remotest degree a family in which there if is but one wife is injuriously affected by the fact that in knotner family there ire are two or more wives to the same husband both forms of family life exist side by side in utah harmoniously and all the interference ter and infringement upon the rights ot of others comes from the mo noga mists who amsire desire to force their system upon the poly polygamists ga mists it if any restraint of law jaw is needed it is for the protection of the latter because they are assailed in the free exercise of their religion and make no upon or attempts to restrain or compel others ethers the consistency of people who come here from the great cities of the east where the very air is impregnated with the odors of debauchery and crime and on common rumor without learn ing anything of the facts commence to berate and threaten the mormons cormons Mor mons and talk of using force to compel us to do what they think is right and refrain f from rom what they think is ia wrong is not very apparent to reflecting minds and yet there are many good people apart from those foul mouth ed blatherskites blather that are to be met with in most crowds and a few of whom have exhibited their ruffian natures and coarse manners at the rink who join in this hue and cry against cometh something g they have ave never investigated vesti gated and would persecute the 11 cormons mormons Mor armons mons because they are different in faith from their accusers on this disposition to use force against the heterodox tero dox rev lyman abbot who recently visited this city has the following to say in the christian union and so it has been through all history the persecuting of heretics the execution of dissenters the burning of witches have all come coine about not from an exceptional moral turpitude but from a fundamental misconception of the rights of man over man we make the greatest mistake when we suppose that those who persecuted the fathers were sinners above all those who occupy these modern temples of ours on the contrary from the days of marcus aurelius the noblest of roman rulers down to calvin who inspired the burning of serrenus Ser retus and john wesley who declared that christianity would 7 have to be given up if the belief in whitcher cratt af t were abandoned during all this range of modern civilization an examination would undoubtedly show that at least a very large part of what by any stand ard would be regarded as the best peo ale ale of the time have either beep act ively ely engaged in the direct work of persecution or have given it their sanction and support and it is so with tho thousands arands of people in the united states who echo the satanic cry uttered by men with murder in their hearts for Mor to co be stamped out if necessary by orce they are trampling on the very if liberties to maintain which this nation was established they are ard unwittingly opening the floodgates flood gates to let in the dark tide of intolerance to escape which the pilgrim fathers fled from the old world thep tha are attempting to accomplish by force that which should only be essayed by reason and example but the reason that lias ilas been tried Is met with superior reason and the example does not appear in a very good light by contrast and so force is invoked and a peaceable and harmless community are threatened with the destruction of their religion to be wiped out in blood we can tell these enemies of f freedom ree and all the world that they will ifil not succeed thley they may repeat repeal the history of bygone persecutions and when oppressive laws and vindictive prosecutions fall fail invoke the aid of the rifle and the bayonet but the struggle for f full all civil and religious liberty will go i on and the religion they seek to crush will gain new strength from every resort to violence the blood of the martyrs will again be the seedof seed of the church and vuth ruth will triumph while the names of the chief persecutors will be covered with everlasting in fumy |
