| Show A proposition AND A REPLY wic WE have received the following letter with a request for its publication it Is addressed to the mormon church and we suppose the writer considered the NEWS the best medium through which his views could be conveyed to that body of religious wor shippers in that perhaps he was correct and we give place to his ni cation to answer his request and let the latter day saints know of his proposition although we are pretty well aware in advance how they will regard it accompanying the letter is a scaled scaled minia miniature j map ol of the country t therein herein described washington D C june an open letter to the momon church why dont you mormons cormons emigrate to turkey the turks are all ests innumerable christian sects have long continued to exist under their domin dominion tin ina their religion ligion rs has ahas never been interfered with as lions as they paid their taxes I 1 will explain at some length a scheme of emigration which I 1 think it will not be amiss for tile the mormon church to consider the country called mesopotamia has been the center of power oftener than any other in inhuman human history the ancient babylonian the assyrian the new babylonian the persian the macedonian tile the Pai parthian thian and moslem empires either originated in it or made it their center after arising on oa its borders it is especially significant that alexander the great perhaps the most gifted statesman ot at all times who seen the and had built alexandria in egypt nevertheless decided to make babylon the center of his worldwide world wide empire it Is not difficult to see why this should be mesopotamia so is on the high hiah road between europe and india it lies be tweda five avo sea athe the Casp ianthe black sea the mediterranean the red sea and the persian Gulf which receive the drainage draina e from the larger part of the civilized portion of the eastern hemisphere high mountains protect it 0 on n tile the north and east down ous streams to water the plain these are gathered into two principal channels the renowned euphrates and tigris both navigable for hundreds of miles and at present regularly visited by english steamers the northern mountains contain tile the oldest mines known the nation of the g gave e t their hei r name to steel other mines w which hi cl i applied u ancient egypt are found on the northern coast of tile the red bed sea the climate presents great varieties being similar to that ot at cuba at the south and to that of the carolinas at the north through centuries of misrule the country has become a waste of swamps but the ancient canals of the babylonians babao n ajas still exist and an industrious poo potation lation could easily restore the land tu to its former fertility no force would seem better adapted tor for this work than the skill and perseverance which changed the salt lake desert into rich fields and meadows the present population is largely christian it seems probable that the various creeds in the country would soon yield to the example of a thrifty mormon colon v the turkish government would be s sure to favor a mormon colony because it would greatly strengthen its power ED england edland land will lend her assistance because beccu a strong murmon mormon state in mesopotamia would bar dussias Rus sias progress toward the sea the united states would perhaps furnish free transportation there will be no difficulty about obtaining through gli english influence autonomy and practical independence from the turkish government ern ment went such as is enjoyed by tile the various tribes now inhabiting we the country tr T I 1 am no polygamist nor bigamist nor even monogamist I 1 am a bachelor I 1 would like to see the mormon experiment carried out somewhere it seems certain that its days in america are numbered mormons cormons Mor mons if you yon wish to obtain power go to mesopotamia in no other place will you find protection for the infancy of your development the sandwich islands are too small for you when once you have grown st strong r on g no one will try to interfere w with i t 1 y your ur institutions around you there will be the greeks armenians Armen ians georgians and persians all distinguished for physical beauty and mental gifts from whom you may draw your proselytes prose lytes to tile the south to tile the north to the east to the west there will be of edans who will unite with you in defense of your religion and in return will gladly accept the tae assistance of your strong arm and fertile saxon brain castim my glance years into the future asee I 1 see a grand rand mormon republic centered around historic babylon holding the key of the worlds commerce and stretching forth its arms to tile the live surrounding seas I 1 have tried to sketch its boundaries on the accompanying map PACIFICUS we take it for granted that the writer is in earn earnest est buthe but he is greatly mistaken both as to the future and objects ot of the mormon system it is evident that lie he has never studied the sub lect and has similar superficial ideas in relation to it that are common among many people e who imagine they thoroughly understand it plural flural marriage is by no weans the chief tenet of mormonism 11 it is only a small part of the grand system it is an important feature but only one of the many members of the body it has been brought into prominence by the opposition it has excited it is not at all harmonious with turkish polygamy and has no affinity with asiatic social customs or modes of government mormonism we use the term by which the system is popularly known is intimately and essentially associated with thib land and this nation it was established by divine commandment on american americ hn soil for a divine purpose it contains all ali tae elements of that advanced liberty which are connected with genuine republican institutions it is desi designed ned to maintain and perpetuate in the earth it nas work to perform on this continent here is its native home its basis of operations 1 its central point from which Us its influence is ia to radiate to all the world world the zion which it ic is to build up is to oe established on thiis hemisphere here are to be its temples its oracles its greatest trials and its grandest tri tae mormons cormons Mor mons as a body are well satisfied satis tied with ther their present location they have neither the desire nor the necessity for removing they have come here to stay they are in the right place at the right time they found this spot a desert they have turned much of it into a garden and tiley expect to continue the work woric of its redemption when they or their posterity move in any great numbers it will be to redeem the lae waste places which they formerly inhabited on this choice land it is a mistake to think that the mormon system is an experiment or that its days in america are numbered it has a settled purpose a fixed destiny and that relates primarily to america where it will abide and ultimately prevail thre there Is no dubiety about that in ille the mormon mind mormonism is constituted t to endure far more severe wats than any that khat have been brought to bear upon brou flit t or that now a await t its t people they not shrink from the ordeal th they ey are calmly awaiting it praying for strength to stand firm arm it is not unexpected they have been forewarned pi it for many years they expect and the violation at of every constitutional guaranty but they have faith in the outcome and anticipate performing the glorious work of saving the institutions of this government and the instrument that was formed to guard its liberties their hopes aspirations and prophetic inspirations all tend in that direction zion is to be established on I 1 the land of at the free I 1 the centre of the divine work yet to be accomplished on the eastern continent will be in palestine jerusalem is tile the appointed place for the great jewish dynasty that is yet to arise and bear sway in the old world tamia is not the chosen spot and it it bereit were it would not be the gathering place for the latter day saints the turning point in the mardi of this worlds power and errors is 13 in the west tile cormons mormons Mor mons moDs have reached their place of destiny and by bv the power of god at the appointed time they will begin to predominate the notion about a mormon exodus to some distant spot has found favor for two reasons one is because they have several times moved away from their enemies and ane other because certain conspiring individuals are anxious to see history in that respect repeated A mormon hegira would mean a harvest to their local CDe enemies mies the plotters donld reap where th they ey had not sown and gather where they had not st alaska the sandwich isles mexico or mesopotamia they woo would not care where tile the 6 mormons cormons Mor mons went to if they could buy them out for a ong or drive them out and take what was left but that is not in the pro kramme utah is good enough for the bramme saints aims they may spread over the walls of the territory for lack of room or arable amble land but they have no intention and no need to run away or leave a prey for their foes we are much obliged for any su suggestion ages offered in kindness no matter how inapplicable it may be we do not profess to be authorized to speak for the mormon church in answer to pacificus but we have some understanding of the principles aud and spirit of mormonism and some knowledg knowledge e of its manifest destiny and in tae the light of these things we are able to say that the glories and victories of the latter day work will shine forth and prevail from the land blessed of jehovah for that purpose unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills |
