Show THE review of the present status of the local issues in this territory recent events of a political and business nature which hive transpired in the territory during daring the past year have led many people to believes believe specially especially outside of utah that a amar mar change has taken place and the downfall of mormon domination practically assured if this were true the ned ne d of federal supervision over the political affairs of the territory would no longer exist I 1 am forced to express the opinion that it is not true and feel that I 1 will be performing a grateful autv if I 1 can give the facts concerning the utah of today to day in such shape and form as to enable congress and the country to form clear opinions concerning them it must seem strange to many that public officers in official political reports constantly intermingle political and church affairs and in considering the importance and effect of political action refer to contemporaneous action of church officials as an interpreters of the acts when in this country church and state are separated by lawand law and in poli political that discussions religious beliefs afe almost a prohibited subject if the change referred to has taken place it means 1 that tho th non mormons cormons are now in the majority and control in political and business matters or 2 that the mormon church has ceased to sanction violations of la law wt and the people have abandoned their hostility to the government and its laws THE GENTILES the facts are that at the last municipal election the gentiles carried the city of ogden by majority six months later an election was held throughout the territory for membris of the legislative assembly the gentiles elected two of twelve members of the council and six of twenty four members of the house at this election the gentiles again carried ogden and also car ried salt lake city by forty one majority these notable victories awakened the wildest enthusiasm and were hailed with delight by the people of the country and many expressed the opinion that the mormon power was at du an end in utah I 1 regret to say they were in error the time may come when the gentiles will be in a majority but it will be many years hence the facts are that outside of salt lake city and ogden the gentile population is found in the mining camps and in the small railroad cities and towns they are principally settled and engaged in mercantile and professional business in salt lake city and 0 ogden dou they own more than one half of of the real property As a rule they do not own or occupy any of the agricultural lands and are not engaged in agriculture the strict mormons cormons regard the invasion of utah soil by gentiles somewhat as the crusaders regarded the occupancy of the holy laud land by the sarai ens and are advised by their leaders not to sell their lands to gentiles in 23 of the 24 counties and in of the elee election tion precincts the gentiles were in the minority at the last election thy the great bulk of the population of utah is and vi ill always be in the valleys the agricultural lands lie in the valleys and comprise a very small part of the whole the total land and water area of utah is acres from reports made to me by the county courts it seems that not dot more than acres were under cultivation during the present year probably acres more could be brought into cultivation it some way were provided to store the surplus water during the wet season nearly all ad the laud land under cultivation ana alla all the water that can be used to irrigate it without great expense is owned and appropriated by the mor mons dons and as they hold and own the land and water they hold bold and own utah that this is so 00 is shown by the fact that they have been sending out colonies into the states and territories adjoining utah this is an overflow and in this they do not go kingly as settlers usually do but the neighborhood where they intend to settle to Is explored a tow few families sent to be followed by others and a colony established and exclusive occupation aken so far as they go and so far as such occupation is possible in this way they haye have colonized utah and with the aid of assisted immigration have acquired the agricultural lands and appropriated the waters which can be easily reached to irrigate them while it cannot be denied that progress is being made and more rapidly too than at any previous time in the history of the territory it will be seen that those who are of the opinion that utah has passed from under the mormon power are mistaken THE PRESENT ATTITUDE OF THE MORMON PEOPLE in passing to the consideration of A the question whether the mormons cormons have ceased to enforce the doctrine of ali plural marriage and have abandoned their well known hostility to such federal laws as are in conflict with what they claim to be religious belief let us look at the character of the mormon people and their leaders the early mormons cormons were mainly native americans and religious enthusiasts under a vigorous system of by missionaries they have been largely recruited from all parts of the world either by chance or from policy their missionaries have mostly been to the parts of the country where the average rate of intelligence telli gence is the lowest and they have made many converts from people of american birth or from those of foreign birth who had first settled elsewhere in the united states for a long time the bulk of their converts have come from the lower classes of en england land and scandinavian countries auf and they are yearly brought over by ship loads their missionaries say nothing of plural marriage and some converts hear of it for the first time when they reach utah they are picked up by a process of natural selection the doctrine as expounded by the missionary fits the mental condition of the convert he is told of the new and wondrous revelation the intercourse with and guidance of spirits and angels the power to work miracles heal the sick and cure the deformed that god has not only taken this chosen people under his care but has given them a fine country where everyone can have fertile land the association of a brotherhood of equals and separation from the wickedness and oppression of the world the doctrine thus thua put forth by shrewd leaders is accepted by the illogical and those who give credence to the marvelous to miracles the portents of dreams and those in whom the imagination is not controlled by strict methods of reasoning the hope of a better worldly condition and the offer of aid to reach it are not without effect they are not without intelligence sufficient to utilize their general experience in practical affairs they are industrious in a slow plodding way frugal and easily governed A firm r religious enthusiasm is their leading characteristic te As a rule they are law abiding especially as far as the law is confirmed by the priesthood but they accept the doctrine of plural marriage in all sincerity and as a radical and necessary part of their religion and any civil law punishing polygamy and kindred offenses as crimes is considered wrong they have accepted the doctrine of polygamy and will probably adhere to it as long as they it live ve and it Is but a very poor tribute to their honesty to say they have abandoned it the women are as devotional as the men probably more so an intelligent woman probably expressed the sentiment of her sex in regard to polygamy 0 by saying it is a cross but ut I 1 suppose it is true and we must bear IV it MORMON SINCERITY while the mormon masses are too sincere to voluntarily make false pretenses they could be induced to accept and adopt any form of words however contradictory if advised to do so by their authorities for obedi ence to the priesthood and to obey counsel is diligently inculcated as aa a first duty and should they be told to sign a declaration that they were edans that the priesthood understood the matter and it was for the advancement of the cause and the glory of god they would probably do doit it in other communities every man feels a consciousness of personal equality and independence and personal responsibility and a strong love of country as against everything else in utah among the mormons cormons Mor mons this is not the case that instinctive love of country which is the distinguishing characteristic of the american people does not find a responsive sentiment in utah the orthodox mormon in every political and business act puts the church first the country afterward it cannot be otherwise for the priesthood claim all government but its own to be illegal and claim a separate political destiny and ultimate temporal dominion and by divine right of political and official mormonism I 1 can only say it is probably sincere there is insincerity but it is not the rule it is illogical to suppose such a body can be substantially held together on any theory of combination to support what they consider a mere imposture it may as well be understood that the strength of mormonism both in its masses and officials is in its sincerity and not in its imposture in official mormonism there may be some insincerity but not enough to affect the question and it may use its position for selfish ends but this can be done by force of the position po and as well if it be sincere as if it be insincere for human nature is not changed by the kind of church it enters A fair degree of sincerity is the only virtue I 1 lean can ascribe to political and official mormonism when it has any point to attain in behalf of mormonism it deals in evasions or words of double meaning meaningless words hypocritical pretenses false assertions and every helpful evasion of word or act its attitude in regard to the status of the mormon people in regard to polygamy is delusive to the last degree it knows there is no material change of opinion on the subject but it seeks to convey the idea that there has been it will not come out with a clear expression on the subject but seeks and uses evasive expressions intended to convey the idea abroad that the declaration has been made and it is irritated aher something express and definite is asked the position it assumes is this we have numbers and wealth sufficient to be released from federal control there formerly was opposition in the territory to the law against polygamy but see the present loyal attitude of our people they have taken the registration oath have put in their proposed con ution a condemnation of poleg amy as a crime what more can you ask it the express question Is put do you and your people still believe that polygamy is right and the doctrine one of divine origin the answer is evasive it will at once be said you should not inquire into our religious views those are mere ions and so long as we swear loyalty to the laws and offer you this constitution and thus fulfill all proper political conditions you have no right to intermingle church and state ind and ask our religious views or suspect the bad faith of what we have sworn when other territories have applied for admission and given you yon the evi evidence denee that they have fulfilled all political conditions you yon did not enter upon an unconstitutional anal inquiry concerning the religious belief of its inhabitants and how can YOU yon in our case we demand statehood as a right always accorded when political conditions are fulfilled this sophism accompanied by suggestions gest ions of oppression unjust prosecutions cut ions agitation against them for the sake or of PI plunder UDder and that there is no utah question because polygamous marriages have ceased entangles many who can only give the question a passing thought and they are apt to think there are really two sides to the question no territory has ever applied for statehood or release from any measure of federal control with the great body of its people devoted to social crimes and firmly believing sueh crimes are either commanded or permitted ba b revelation and no christian church has ever taught any such doctrine so that congress has never had occasion to enter upon any ant such inquiry LOCAL POLITICS in regard to the political affairs of utah one side claims the inquiry as aa to the loyalty of the peaple to the laws of their country is a proper political inquiry the other side claims that this is bringing in a religious discussion and you have no business with a religious belief there is such a wide difference in the use of terms that a harmon harmonious lous conclusion is impossible one example will illustrate the distinction and show the agitation of the question is not as asserted the work of jealous priests or rapacious laymen the josephite mormons cormons are understood to accept all the doctrines of mormonism except ahe revelation concerning polygamy which they have claimed is 18 a forgery and they have intermingled with other religious denominations in the states and territories undisturbed aej enjoying all the immunities and privileges of law abiding citizens they have not withdrawn by themselves organized crime sanctified it to the people by revelation and called it religion hence there is no political discussion concerning their belief at one time it was thought the josephite doctrine might be an important factor in utah but its influence has been tippled by the later proof that at nauvoo in the life time of joseph smith poly polygamy amy was practiced by the leaders and that men could and did marry two women by one cere mony until the proof was made and perhaps it was permitted to come out to meet the growing influence of the josephites and their assertion that the revelation was a forgery concocted in utah the mormons cormons had persistently denied they were guilty of any violation of law and were driven out without excuse at the in sti gation of priests rind and ta or plunder though there are still living in utah those who practiced polygamy at nauvoo the incident shows that mendacity and deceit are not now new characteristics te of orthodox mormonism sni ADHERENCE TO POLYGAMY the last official expression of the mormon people in regard to polygamy other than the proposed state constitution ution was made may 2nd and 1885 and is as follows As to our religious faith it is based upon evidence which to our minds is conclusive clu sive convictions not to be destroyed by legislative enactments or the judicial decisions ci force may slave the body but it cannot convince the mind to yield to the demand of the legislature or judge the rights ot of conscience would prove us 44 recreant to every duty we owe to god and mao among the principles ot of our religion algi an is that of immediate revelations from led god one of the doctrines fo eo revealed to is celestial or plural marriage tor for which ostensibly we are stigmatized and hated this is a vital part of our religion the decisions of coutts to the contrary notwithstanding this candid admission of their position is as true today to day as when it was first made and expresses the situation at this time some young V mormons cormons Mor mons probably at the late election broke away from the ancient discipline and voted as they pleased 1 I hope the number will be increased on the next election in that way the church is losing a few adherents at the outer side but there is no change in in the position of the leaders and the sincere mormons cormons will never renounce polygamy until they are convinced that god has commanded it and they will whenever they have the enforce and practice polygamy and every other interest of the church whether it conflicts with law or not and will believe that in doing so they are serving the divine will and will gladly accept any punishment which may come to them because of this in the spirit of martyrs this tact fact stands out very clearly there has been no change in the doctrines of the church or its teaching and it will noldo not 80 |