| Show naturalization OF MORMONS the federal courtroom was filled november 30 by those assembled to hear the decision of judge anderson in the case involving the eligibility of mormons cormons Mor mons fur citizenship the reading of the opinion mccu occupied I 1 le I 1 d an hour and at its fusion cone conclusion the crowd which was almost entirely anti mormon expressed their approval of the judges judged decision by stamping their feet and clapping their hands the opinion is as aa follows in the district riot court for fior the third judia judicial ial district 0 of f the territory 0 of f utah in the matter of the application of john moore fred W miller henry J owen john berg walter J edgar charles E clissold nils anderson carl P larsen thomas M mumford Mum furd john garbet and arthur townsend to become citizens of the united states OPINION anderson J in these applications the usual evidence on behalf of the applicants as to residence moral character etc was introduced at a former hearing and was deemed sufficient objection was made however to the admission of john moore and william J edgar upon the droun I 1 that they were members of the mormon chunh n and also because they had gone through the endowment house of that C hurch church and there had taken an oath or obligation incompatible with the oath of citizenship they would be required to take if admitted the admission of the other ap 7 jy alicante cante cants was objected to solely on the ground that by their own statements they were members of the mormon church although they had riot gone through the endowment house and had not taken the oath usually administered there nor in fact any oath incompatible with citizenship citi citizenship zenshi the cla claim L is made by those who object to the admission to citizenship of these persons that the mormon church is and always has been a treasonable organization in its teachings and in its practices hostile to the government of the united states disobedient to its laws and seeking its overthrow and that the oath administered to its members in the endowment house binds them under the penalty of death to implicit obedience in all things temporal as well as spiritual to the priesthood and to avenge the death of the prophets joseph and hyrum smith upon the government and people of the united states the taking of further testimony at thia time is for the purpose of determining n whether or not these allegations are true the third subdivision of section 2165 of the revised statutes of the united states provides that in order to entitle an alien to be admitted as a citizen of the united states it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the court admitting such alien that he has resided in the united states five years at least and within the state or territory where such court is at the time held one year at least and that during that time he has behaved as a man of good moral character attached to the principles of the constitution of the united states and well disposed to the good or ier and happiness of the same those objecting to the right of these applicants to be admitted to citizenship zen zens ship bip introduced eleven witnesses who had been me members tabers of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints commonly called the mormon church several of these witnesses had held the position of bishop in ta ehte church and all had gone through the endowment house and participated in its ceremonies the testimony of these witnesses is to the effect that every member of the church is expected to go through the endowment house and that nearly all do so that marriages are usually sol there and that those who are married elsewhere go through the endowment ceremonies at as birly a date thereafter as practicable in order that the marital relation shall continue throughout eternity that these ceremonies occupy the greater part of a day and include the taking of an oath obligation or cov covenant enaut by all who receive their endowments that they will avenge the blood of the prophets joseph joaeph and hyrum smith upon the government of the united states and will enjoin this obligation upon their children unto the third and fourth generations that they will obey the priesthood in all things and will never reveal the secrets of the endowment house under the penalty of having their i i w v f throats cut from ear to ear their bowels torn out and their hearts cut out of their bodies the right arm is that it aty be strong to avenge the blood of the prophets prophet an undergarment under garment a sort of combination of shirt and drawers called the endowment robe is then put on and is to be worn ever after on this robe near the throat and over the heart and in the region of the abdomen are certain marks or designs intended to remind the wearer of the penalties that will be inflicted in case of a violation of the oath obligation or covenant he or she has taken or made on behalf of the applicants fourteen witnesses testified concerning the endowment ceremonies but all of them declined to state what oaths are there taken or what obligations or covenants are there entered into or what penalties are attached to their violation and these witnesses when asked for their reason for declining to answer stated that they did so on a point of honor while several stated they had forgotten what was fald faid about avenging the blood of the prophets john H smith one of the twelve apostles of the church testified that all that is said in the endowment ceremonies about avenging the blood of the prophets is said in a lecture in which the ath and verses of the sixth chapter of revelations is recited as follows and when he be had opened the fifth seal I 1 saw under the altar the souls of them thein that were slain for the word of god and for the testimony which they held and they cried with a loud voice saying lost how long 0 lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge pur our blood on them that dwell on the earth other witnesses for the applicants testified fled that this is the only place in the ceremonies were avenging the blood of the prophets is mentioned john dark clark a witness for ap applicants testified he took some obligations made some promises entered into some covenants in the endowment house and wore his endowment robes but did not know the significance of the slit over the heart E L T harrison another A of applicants witnesses testified he V had a clear recollection that his right arm was washed and something said about it being made strong to avenge the death of the prophets and that the names of joseph and hyrum smith were not mentioned but were understood to be among the number whose blood was to th be avenged and E G woolley a witness for the applicants testified they were to pray to the lord to avenge the blood of the prophets every other witness for the applicants who was asked the quest question lon stated that joseph and hyrum smith were understood to be included amonte among the prophets prophete whose blood was to be avenged the witnesses for the applicants while refusing to disclose the oath promises and covenants of the on endowment ceremonies and the penalties attached thereto testified generally that there was nothing in the ceremonies with loyalty to the government of the ault united states festes and that the government was not mentioned one of the objects of this investigation is to ascertain whether the oaths and obligations of the endowment house are incompatible with good citizenship and it is not for applicants witnesses to determine this queSt question IOD the refusal of applicants witnesses to state specifically what oaths obligations ligat ions or covenants are taken or entered into in these ceremonies renders their testimony of but little value and tends to confirm rather than contradict the evidence on this point offered by the objectors the evidence establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that the endowment ceremonies are inconsistent with the oath an applicant for citizenship is required to take and that the oaths obligations ot or covenants there made or entered into are incompatible with the obligations and duties of citizens of the united states the applications of john moore and walter J edgar both of whom were shown on the former examination to be members of the mormon I ormon church and to have gone through the endowment house are therefore denied As to the ol objection made to the admission of the other applicants upon the ground solely of their being members of the mormon church a large amount of evidence mostly documentary has been introduced only a small portion of which can be noticed in this opinion without extending it to too great a length the evidence consists mostly of the sermons and writings of the mor mon rulers and leaders published under the direction of the church on the subject of the right of the priesthood and and rulers to dictate to the members in temporal matters portions of section page of the doctrine and covenants is offered ared by the objectors containing the prophecies of joseph smith as follows and now I 1 say unto you as pertaining to my boarding house which I 1 have commanded you to build for the boarding of strangers lot let it be built unto my name nam and let my name be named upon it and let my servant joseph and his house have therein from generation aeration ne ration to generation for this tb anointing ca have I 1 put upon his bis head that his blessing shall also be pu kupon the head of his posterity after him and as I 1 said unto abraham concerning the kindreds of the earth even so I 1 say unto my servant joseph in thee and in thy seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed therefore let my servant joseph and his seed after him have place in that house from generation to generation for ever and ever gaith the lord and let the name of that house be called nauvoo house and let it be a delightful habitation for man and a resting place for the wary traveler that he may contemplate the glory of zion and aid the glory of this the corner comer stone thereof that he may receive also the counsel from those whom I 1 have set to be as plants of renown and as watchmen upon her walls behold verily I 1 say unto you let my servant geoage geol ge miller and my servant lyman wight and my servant jolin john snider derand Sni and my servant peter haws organize them nelves and appoint one of them to be a president over their quorum for abr the S l sia A pur purpose ose of building that house ant and they shall form a constitution whereby they may receive eive stock for the building of that house and they shall not receive less than fifty dollars for a share of stock in that house and they shall be ted fed to receive fifteen thousand dollars from any one man for stock in that house but they shall not be permitted to receive over fifteen thousand dollars stock from any one man and they shall not be permitted to receive any man as a stockholder in this house except the same shall pay his stock into their hands at the he time he receives 11 also alo from page ot of the same hook book as follows and now verily I 1 say that 1 it t is 8 elpe expedient di ien t i in i n me that my servant sidney gilbert after a few weeks should return upon his bis business and to his agency in the land of zion and that which he hath seen and heard may be maile made known to my disciples that they perish not and for this cause I 1 have spoken these things and again I 1 say unto you that my servant isaac morley may not be tempted above that which he be is able to bear and counsel wrongfully to your hurt I 1 gave commandment that his farm should be sold from page of the hamd sam book as f follows I 1 0 iowa and it is not meet that my servants newel K whitney and sidney gilbert should sell their stoie and their pos sessions session sess ionis ts here for this thia is not wisdom until the residue of the church which rem aineth in this place shall go up unto the land of zon 11 also an extract from a discourse by president brigham young delivered 11 in the tabernacle in this city june 16 1867 in which he used elised the following language you way baay say it is hard bard that I 1 should dictate you in your temporal affairs Is it not my privilege to dictate to you Is it not my privilege leg e to give this people counsel to direct them so that their la ors will build up the kingdom of god instead of the kingdom of the devil I 1 will quote you a little scripture if you wish the words word of an apostle of he lord jesus christ to me you may think that I 1 saw him in a vision ang and it was a vision VI given V en right in broad daylight sald he never spend another day to build up a gentile city but spend your days day 8 dollars and dimes for the up building of the zion of god upon the earth to promote peace and righteousness s and to prepare for the coming of the son of man and he who does not abide this law will suffer loss that is a saying of one of the apostles of the lord jesus christ he said it to me do you want to know his name it is not recorded in the new testament among the apostles but it was an apostle whom the lord called and ordained in this I 1 n my ariy riy day and in the day of a good por ti tion on of this congregation and his name was joseph smith jr these words were delivered to me in july 1833 in the town of kirtland geauga geaugh county n the state of ohio the word to the elders who were there was never from this time henceforth do you spend one hour to sustain the kingdoms of this world or the kingdoms f the devil but sustain the kingdom kingdo m of god to your Otter uttermost most 1 now if I 1 were to ask the elders of israel to abide this what would be the reply of some amongst us the language in the hearts of some would woula I 1 be it 18 is none of your business where I 1 trade I 1 will promise those who feel thus that they will never enter the celestial kingdom of our father and god that is my business it is my business to preach the truth troth to the people and it will be my business by and by to testify for the just and to bear witness against the ungodly it is your privilege to do as you please just please yourselves but when you do so will you please bear the results and I 1 not whine over them journal of J discourses vol 12 p 59 in another discourse made in the tabernacle in this city march ath 1862 the same distinguished leader used the following language there Is not a man upon the earth who could magnify even an arthy office without outtie the power w e r and wisdom or of god to aid vb him when en mr fillmore appointed me governer of utah I 1 proclaimed openly that my priesthood should govern and con arol that office I 1 am of the same mind to day we have not received our election re turns but should I 1 be elected Gover governor por of the state of deseret Ue seret that office shall be sus talked and controlled oled by the power of the eternal priesthood of the SOB of god or 1 will walt wall the office under my feet hear it both saint and sinner anti and send it to the uttermost parts of the earth that whatever office I 1 hold from any government on this earth shall honor the government of heaven or I 1 wilt will not hold it journal of discourses vol 10 p 42 elder george Q cannou cannon in au an address in this city on the day of january 1865 used the follow lug ug language when the counsel of god comes through his servants to us ua we should bow to to that no matter how much it ma may C come om e i in n con tact with our preconceived ideas 1 I aas submit to it as though god spoke it and feel such a reverence towards it as th ugh we believed that the servant of god had the inspiration of the almighty resting upon him journal of discourses vol 11 p 71 in a discourse delivered in this city on the day of august 1857 elder john taylor afterwards one of the presidents of the church used the following language god has established his kingdom he be has rolled |
