Show W y T Ts w THE MORMON QUESTION the tile laws of iho the state atil the la ns its of god EDITOR HERALD the ent agitated condition of the country about the or more moro properly the ilia latter day saints gives rise to important n naturally a suggests somo some queries t that I bat ought to te be answered such for in instance a who are the tile parties to the controversy the nature of the the rights of each in relation to the other AS TO TOE THE PARTIES on the one land wo we did find it is no less than the government the state urged alike by both priest and people to use the strong arm of the law and all necessary f force ree to comp compel el a few citizen citizens called latter day saints to adopt their notion and practice of things lings ti the tile name itself indicates that the tile other party ia is a religious body of citizens and has a church organization with doctrines ordinances sacrament and institutions peculiarly their own civil and to which the state ii opposed hence we see in in our own ov n day a day in which wo ive boast bou it ul of religious liberty state actually ARRAYED AGAINST the cormons mormons Mor mons arc him an being 97 possess possessing sing I li degree of 11 r ason lson and intelligence 04 eat cat oink ink and sleep are gen generally brally comfortably clothed and present much the a appearance pe arance of t her citi citizen zei and subjects of the state they accord rights to all others and in attend to their own busin business m ns as diligently as an any I others in the state we vc arc are therefore forced to the conclusion that this matter of difference fc rence this conflict which is so threatening is in in cons consequence equen cc of their religious faith and pra practice atice in any illy serious serious conflict which is destined to efrece materially the tile rights t of many and po possibly ably result in in the revolutionizing of society it is important to know WHO JS this leads us to inquire what ut arc are the tile lights right of the tile state it ate as against the church what may ta the ic state do and what may it not do relating ID to the church s st t paul in informs fornis us that civil authority or government is ordained of god the state an organized organised sed government c exists by d divine ivi lie ordination and for a specific purpose if ordained of god it mus must t have a mission to fill must have important duties fo to perform it may coerce obedience of such laws as are not j IN f collict corLI CONFLICT CT WITH GODS LAWS LAIM its duty is to protect men in the enio vinent of their inalienable has endowed cd them nor can it violate these divine las laws or rights without transcending its authority the tile state is under law taw as much as the individuals of which it is is composed there is a law iii higher L her than tho state the law of god by which it must be governed to continue legitimate this higher in ing from the law given of heaven and earth the state can no more violate than individuals if god has laid certain duties on individuals on the family or the community those duties must bo be performed THE STATE CANNOT INTERFERE to prevent them from charged if so sp 01 tu all of gods laws la it nj mit AL ii ba a t aside all of mens rights violated when the law of god says thou not steal thou commit no murder the tile state cannot enact that man mail shall steal and murder the state must legislate to aid lid in tho the accomplishment of the end r sought ought by divine gover government ament mens fens moral re regeneration and berf perfection action are the aim ann of tho the divine government and must therefore bo be tho tendency of all human government AS TO individual I nights cod has endowed man nith with moral consciousness and commanded him hini to live and act up to his moral ments his happiness is is it made to depend upon liis his so acting and living lie ile has the tile right fight to form his moral judgment in unison with the highest C it intelligence lie can pan obtain ald and this involves the right of free investigation vesti gation and st study d it tile peato should undertake to render impossible or criminal the tile exercise exercise of these rights rig lits its le legislation aisla would be without any vily biti binding eding force upon the citizen upon these principles rests man s right and duty to worship and serve rm god according to the dictates of his own conscience conscience accordia accor according dir ig to liis his own moral judgment no authority can require or compel him to abstain from froin so doing doin god has clothed clot lied roan man with rights and laid upon him dut duties acs ics these rights and duties ARE inalienable and roan man cannot divest bims himself elf of them the right of labor and the right to possess posses ss and find enjoy tho the products of labor and many others of an in individual character important to mans being and happiness might be named but we may touch the tile string of discord more directly by a con cration sid of some of the social rights of man mail it cannot bo be denied that man mail is clothed with rights aa a a social being and these rights depend upon the law of god as is much as his personal personal rights do one of these rights is is the family this right by marriage to organize tha the f family madof may of all rights be termed A DIVINE RIGHT no civil power can rightfully prohibit hibit t this union nor any of the ri right that grow out cat of t this his union the duties and rights between husband and wife arc are sacred and the tile state cannot create the right in ill cither either to violate alic these marital duties as they arc established by the divine law neither can call the state so legislate as to deprive any illy portion of its citizens of this right it id is a right sacred to ever every individual ni male lle and female if there be any bi binding force in ill th the divine ivine i comi command cand to multiply and replenish the earth it is edun equally binding on all who can call ace accept t T and J comply with the conditions ewo no ono one must be deprived of this right by any illy legislative THE RIGHT OF or to nurture nn and d educate their children the tho right of children to remain main in the family subject to parental influence and control until of proper ag age are als also othe the rightson right cati r cation which is a social asocial dut duty and must not be infringed as J well ae I as tile right to a certain portion of time tinie for repose c and worship together with avith all rights not created by the state roust in no wise be infringed f upon or impaired by any application of its powers T this ais principle should bo be fully com comprehended reli ended and may be applied to a all I cases which can arise in the relations of the citizen and the state in ili the language of nn an eminent writer and jurist the state cannot divest man inan of a right with which god lias has endowed liim him nor relieve him hini of a duty norai nor prevent event liim him from froin doing a duty which god lias has laid lad upon hi liam n this principle i Us s plain and of application whenever ther therefore afore a right is is established as belonging to any human buman man being under tinder the law of god that right cannot be legally taken take away nor impaired ed by the authority ol 01 the state so when a d duty u ty is in imposed cosed upon any lily individual by the law law of god that individual must be permitted to perform that duty we owe obedience first of all to the divine governor andin and in subordination to that to the government of the state and in a conf conflict liet lic between tween tl alic I two we must ol 01 obey I CY god rather than man man THE APOSTLE PAUL as an ail inspired tea teacher cherof f the divine will is in perfect accord with this doctrine and illustrates it by a very familiar and accepted rule of life ye have fathers after the flesh to whom ye do reverence reveren cc how much rather bo be in subjection to the of spirits and live there is is positive recognition of authority than that which is e earthly to which all must be in subjection as is the highest duty of man mail no christian in the land will als wa amio rl ietA clu P Fath at beras cras the gre great at S supreme prem c to whom all are al alike lk c subject whether emperor king president ruler or ruled on this platform I stand F roni this standpoint I view THE RIGHT OP OF till THE PARTIES in ques question stion and may at tit time con consider sider somo of the tile most important phases of this controversy and make an application of the principles i p bere herewith with advanced it R |