Show tabernacle SERI SERVICES ICES SUN PAY aug p in congregation being called to order by president 0 C F the tho choir sang M the tho hymn byrn ii when al all thy mercies ac elder E der lorin farr offered ered up tip prayer tho the choir then ean sang the hy hymn inn ill paraiso my maker etc PRESIDENT D I 1 11 PEERY expressed the great pleasure lie realized in again being present among hia his bi ethren and sisters gist cra referring to hia his late trip to washington in connection with the other delegates to congress Con grem ho he stated that they met with all the success that could be expected under tinder the cincu circumstances in they made many friends and and met with tho the greatest respect and kindness speaking of his own owl visit in virginia president preside nt pecry peery remembered with 1 gratitude latitude rati tude the universal friendship he experienced on all hands bands lie ile also found that the latter day saints have thousands of sympathizers in the southern states in in these days of trial when unconstitutional measures arc tire being mug devised and applied to us ho ile felt that tho the hand of the lord id is avith v ith his people and prayed for the bless ings of heaven upon all israel ELDER EL C IV IM NROSE nest next addre addressed med the saints some people might think it strange that we introduce eo so called gordly topics into our religious services but with the latter day saints religion embraces everything that tends to the ai happiness and elevation of mankind 1 i religiously r socially and a nd politically C aa great outcry is made against our people that we mix church and state but if a citizen of tho the united stales states enters the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is ordained to the priesthood i tr and called as an ul elder dr apostle or president lie by no means loses thereby his citizenship and constitutional rights on the contrary contra r our religion develops a mane mans intellectual facilities and enables him even better to perform tho political duties and official responsibilities there is no reason why twelve apostles or twelve elders should not bavas right to exercise their political influence political yoli as is twelve doctors twelve lawyers or twelve cra era our connection with the church and kingdom of god does 1 not divest us of th the e ri rights its of american ican citizenship wo wo do not combine to combat or break the law laws of i the land we respect and obey every every constitutional law being commanded comm to do so by divine revelation as found hi alie doctrine and covenants p new edition we intend to stand and abide by evory evary constitutional law there is no community of the same number of souls in any tiny P portion 0 arti ion of the globe that is more law abiding that has less ims lawbreakers law breakers this the speaker illustrated and ex amplified law cannot touch the but bilt powder and ball shall was the cry in 1844 18 ia when tho the prophet joseph and his brother brot lier were slain by a mob it is not claimed that the balter lai ter day saints break any other law than the so called ani adi polygamy law of 1862 which was framed and enacted especially against this people we me believe in celestial marriage as a part of our religion ligion re being in revealed and given to us byal mighty god marriage is a law of godit is pure and holy if entered into properly and insures us exaltation al and happiness in worlds to como come 6 well as in this obeying this law of god wo we lived above the laws of man not defiantly but righteously because the laws could not t reach us its therefore they passed a special law by which they framed an ell enactment ac ament against our religion and hence violated the tho supreme law of tho the land the constitution which gu aranta inviolable religious liberty by the same spirit tho tile con gressmen greas men have lia ve again passed laws lairs directed against us breaking the very constitution institution they had sworn to uphold seme say it is only polygamy amy 11 that causes all the trouble 9 but U t we find that the roost most troublesome times in our history arc are those before the tile revelation on oil celestial marriage marriage was given the persecution originates injates ori with the hireling priest priestly Cs t I 1 influence en lay law bivera church burz pressure brou brought glit to bear on statesmen accomplished lied the legislation inimical to us referring to the latest action against the latter day saints Saint ss elder d er penrose showed the ille illegality galit of the oath prescribed by the ui utah 1 I commission for tho the voters and ind characterized the unauthorized addition of the words in the marriage relation which denies honorable men the backed ri rights lits of franchie while it grants arants it to the lowest libertine the speaker then emphasized the necessity ef every latter day saint to exercise all tho civil rights a allowed him and tho the duty of all the foreign born to get t naturalized without delay so that ge at the people of god can be represented represent ed and gov craned by men ot god his I 1 advice to ilia his eld old friends in offe ogden was to get to tho polls and vo vote te all who 1 can conscientiously do so taking the oath imposition though it be the T morino mormons Mor mons ns arc are f falsely accused of bei being f we will prove this fo to nt be e a lie ic we will by all honorable lawful means contend for our right R J app caling our c case as e unto the tho last last earthly court of resort and if then our appeals ara fruitless we will lay jay our case before the throne of eternal justice and the heavenly father nill will extend to us ilia his assistance to make true his promises PRESIDENT JOSEPH F SMITH next arose to S speak cak to the congregation our christian friends 1 by the aid of the government have succeeded in confirming the faith of the saints these hostile influences havo have tended to make tile speaker a it better saint than he lie might have been without there may be seme seine hypocrites and weak persona persons who tremble and stumble over the trouble threatening but we ought to be grateful for the cleansing of f t the I 1 I 1 c fold 1 prest 31 rest smiths religion is is not a sunday religion it expends to his evary day actions if wo tell the truth no matter upon what subject it will be acceptable to the lord we seem lo 10 be the special pro t 9 C S or wards of the government they 1 1 are not willing that we should awe dwell T I 1 in peace they are not willing P even that we should practice practice irac tice principles which if injurious at all can never hurt any but those thom who practice them this refers to plural marriage 11 whom docs does our belief in and practice of it injure somo say that plural marriage will prevent some men from front finding one wife but we find that the so called 4 plural wives prefer even being second or third spouses toan to an honorable man to taking any other man for a husband husban il all the statements about women in being in tyranny are infamous lies there never was since 1847 a day in which the people of utah did not benj enjoy oy the fullest measure of liberty as much as they do today to day they have enjoyed as ns many rights and liberties ever before yea even they were more freunot fre enot having their brivil privileges ages legislated away from them the pioneers pion ecra free indeed they organized a state government as liberal tm any in tho union wo we unfurled the stars anti and stripes in the valley valleys in 1847 and organized a republican form of government now these friends and regenerators of utah come among us to take away from ua us almost the tile last remnants of our privileges utah is the only one among the western states and territories that can boast truthfully to be free and clear of lynching lunching lyn ching and lawlessness our territory lias has the clearest records law and order have unswervingly ly been observed hero here all the stories of murder etc are gross slanders andera el and calumnies calum nies the law of was passed against polygamy in direct in infringement gement of a constitutional amendment this was even be leaved by tho F authorities for fer long years years until a case was volunteered volunteer to totcy the constitutionality of the law when a fair understanding was reached to have a 4 case brought before the couras fc which was done lone though tho the judge inflicted a heavier penalty upon 0 n tile volunteer victim than iia had ucb been cen promised ased when the case was brought before the supreme court through a neglect the whole hole case was not presented fully and therefore cit it was wrongfully a adjudicated d u di ica ted I 1 upon arguments as flagrantly absurd as tile assumption that because suttee could not be tolerated in the united states pol polygamy Y gum must be suppress suppressed eil the tile aspea speaker cr showed the absurdity of tah reasoning 1 suttee the burning of widows on the funeral pyres ayres of their husbands is murder and contrary to tho tile law and will of god plural marriage on the contrary gives life it multiplies and replenishes the earth in accordance with divine command inasmuch as the law of 1862 has been declared constitutional we have submitted to it though we know it to be an unjust and unrighteous law we may submit to it because we cannot resist but we by no means ac acknowledge knowledg e it to be constitutional F further urther president smith reviewed the tile unjust features odthe poland bill the giving of half the jurors to the small minority and the excluding of all mormons cormons Mor mons from juric jurics s on oil poly polygamy gurny trials we have also submitted to this poland bill as loyal citizens although it was unconstitutional un american and arid unjust while we however submit to injustice vrn want it distinctly understood that we do not believe it fustice justice now we ire have the edmunds law to which we also yield loyal submission never in the least in intending tending to rise in rebellion against it but we know and emphatically declare it to bo an unconstitutional and unjust measure mei burc crowded on oil congress Cou Con grits grets through priestly pressure likewise we consider the voting test oath unconstitutional find unrighteous but we will subscribe to it inai inasmuch much as wo we can do it without for swearing ourselves lest we be deprived atho 0 of tho last vesti vestige e of our civil rights and eriv privileges le VS preat prest smith sinith insisted on hia his eriv 4 alego 9 to 1 0 contend for and anti speak on hi his civil il rights though being an elder in tile church of jesus christ of latter day saints he had as many privileges ais as a methodist minister an epise episcopalian ii ian or any other man lie ile ari will pa advise li life is friends he will persuade all mankind both publicly and privately to stand by the constitution and contend for all its privileges an elder of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints chois who is faithful to his hi covenants is the very beat citizen of the united states and in dis franchising our elders the government disfranchises franchises dis its best citizens the s speaker also showed the tile difference between between bigamy and polygamy a difference which the lawgivers fill and have so grossly ignored the latter day saints are not bigamists biga mists neither are they guilty of promiscuous coli cohabitation abi tation they can subscribe to the test oath if they have not entered pluvial marriage and the speaker exhorted all to get regis trad and exercise their elective franchise in closing president smith ad edthe the saints to bo be valiant and defend their rights if justice is ia tardy she elie will conic by and by and truth will prevail in the end the meeting came to t a close with an ru anthem by the choir and benediction by elder F S richards 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