The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-08 00:00:00

AMERICAN PRESS.

A Gentile newspaper, the Utah Reporter, thus
reviews the controversy between Brigham Young
and the sons of Joe Smith :

"The special excitement in Salt Lake City, consequent
on the mission of the young Smiths, seems to have quieted
down and given place to a mere quiet and argumentative
discussion on the writs of the case. This is one of those
singular controversies in which both parties' know they
are right,' 'arid can prove it too. AE far as human testi-
mony can prove anything, it can be proved beyond a doubt
that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, practised polygamy, while,
with still more certainty, both by human testimony and
documentary evidence, it can be proved that be constantly
and bitterly denied it, that be 'silenced' all the Elders who
preached it, and that nearly the last day of his life he pro-

nounced it a false and damnable doctrine. Sixteen women
swore most positively, and allowed their affidavits to be
published in the Nauvoo Expositor, that Joseph Smith had
made proposals to them to become his concubines, and
twelve women, now in Salt Lake City, subscribe to
affidavits that they were the spiritual wives of Joseph
Smith, and lived with him as such. It were difficult
to prove a case more plainly. When the Expositor came
out Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Dr.
Bernhisel, and all the Nauvoo Council, composed of the
leading Mormons, pronounced it an infamous libel
and the women perjured liars, and destroyed the
printing office. In conversation with Governor Ford,
shortly after, both the Smiths, John Taylor, and Wil-
lard Richards most solemnly averred that polygamy or
spiritual wifery was no doctrine of the Church, and that
by such a charge they had been cruelly maligned by
the publishers of the Expositor. Could that side of the
case be more plainly proved ? But there is other evidence.
The Brighamites claim that the revelation authoris-
ing polygamy was given July 12, 1843 ; on the Ist of
, February, 1844, the following appeared in The Times and
Seasons, Church paper at Nauvoo :
Notice—' As we, have lately been credibly informed that
an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, by the name of Hyrum Brown, has been preaching
polygamy and other false and cotrupt doctrines in the
County of Lapeer and State of Michigan, this is to
notify him and the Church in general that he has boon

cut off from the Church for his iniquity, and ho is further
notified to appear at the Special Conference on the Gth of
April next, to make answer to theso charges.

JosErn Sminti Presidents of the Church,
HYRUM SMITH,
"Only six weeks afterwards Hyrum wrote to ' the bre

thren on China Creek" that as he had heard of a man
preaching that doctrine there, 'it was false doctrine, not
taught or practised in Nauvoo,' &c. For nine years the
church kept up this deceit. And now comes John Tay-
lor, Brigham Young, and others, and deny their old de-
nials, claim that they lied in their statements to Governor
Ford, and that they did practise polygamy extensively in
Illinois. How can we believe the testimony of such people
on any subject ? They do not claim to be consistent in
this thing, but justify it as pious policy,' and state dis-
tinctly as their views that the Lord allows his people to

lie for a good cause.' Within a few days past two pro-
minent Brighamites have avowed it to me, quoting the
example of Abraham in favour of judicious lying, and
one of them supplemented his statement by the re-
mark—' Anyhow, it's no harm to lie to a gentile!' But
Joseph F. Smith, who is conducting the discussion
on the Brigham side, seems still to have a faint
sense of honour, and in his sermon last Sunday
evening grew quite indignant over our published
statement that he had proved his own father a liar.'
Ho said that he made a great distinction between toll-
ing a lie and not telling all the truth.' He then read Web-
ster's definition of the word polygamy, and stated that
'that kind of polygamy was not practised by the Saints;
that was the kind his father, Hyrum Smith, meant, and
that was a false and abominable doctrine.' This is a nice
distinction, but I give him tho benefit of it if any one can
see it. But with such quibbles on words, such ingenious
evasion of the plain meaning any sensible man would put
-upon a statement, and especially with their avowed doc-
trine that 'it is no harm to lie for a good cause,' we hope
the Mormons will not expect us to believe any more of
their professions."
The New York, Times considers the reward of
public men in America is " to be abused when liv-
ing and praised when dead," citing the obituaries on
Senator Fessenden as an example.
The United States Economist says :

" The fall trade opens under circumstances that warran

anticipations of a more favourable season than has been
known for some time past. At this early period of the
season there are no very marked improvements in the ge-
neral condition of business, but there is a perceptible ac-
tivity that promises better things for the future, and that is,
at least, indicative of a departure from the extreme dull-
ness that has solong characterised all branches of business.
The grounds for anticipating a successful fall trade are de-
ducible from a consideration of the main features of the
industrial interests of the whole country rather than from
aspect of affairs
the cheering, though possibly transient,

in this and other commercial centres. The time has now
evidently arrived for witnessing the effects of the remark-
able industrial efforts put forth by the whole American
people since the close of the civil war. ' For the last four
years wo have been at work in the field, forest, mine, and
factory, reproducing the property destroyed during the
great conflict. We wish we could add that we have boon
at work on the sea, but it is all too manifest that our ocean
commerce, which was the first to suffer by the war, is
likely to be the last to improve. In evorthing else,
however, we have made the most substantial progress.
Thanks to immigration, there was more land under cul-
tivation in the United States this year than ever be-
fore. Even the South, exhausted and almost ruined, is
recovering much of its former prosperity. The cotton
crop is very nearly up to the maximum of theanter
period in quantity, and, owing to the advance in price,The
will realise more money than in any former
yield year.
other products are more diversified,
and
sugar, anda
and
‘vt thep
tobacco,es
ere promisess,with
to bteh
e exceptionsatisfactory.of rice,
of I n tl m
North ecorn,
asirlealalbnovote teheelyavhear‘a,geeseeofe.ethe nbiorsetapdraotaspffearotues years.
render f
oWo
de
jvhonn.country, but will also have
With these substantial
a large surpplentiful andl
u
cs
hefoaip.
go and transportation of our ex-
we possess all the elements of. a prosperous
jeux poouil-taogt‘
advantages,
lv'oerseixfnainn (Auctions can hardly fail to fallstirvaodaci.id
dTi
im-
partten' a healthy stimulus to every branch of business. Eng-
hnd will certainly want more cotton than we can sell her,
and probably all the breadstuffs that we can spare. An
other favourable circumstance is found in the remarkable
extension and improvement of railroad and water transpor-
tation during the last few years. The opening of the Pa-
cific Railroad, and the construction of the numerous
branch lines in connection with it, open a new and vast
field to commerce. There is scarcely a town or village in
the broad expanse of our country that does not feel the
want of transportation facilities, and that has not taken
measures to remedy any deficiency that may exist. Many
new short linos of railroads have been recently opened,
through sections of country hitherto practically excluded
1 from a market. Nor is this all. Our system of water
transportation is being developed to a remarkable extent.
The Mississippi grain movement is assuming vast propor-

Lions, and public attention is now directed to the ad-
vantages to be derived from the development of our
interior lines of lake and river navigation, and the
construction and improvement of canals in connection
with them."

The Omaha Herald of the Bth Sept. is filled with
the sayings and doings of George Francis Train,
who appears to have just returned from an ex-
tended tour through California. Judging from the
tone of his remarks our impression is that Geo.
Francis had not been well received by the citizen°
of San Francisco, otherwise it is hard to account
for his swinging round the circle, from abuse of
England to the abuse of California. Perhaps it
as he says, because the newspapers were very Englis7
that he found the country so objectionable.
was never so astonished before," says Mr. Train;
" no one had even heard that Lee had surrendered*
They cheat you in everything. First, they say there
a population in San Francisco of 150,000. I 0
up one morning and counted every man, woman,
and child, and there were not 100,000. Everything
was a show. The Pacific coast was a sucked orange
and San Francisco the sucker. It is the most
gantic swindle I ever saw. The Soutb Sea bubble
was only a ten million dollar affair after all.
Mississippi land scheine only another 10,000,0 w,
and the tulip mania of Holland 5,000,000. Twentr
five million dollars was. the whole extent of tbhe
gigantic bubblesof the seventeenth century on wbies
so many volumes have been written. The bubb,l°
of San Francisco amounts to $200,000,000." T°
result of his inspection was—" Alaska, lives ; Prh:
tish Columbia, dead ; Washington Territory, alive
Oregon, sound ; San Francisco, exploded ; COW'
nia, broke ; Nevada, ' played ;' Idaho and Bin°'
tana, dying • Pacific bubble, burst ; Utah, fine;
rishing. ' George wrote a sweet thing in epigrn°l
on the Yo Semite, and says :
" When I g,t
of back from the Yo Semite I found Calf'
a friend of mine and a first rate fellow, who do9s ;11
largest business on the smallest steam engine of any' b
in this country. He can take a piece of Indiana dollgoo
and divide it mom equally among one hundred chicl‘e„,
than any other man. Colfax went out with SO"'
Bowleg, on whom I wrote the epigram :
The Springfield Republican and the Worcester Spy,
Too mean to live, and too poor to die !
Holland's a brick; but the smallest of souls
Is the one-horse editor, Samuel Bowles.' " bat
He proceeded to tell his enthusiastic audience t t,
be would be President in 1872, and after extraeed
ing a vociferous cry of Aye from all who favourio
it, he called for the Noes of those who opposed. di
response came a very distinct No, whereon the re,jel,
George remarked, "there was a stranger in ':,or
braska." Again he put it to his hearers whetl'e,
he was to deliver a coherent or an incoherent leer
ture after stating it was the same to him whe,"„oci
it should be incoherent or not, an 3 received a 13,0
response in Aye, but one voice cried No. "SA.
said George, " only one, and be is an Eng list
man ; I like his individuality." We wondered 11011
had become of George Francis Train ; he has °the
been taking in a fresh cargo of ammunition 004
Pacific Slope, and he now commences firing "
in his usual reckless style. do°
Alluding to the three men of national reputilt,o
then lying dead, the New York Herald says, 'l;eral
different ages seem brought together in the e°,lo
histories of Fessenden, Rawlins, and John Bell.

711 E AUUMN HANDICAPS.

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