The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-05-09
THE MORMONS.

THE MORMONS.
Public attention has been again called to
this remarkable community, by a debate last
week in the House of Representatives on
striking out proviso in the bill granting do
nations to actual settlers in Utah. Inc pro-
viso declares that the benefits ofthe act shall
not be extended to any person having more
than one wife We were glad to see that Sc
veral members of the Virginia delegation
condemned the corrupt practices OF the Nor
mons, and Mr.. Lyon. Of New York, who
seems to be a good deal of a man, poured hot
shot into the many.wived. Old Mr.. Giddings
awaited himself of the occasion to relieve his
putrid stomach of great deal of foul aboli-
ton stuff, and another bilious person, one Da-
Wis, of Rhode Island, endeavored to make him.
livery offensive. Both thesepersons having
succeeded in eliciting unmistakable symp-
toms of disgust from the spectators, disap-
peared, highly gratifed with the decided SEN
sation Of nausea they had produced.
Mr. M. Walsh Of New York, predictedthat
in less than dozen years, the Mormons will
be the most powerful sect in America.
1t is not very likely that the prediction of
Dir. Walsh win be realized, but the rapid in
crease of the Mormons is undeniable, and at
tracts much interest to them.
No exertions nor expense are spared by Gov.
abroad, to increase their numbers, so as to
obtain the necessary population for State.
They have large fund for this purpose,
called THE Perpetual Emigration Fund"
Emigrants from Europe and the United
States, are annually added to Utah, by emf
grafton. The natural increase, under their
system of domestic economy, affords by no
means an inconsiderable accession to their
population, and they own that the object of
their Oriental system..is to raise up as speed
ly as possible, "a holy generation to the Lord,
who shall build up his kingdom on the
earth"
The first Mormon association, or Church,
as they callit, was organized in 1880. Itcon-
sisted of six members, having at its head Jo-
seph Smith, shrewd, vulgar rascal, who pre-
tended that in 1895, he had been visited by
an angel from Heaven, who showed him a
strong box concealed in cave in Western
New York, that soil so prolific of isms, which
box contained the "Book of Mormon writ
ten on gold plates, in language which Smith
described as the reformed Egyptian" The
angel conferred upon Joseph, the gift of re-
violation, the power to translate the mysteri-
Gus book, and to understand all languages,
and also. ordained him to the "Melchisidec
Priesthood" which had been lost from the
earth for 1900 years. Joe and another grace
less scamp was appointed by this Mormon
angel, apostles, and commissioned to preach
the Gospel and perform miracles. Their
church soon increased, and settlement was
made in Ohio, then Missouri, and afterwards
in Illinois, from each of which States they
were driven away in consequence of the ras-
cality they practiced upon the "Gentiles.' In
Illinois, Joe closed his illustrious career He
was shot, while in prison, and his nameis now
enrolled at the head of the apostles and mar
tyrs of the Mormon faith.
The Mormons do not deny the divine origin
and authority of the Bible, but they claim
that it has been so corrupted as to require a
new translation. Their Book of Mormon
they also hold to be Of divine origin. They
maintain that Joseph and his successors are
endowed with the power of working miracles,
and ofreveiation in all matters of religion and
of every day concern.
In their government there is an intimate
union of the civil and the ecclesiastical. The
judge and the priest are combined in the same
person. Each member of the church is re-
quired to pay into the church treasury, one
tenth Of the products of his industry, and to
devote one tenth of his time to labor upon the
public works. tax on property supplies the
civil fund, but the revenues of church and
State, are Unfortunately used for each
other.
That polygamy prevails among them is un-
deniable. Joseph Smith instituted it. 1t is
stated that Brigham Young, the Governor,
has about fifty wives, and most of the elders
about dozen each. There is no limit to the
number Of wives man may have EXCEPT his
ability to maintain them. Capt Stansbury.
who was sent by the United States Govern.
ment to make survey of Utah in le4s. and
who lived there for nearly year, saws: az
heard it proclaimed from the stand. bv the
president OF the church himself, that he had
right to take thousand wives if he though,
proper; and defied any man to prove from
the Bible that he had not" The Governo,
also claims to have the sole power to absolve
parties from wedlock when he sees fit to do
SO. They call polygamy the spiritual wife
system; the second third, fourth or fiftietb
wife maintains as honorable a position in So
ciety as the first wife. The Mormon doctrine
is that maiden ladies stand poor chance of
going to Paradise, and that no man can reach
theperfect beautitude ofthe future state with
out at least one wife, and the more he has, the
higher will be his position in the next world.
each of the wives acting as round in the
ladder whereby he ascends to the seventh
heaven.
The existence and increase of such !.
beastly community, is a dispra 20 e. A. >,