Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-11-26
MORMON VIEW OF POLITICS.

mon preached by Brigham Young, Governor
of Utah and leader of the Mormons, at Great
Salt Lake City, on the 3lst August, in which
he holds that Congress has no right to legislate
upon, or interfere with the institution of po-
lygamy, and that the people of Utah are the
proper persons to decide whether they will
have polygamy or not. That is good '.popular
sovereignty doctrine. But we will give
Young's own characteristic language. lie thus
discusses the subject =
ssThe different political parties are in oppo-
sition. Can the various parties be reconciled?
No. Each party wishes to elect President
of the United States. We design to elect Je-
sus Christ for our President, and the wicked
wish to elect Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, !
and swear that they will have him; and we
declare that we will serve Jesus Christ, and he
shall be our President. We calculate that we |
are right, and we are going to vote for the
sovereign we believe in; and when he comes, |
behold he will go into the chair of state and
| take the reins of Government. They may kill
! the bodies we have, they may strive to inJure
us, but when the day of the great election
| comes, as the Lord Almighty lives, we shall
| gain our President and we anticipate holding
| office under him. Do you blame the wicked
for being mada No. They desire to rule, to
| hold the reins of government on this earth;
they have held them great while. L do not
blame them for being suspicious of me; men
in high standing are suspicious of us, hence
the frequent cry, sstreason, treason, we are 60
ing to have trouble with the people in Utah
What is the matter2 Wherein can they point
out one particle of injury that we have done
TO them ? True, we have more wives than
one, and what of that They have their
scores of thousands of prostitutes; we have
none. But polygamy they are unconstitutlon-
ally striving to prevent; when they Will ac-
complish their object is not for me to say
They have already presented resolution in
Congress that no man, in any of the Terrific
ries of the United States, shall be allowed to
@aEs than eRa wifG Rpdfr ReGaAt{ a DS not
= fine. How will they get rid of this awful evil
: in Utah ? They will have to expend about
: $500, 100000 for building prison; for we
+! must all go into prison. And after they have
q expended that amount for a prison, and rooted
n it over from the summit of the Rocky Noun
g tains to the summit of the Sierra Nevada, we
: viii dig out and go preaching through tho
: world. Voice on the stand What will be-
4 come of the women; win they go to prison
: with us n Brother Heber seems concerned a.
f bout the women going with US; they will be
: with US, for we shall be here together. Thi:
= is little amusing.
y 'sBr. Robbins, in bis remarks, said that the
Constitution of the United States forbids ma
. king post facto laws. The presenting o
!, the resolution alluded to shows their feelings
they wish the Constitution out of existence
and there-i no question but that they will ge
= rid of it as quickly SIS they can, and that would
be ex post facto law, which the Constitution o
. the United States strictly forbids.
;, cit is not the prerogative of the President
. of the United States to meddle with this mat
!, ter, and Congress is not allowed, according tC
!, the Constitution, to legisate upon it. If Utal
was admitted into the Union as sovereign
State and we chose to introduce Slavery here
:. it is not their business to medde with it and
even if we treated our slaves in oppressive
manner, it is still none of their business and
: they ought not to meddle with it. If We in.
troduce the practice of polygamy, it is not
their prerogative to meddle with it; if we
Fashould all turn to be Roman Catholics to-day
c if we all turn to the old Mother Church, il
would not be their prerogative, it would not bt
It their business, to meddle with on that ac
G count If we are Mormons or Methodists, Oh
J. worship the sun or white dog, or if we wor
n ship a dumb idol, or all turn Shaking Quaker:
and have no wife, it is not their prerogative Il
e meddle with these affairs, for in SO doing they
: would violate the Constitution.
e.There is not Territory in the Union thai
V is looked upon with SO suspicious an eye as i!
1 Utah, and yet it is the only part of the natior
that cares anything about the Constitution.
: Sc sMormonism' is true, and all hill canno
> overthrow it. All the DEVILS servants the
q earth may do all they can, and as Br. Clintor
has just said, after twenty-six years faithful
operation and exertion by our enemies, inclu
ding the times when Joseph had scarcely
e man to stand by him, and when the persecu
ton was as severe on him as ever it was in tn,
II world, what have they accomplished? They
u have succeeded in making us an organized
a Territory, and they determined to max,
u us an independent State or Government, anC
- as the Lord lives it will be so. IThe congre
CATION shouted amen.l 1 say, the Lore
= lives, we are bound to become sovereign
State in the Union, or an independent patiol
by ourselves, and let them drive us from thi
place if they can they cannot do it. do no
IS throw this out as a banter; you gentiles, ant
| hickory and Eastwood sMormons' can write j
20 down if you please, but write it as / speal
"a it,