The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-15

Please give the following an insertion in
your paper. a eUDscRIBER.
The Executive Committee of the American
Tract Society having published & paper entitled
Recent Action of the Committee of the Amer.
lean Tract Society on Slavery" in which they
ignore the directions of their constituents, THE
Society ITSELF, by declaring that they are not
prepared to issue tracts On the Subject of Sla-
very, even if the product of Southern Chris
tians, it seems important that the Committee
should be equally tolerant toward another sys.
tenn, equally deserving, and not limit their
sympathies TO the slavesolding Oligarchy. In
accordance with these views, another document
has been prepared, sin7Var in its design and
language, for the benefit Of the Latter Day
Saints" which is hereby recommended to the
Committee for adoption, in the following words,
to wit
Recent Action Of the COMMITTEES Of the American
Tract Society on Polygamy.
"The Publishing Conmittee, with the con-
currence of the other members Of the Execu-
tive Committee, deem it due to fhe friends of
the Society to state their own recent action {"
on the engrossing topic of issuing tracts for our
brethren in Utah.
At the first organization of .tfe Society, it
was one of the governing principles that its
publications should co5tain gospel truths on
every branch of practical Chris ,ianity-such
truths as were calculated to receive the ap-
probation of all evangelical Christians" This
limitation it is obvious, did not restrict the So
ciety to publications calculated to receive the
appreciation of euery member of every evangel.
cal denomination; but the meaning is, that all
the publications should, in regard to doctrines,
receive the general appreciation Of all denom-
s,o .rf. II - =
try and the world.
The Society has, in accordance with this in.
depreciation Of the limitation, issued tracts on
the subjects of Intemperance, Dancing, &C.,
although, we are sorry to say, they do not IRE.
ceive the appreciation of all evangelical Chris
tians," theoretically or practically; and the
common sense of msnkind attests that, by 80
doing, the Society has not departed from its
original Constitution, The course pursued on
this subject has received the sanction por-
ton of implicated evangelical Christians ex.
cepted-of the great body Of its constituents
and patrons. "For the successful maintenance
of the past and the happy expansion of the fu-
ture influence of the Society, we have relied
on the sympathies, prayers, gifts, and coop
GRAFTON, of our brethren in the South" ss in
the North, in the East, as in the West. AS we
said in our "Recent Action" 90 we say now,
if the evangelical Christians resident in any
portion of our wide country" in the slave States
or Utah, give not their confidence, aid, and
personal influence our agents and our tracts,
our collectors and our volumes, are alike denied
access"
"We have received from churches and from
individuals, from men in all the strength and
fervor of their best years, and from Christians
arranging their worldly affairs in prospect of
DEATH" among our Utah brethren, commonly
called the Latter Day Saints, ga generous and
hearty support in the former years of our his.
tory" And we can say, "with equal fidelity to
donors and testators at the North or at the
South" at Utah or elsewhere, !" the conductors
of the Society have aimed to dispense, far and
near, their respective Contributions for the best
interests alike of our common country and our
common Christianity" illusions to the vexed
questions of Slavery and Polygamy among the
Saints In Utah, only excepted, as the world
will bear Us witness.
+" The Publishing Committee had, at the time
of the last anniversary" and for years pre-.
vious, sundry tracts against lascivfousress, one
especially, written by the late venerable Dwight
"On the Seventh COMMANDMENT These
tracts had received the appreciation of large
portion of evangelical Christians, Although we
regret to say that, here and there, o bishop,
presbyter, doctor of divinity, elder deacon, or
private mem Der of evangelical churches, evinced,
from the beginning, decided diaapprobation
OF their contents. 1t was the intenti3n of the
Committee, in view of the rapid snd alarming
progress of Mormonism, and especially in view
of the fact that the inhabitants Of Utah are
soon to apply to the Congress Of the United
States to be admitted into this glorious Union
with Constitution allowing polygamy, to issue
tract on the Duties Of Polygafnists," which
was "under their consideration" at the time
of the last anniversary. at was composed of
articles before issued by brethren Of various
denominations" who now reside in Utah, but
who formerly lived in other parts of the country
and of the world, some of whom were of good
and regular standing il evangelical churches
before their change of sentiment.
"The Publishing Coumittee were not alto
gether unaware of the inherent endorsements
Looked upon with some distrust at" Utah, /" as
the treatise might be, because bearing a North
ern imprint, it was yet, on tae other hand,
equally evident that many Northern friends of
the Society might object to 1t, az recognising
" duties inhering in the relation of" polyQa.
noists :" that relation, ia their bitp, being for
bidden."
Since the preparation of the treatise, one
of the authors, from whose addresses or tracts
it was compiled, has heen removed by DEATH"
we allude to Elder Joe Smith " two others of
these brethren, honored and influential. have
judged it inexpedient, in the enbundled and
excited state of feeling awakened" both in
New England and Utah. " upon the various re-
lstons of this topic that those writings of their
own, which were to form prominent portion
OF the treatise, should be issued. = =
they have accordingly snterdicted our further
use of the matter thus sapplied."
But, IN addition, from all quarters of our !"
Utah field we have received r. ex-
pressions the most unan. nous and decided, that
any publication by our sress, bearing upon the
topic Off polygamy, "sven though Off Utah
authorship, and earthly kept within the terms
of the resolution of the Anniversary" as applied
to the kindred subject Of Mormonism, could
have no other result thsn precipitating the en-
tire withdrawal of" the Latter: Fay Saints in
Utah from cooperation with the Society. The
new works would find no gate of 6ccess - even
our Southern friends wopld spuru ESSAYS ON the
duties of polygamists, as'the publications would
imply that the relation, andef dus regulations
and stripped Of its "souses,o was scriptural
and morsl "and the separation would hence
forth exclude even our older issuas, by finging
over them the suspicion of their origin from a
quarter presumed to haze become hostile to the
interests of" Utah. "s)f these accredited is
sues, the siftings" pardon this allusion to
former expurgations and mutilahons =" of a
rich evangelical literature" in par own and in
European lands books respecting which ait
seemed sad necessity to be compelled to clog
In any way the circulation"
From every county end town in Utah we
near but one testimony, as borne by all the
Huiers, High Priests, Elders, Officers, high
and low, OF the Latter Day Sainfss and by their
religious press and ecclesiastical bodies.
"over" al Utah I" we have now virtual sus.