New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-09-20
LATER FROM UTAH.
From Our Special Correspondent
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, r.. T.. Aug. 81.

the StateH, IN discussing thht portion OF Judge
Eckels's charge to the Grand jury of the First
District which relates to polygamy assert roundly
that there il Territorial statute here which
legalzes that practice The Journal Of Corrnerce
was the first. believe, to venture such a state
ment. II is wholly Incorrect No such statute
exists, and far concerns the letter VI the law
tlr charge Of Judge Eckels is iupregnabe. The
prohibition Of adultery is contained in Sec. 81 of
Title III of 'An Act in Relation to Crimes and
Punishment" aud is in the following language:
" Every person who commits the crime Of adultery
shall be punished by Imprisonment not exceeding
twenty years and not LEES than three years by fine
not exceeding thousand dollars aud NO, less than
three hundred dollars by both fine AID imprison-
mert at the discretion Of the Court. And when the
crime is committed between parties any one Of whom
lis n aried both guilty Of adultery and shall be
punished accordingly. No prosecution for adultery
can be commenced but on the complaint OF TIL hus-
band or wife"
The first public announcement Of polygamy rs a
q religious practice was made on August ~, 1852,
by Orson Pratt, of the apostles, more than five
months after the act was passed against adultery.
The sermon in which the announcement was made,
OF as Brigham Young expresses it, 80 in which the
cat was let out of the bag" is so remarkable that
extract several passages from it. 1t may be
found in full in the journal of Discourses' of
the Mormon leaders, VOL l, PIP. 53, published at
Liverpool in 1854. The sermon was delivered in
the Tabernacle in this city. / ought to premise by
say ing that Orson Prstt and John Taylor are the
only two Mormon leaders who pretend to the pos
session Of more than ordinary mental cultivation.
They are both unquestionsbly able men, but Pratt
is more careful of his language than Taylor, who
often shows himself "a great a backguard IN the
pulpit IA kimbal or Grant IL was for that reason
that Pratt was selected to enuncate the dogma,
which he did as follows:
" Ii is quite unexpected to me, brethren and sisters,
to be called upon to address you this forenoon aud
still more so to address you upon the principle which
has been named, namely, plurality of wives. 1t is
rather new ground for me- that is have not been IN
the habit Of publicly speaking upon this subject and
il s rather new ground to the inhanitants OF he Unu
States and not only to them but to portion of the
inhabitants of Europe. portion OF them have not
been in the habit Of preaching doctrine OF this
description, consequently We shall have to break new
ground.
at is well known, however, to the congregation be.
fore me- that the Latter-Day Saints have embraced
the doctrine Of plurality of wives a. part ct their
religious faith. 1t is not, as many nave supposed,
doctrine embraced by them to crafty the carnal usts
and feelings of man that is not the object OF the doc
trne. We shall endeavOr to set forth before TINS en-
lghtened assembly some of the causes why the Al
mighty has revealed such doctrine, and why II IS
And believe that they will not under our present form
Of government II mean the government OF the United
States try for treason for believing aud practcing
our religious notions and IDEAS think If ! am not
mistaken that the Constitution gives the privilege to
all the inhabitants Of this country OF the free exercise
their religious notions and the freedom of their faith
and the practice of it, Then, If it can be proved to
| demonstration that the Latter-Day Saints have ac-
tuely embraced part and portion Of their religion
the doctrine of plurality Of wives, II is constitutional
And should there ever be laws enacted by this Govern
men to restrict them from the irec exercise o inns part
of their religion such laws must be unconstitutional.
But says the objector, we cannot see now TINS
doctrine be embraced IA matter vi Religion anu
faith we hardly conceive how can De embraced
only as kind of domestic concern, something that
pertains domestic pleasures, in no way connected
with religion In reply we will snow you that 1t is
incorporated part of our religion and necessary
for our exsltaon to the iuness OF the LORD glory ID
the eternal world. Would you ike to know the
reasons The Mormons have peculiar
doctrine in regard to onr preexstence different from
the views of the Christian world, so called.
Do the Scripures declare that the spirit was formed
at the time the tabernacle made No. All the
tabernaces of the children of men that Were ever
formed, from remote generations, nave peeh ioIieu
out Of the earth. We are OF the earth earthy NpW,
where do you suppose all these tabornaces got ,eir
spirits Does the Lord make new spirit every time
tabernacle is made II so, the work 81 creation,
according to the belief of Chrstendom, did not cease
on the seventh day. Ii we admit their views, the
Lord must be continually making spirits to nhabt all
the tabernacles of the children Of men, he must make
something like one thousand millions OF spirits every
century; he must be working at IT every day, Tor
there are hundreds of individuals being born INTO me
world every day. Does the Lord create new spirit
every time a new tabernacle comes into the world
That does not look reasonable nor godlike.
But how is it You inquire. Why, the fact IL, that
being that animaes this body, that gives HE and
energy and power to move to act and to think that
being that dwes within this tabernacle il much oier
than what the Tabernacle is. we read OF
a certain time when the corner stones OF the earth
were laid and the foundations thereof Were made sure,
of certain time when the Lord began TO erect TINS
beautiful and glorious habtation the earth then they
had time of Joy. do not know whether they had
instruments OF music whether they were engaged in
the dance: but one thing is certain they had great JOY
and the heavens resounded with their shouts Inc
=" Sons Of God recoleet, shouted Tor Joy because
there WAS n beautiful habHation being built so that
they could get tabernaces and dwell thereon' they
expected the time they looked forward to the PERIOD
and il joyful for them to reflect that the creation
WAS about being formed which they might In their
times and in their seasons, and IN their generations,
90 forth and receive tabernaces for their spuits 70
dwell in Do you bring It home TO yourselves, breth'
rem and sistersl DO YOU realize that You and were
there Can You bring il to your minds that you and
were among that happy number that shouted for joy
when this creation made! Says one, l don't
recoect it. No wonder for your recollection Is taken
from you because you are IN a tabernacle 'ha' Is
earthly: and all this is right and necessary.
Wehave ascertained that We had
nreyious existence. We find that solomon, that wise
SAWS that when the body returns to the dust the
spirit returns to God who gave It. Now, al TINS con-
gregation very well know that II we never existed
there we could not return there could not return 10
Californis. Why Because never have been ihere'
much more evidence might be derived IL relation
TO this subject from the English translation OF
the Bible but do not feel disposed tn dwell too long
upon any particular testimony; suffice 10 say that Tue
Prophet Joseph Smiths translation Of the fore part OF
the Book of Genesis is in print and Is exceedingly plain
upons matter. In this inspired translation We ind the
preexstence of clearly laid down, and that me
spirit of all men, male and female, did have an exist
ence before man formed out of the dust OF the
,,onnd Ru, who was their Father have already