Daily Iowa State Democrat., 1859-08-28

needy converts on their way to this
country, and the largest portion to the
support Of the poor among the Saints.
ii. G.-ls none Of it paid 70 bishops
and other dignataries Of the church :
B. Y.-Not one penny. No bishop,
no elder, no deacon, or other church
officer, receives any compensation for
his official services. A bishop is often
required to put his hand in his own
pocket and provide therefrom for the
poor Of his charge; but he never re-
ceives anything for bis services.
II. G.-How, then, do your minis
ters live!
b. Y.-By the labor of their own
hands, like the first Apostles. Every
bishop, every elder. may be daily seen
at work in the field or the shop, like
his neighbors; every minister Of the
church has his proper calling BY which
he earns the bread Of his family; he
who cannot or will not do the church's
work for nothing, is not wanted in her
service; even our lawyers (pointipg to
General Ferguson and another pres
eut. who are the regular lawyers Of
the church, are paid nothing for their
services; am the only person in the
church who has not regular calling
apart from the church's service, and
never received one farthing from her
treasury; if / obtain anything from
the tithing house, l am charged with
aud pay for it, just IS any one else
would the clerks in the tithing store
are paid like other clerks, but no one
is ever paid for any service pertaining
to the ministry. We think q man who
cannot make bis living aside from the
ministry Of Christ unsuited to that
office. am called rich, and consider
| myself worth $25O,OOO; but no dollar
Of it was ever paid me BY the church,
or for any service as minister of the
everlasting Gospel. l lost nearly all |
had when we we're broken up in Mis-.
souri, and driven from that State; |
was nearly stripped again when Joseph
Smith was murdered, and we were
driven from Illinois but nothing was
ever made up to me by the church,
nor by any one. l believe | know
how to acquire property, and how to
take care Of it.
II. G.-Can you give me any ra-
tional explanation of the aversion and
hatred with which your people are
generally regarded by those among
whom they have lived, and with whom
they have been brought directly in
contact?
B. Y.-No other explanation than
is afforded by the cruciixion of Christ
and the kindred treatment of Gods
ministers, prophets and saints in all
ages.
H. G.-I know that a new sect is
always decried and traduced-that it
is hardly ever deemed respectable to
belong to one - that the Baptists,
Quakers, Methodists, Universalists, ETC.,
have each in their turn been regarded
in the infancy of their sect as the off
securing of the earth yet cannot re-
member that either of them were ever
generally represented and regarded by
the older sects of their carly days as
thieves, robbers, murderers.
B. Y.-If you will consult the CO.
temporary Jewish accounts of the life
and acts Of Jesus Christ, you will find
that he and his disciples we're accused
of every abominable deed and purpose,
robbery and murder included. Such
work is still extant, and may be
found by those who seek it.
II. G.-What do you say Of the So
called Danites, or Destroying Angels,
belonging to your church
B. Y.-What do you say? know
of no such band, no such persons or
organization. l hear Of them only in
the ISLANDERS of our enemies.
II. G.-With regard, then, to the
grave question on which your doctrines
and practices are avowedly at war
with those Of the Christian world
that of a plurality Of wives-is the
system of your church acceptable to
the majority of its women?
B. Y.-They could not be more
averse to it than / was when it was
first revealed to Us as the Divine will.
think they generally accept it-as l
do-as the will of God.
II. Glow general is polygamy
among yous
B. VI could not say. Some Of
those present (heads of the church)
have each but one wife; others have
more; each determines what is his
individual duty.
II. G.-What is the largest number
Of wives belonging to any one mans
B. VI have fifteen; l know no
one who has more but some of those
sealed to me are old ladies whom l
regard rather as mothers than wives,
but whom have taken home to cherish
and support.
Il. G.-Does not the Apostle Paul
say that bishop should be "the hus>
band of one wife 2"
B. Y.-So we hold. We do not
regard any but married men a. fitted
for the Office Of bishop. But the Apos-
tie does not forbid . bishop having
more wives than one.
b. G.-Does not Christ say that he
who puts .vay,hi' wife, or marries one
whom another has put away, commits
adultery!
B. Y.-Yes; and I hold that no
man should ever put away . wife ex-
cept for adultery-not always even for
that. Snch ia nv individual viav ri