The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-09-07

H. G.-What do you say of the so
called Danites, or Destroying Angels, be-
longing to your Church?
B. What do yow say? l know
of no such band, no such persons or or
ganization. l hear of them only in the
SANDERS of our enemies.
H. G.-With regard to the grave
question on which your doctrines and
practices are avowedly at war with those
of the Christian world-that of a plurali
Of wives-is the system Of your Church
acceptable to the majority Gifts women?
B. Y.--They could not be more averse
to it that 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.
H. Chow general is polygamy
among you:
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 du-
ty.
Fl. G.-What is the largest number of
wives belonging to any one man!
B. VI have fifteen; | know no enc
who has more; but some Of those sealed
to me are old ladies whom | regard rath-
er as mothers than wives, but whom I
have taken to cherish and support
II. G-Docs not the Apostle Paul say
that bishop should be ''the husband of
one wifer'
B. Y.-So we hold. We do not re-
gard any but married man as fitted for
the office of Bishop, But the Apostle
does not forbid bishop having more
wives than one.
Fl. G.-Does not Christ say that no
who puts away his wife, or marries one
whom another has put away, commits
adultery?
B. Yes; and I hold that no man
should ever put away wife except for
adultcry-not always even for that. Suc1
is my individual view of the matter. I do
not say that wives have never been put
away in our Church, but that do not
approve of the practice.
H. G.-How do you regard what is
commonly termed the Christian Sabbath (?
B. Y.--As divinely appointed day of
rest. We enjoin all to rest from secular
labor on that day. We would have no
man ensIaved 10 the Sabbath, but we en-
join all to respect and enjoy it.
Such is as nearly as I can rccolloct, the
substance Of nearly two hours converse
ton, wherein much was said incidentally
that would not be worth reporting, and
wherein others bore part; but, as Pres
ident Young is the first minister of the
Mormon Church, and bore the principal
part in the conversation, l have reported
bis answers alone to my questions and OBJ
servations. The others appeared uniform
ly to defer to his views, and acquiesce fully
in his responses and explanations. He
spoke readily, not always with grammat-
zeal accuracy, but with no appearance Of
hesitation or reserve; and with no appa-
rent desire to conceal anything, nor did
he repel any Of my questions as importi-
nent. He was very plainly dressed in
thin summer clothing, and with no air of
sanctimony or fanaticism. In appearance
he is a portly, frank, good-nature1, rath-
or thick-set man of fifty-f seeming to
enjoy life, and be in no particular hurry
to get to heaven. His associates are PLAIN
men evidently born and reared to life of
labor, and looking as little like crafty hyp-
ocrtes as any body of men [ ever met
The absence of cant or shuttle from their
manner was marked and general, yet |
think l may fairly say that Mormonism
has not impover shed theln-that they
were generally poor men when they en-
braced it. and are now in very comforta-
bic circumstances men averaging three
or four wives apiece certainly need be.
fl hazard any criticisms on Mormon
ism generally, l reserve them for a sepa-
rate letter, being determined to mako this
fair and full expose Of the doctrine and
policy, in the very words of its Prophet
SO far as | can reach them. | do not be-
lieve President Young himself could pre-
sent them in terms calculated to be
less obnoxious to the Gentle world Il an
the above. But I have right to add
here, because | said to the assembled
chiefs at the close of the above colloquy,
that the degradation Tor if you please the
rcstriction) Of woman TO the single office
of child bearing and its accessories, is an
:,,;+ol,lo oo,saouanoa Of the system here