Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-12-14

cult to say" what the nation would do,
in spite Of the claim that it is part Of their
'relgious faith; and history tells US
what civilized nation, akin TO ours, ac-
tlally did, when they had the power.
The Sutee, as the burning of widows
with their husbands is called, can be
traced back as an alleged religious rite in
India for 5000 years--as far as fourteen
centuries before the Christian era. The
.Rrahmins claimed as the Mormons do
now in regard to their institution, that
it was taught in their sacred books, and
conferred the highest merit on both hus-
band and wife. She was to remain with
her husband in the regions of the blessed
thirty,fve millions of years. But, if she
did not consent to it, she was to have no
place there. 1t has been proven, however,
recently, on an examination of these al
legged books, that the passages quoted by
the Brahmins were falsely quoted, and in
some instances declared the very reverse
Of their rendering. 1T was on account
of this identity Of argument that | quoted
at Salt Lake from the original volumes
Of the Mormon faith their strong denun-
Citations of poIygamy.l In the sixteenth
century the Mohamcdan Emperor Ak
bar prohibited the suffice, but without
effect. After the East India Company
obtained power there, they endeavord
for dozen years to regulate it; requiring,
among others things, that the sacrifice of
the widow should be unquestionably vol
untary. But such was the influence of
the religious" teachings of their leaders
that the attempted regulation utterl y fail
ed. In Bengal alone, from 1915 to 1926,
there were no less than 7,l54 cases Of
suffice recorded. Finally, Sir VIM. Ben
timex, encouragement Of India, deter
mined to extirpate it, denounced it as
F, murder, AMI required it to be created
and punished as such. This, history tells
us, created much excitement in Bengal,
and, indeed, all over India; the Brah,
Minis denuncing it with great violence las
the Mormons denounce our anti-polygamy
law of 1862 as an interference with
their religion They even sent an agent
to England, with large sums Of money, to
procure its repeal. But England disrc-
garded their religious" arguments, and
stood as one man, with the whole power
Of the kingdom, by the encouragement ;
and wherever English power is recognized
there, this so-called religious rite is now
sternly forbidden and prevented. Eng
land, with united voice, said, "Stop !" and
India obeyed.
g Such is my answer--the answer of Eng.
land the answer of history-to the Apos.
Ties argument. The Brahmin reasoning
that the woman consented (akn as it is
to the Mormon argument now had nc
effect. For England understood the pow
er of religious fanaticism, of assumed re-
velation, OF potential public opinion
The claim that religious faith" command
ed it was powerless; and it went dowr
as "a relic of barbarism," unfit to be
tolerated where a civilized people had
power and the will to abolish it.
pass over the obvious argument thai
wherever polygamy prevails in the wort
woman occupies necessarily a degraded
and inferior condition and, wherever mo
nogamy has been the law, she has beer
elevated, till all good men recognize hel
as the equal sharer of her husbands hap
piness and home. And l come now tt
another one Of Apostle Taylor's arguments
favorite and daily argument with al
Mormon preachers:
"Lot me here" he says, respectfully
ask, Is there not plenty of scope for thu
action Of the Government at home VIVA
Of your gambling bells? What of you
gold rings, your whisky rings your rail
road rings, manipulated through the lobby
into your congressional rings? What o
that great moral curse Of the land-tha
great institution of monogamy--prostitu
! ton? What Of its twin-sister, nfanticide
We can teach you lesson, polygamists al
we are. You acknowledge one wife ant
her children. What Of your association,
unacknowledged We acknowledge ant
maintain all our wives aud all of oul
children" ETC., etc.
| might answer some of these question:
y with the argtmentum ad hominen. Al
to "infanticide, | might ask, Why die
the Mormon sections report Of deaths il
Salt Lake City, the month before w
we're there, show, as officially Published
that over seven-eights OF all the death
were infants. | do not charge infant mur
(, der, of course but no such mortality i
known in the absence efpestience whcrt
monogamy exists. AS TO rings" | nigh
reply that the whisky rings and golC
rings have already felt the power OF th