Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-11-26

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All religions are tolerated with US,
and oil revelations, or assumed reve.
lations. We take the liberty of dis
believing some of them, but none al e
interfered with; and in relation to
turning our back on our religion, we
have never done it.
Concerning our permitting the
Hindoos to burn their widows, il is
difficult To say what we should do.
/ hope, however, that we shall not
be condemned for crimes we are ex-
pected to commit. 1t will be time
enough to atone for them when
done. We do acknowledge having
lately started cooperative stores
We think we have right to buy and
sell of, and to whom we please. We
DO not interrupt Others i'm selling, ifI
they can get customers. We are Ger.
tainly rigid i'm the enforcement of
law against theft, gambling, drunk
enness, debau' hery, ard other civil
liked vices. Is this a crime? II so,
We plead guilty. Mr.. Colfax says
that we complain of persecution.
Have We not cause 10 do it? can we
call our treatment by a milder term.
Was it henevOlence that robbed, pill.
Jagged, and drove thousands of men,
women and children from Missouri
Was it Christian philanthropy that,
after robbing, plundering and ravag-
| ing a whole community, drove them
from Illinois into the wilderness
among savages. Did Government
make any amends for these outrages,
or ever done so? Is it wrong to call
this persecution We have learned
to our cost THAT the king can do no
wrong" Having said so much i'll re-
gard to Mr.. Colfax's speech, let me
now address few words to Congress
and to the nation. And first let me
inquire into the law itself, Enacted in
| 1862. The revelation on polygamy
was given in l843. nineteen years be-
fore the passage of the Congressional
Act. We as a people, believe that
| revelation ia true, and came from
| God. This is our religious belief and
right or wrong, it is still our belief
The Constitution is to protect me in
my religious faith, and other persons
in theirs, as / understand it. 1t
does not prescribe faith for me or
any one else, or authorize others to
| do it., not even Congress. Now who
does not know that the law of 1862,
in relation to polygamy, wss passed
on purpose to intefere with our relig-
Gus faith?
We are told that we are living in
more enlightened age. Our morals
are more pure ~ our ideas more re-
fined and enlarged, our institutions
more liberal. "Our." says Mr.. Col
fax, ''is land of civil and religious
liberty, and the faith of every man is
"A matter between himself and God
alone'-provided God does not shock
the moral ideas by Introducing some
thing that we don't believe in. If
he does. let him look out. We won't
personal---very. far be that from US
hut we will make our platform, pass
Col. gressiOnal laws, and make YOU
submit to them. Wemay, it is true,
have TO send out an army and shed
the blood Of many; but what of
that? 1t is so much more pleasant
to lie prescribed and killed, accord
ing tn the laws OF the great Repub-
lie, in 1.-THE asylum of the oppressed, "
than to perish ignObly by the DEGREES
of kings, through their miserable
miniois, in the barbaric ages. Let
me here respectively ask, is there no.
plenty of scope for the action Of
Government at home: What of
your gambling bells q? What of YOUR
gold rings, your whisky rings, your
railroad rings, manipulated through
the lobby into your Congressional
rings? What of the great moral
curse Of the land-that great insti-
tuition of mOnogramy-prostitution ?
What of its twin sister-in fanticide?
We can teach you lesson, poIygA-
mists as We are. You acknowledge
one wife and her children. What of
your associations unack nOwledged L?
| We acknowledge and maintain all
our wives and all our children. We
don't keep few only, and turn the
| others out as Outcasts. to be provided
! for by or 9han asylums or turned ia.
/ TO the street as VagabOnds, to help
! increase the fcarfuily growing evil
our actions are all honest, open and
above board. We have 10 gambling
bells, no drunkenness, no infanti-
eide, no house of designation, no
prostitutes. Our wives are not afraid
of our intTigues and debauchery /
nor our wives and daughters corrupt |
ed by designing and unprincip!ed |
Williams. ] am sure you would not
on reflection, reverse the order of
God and exchange the sObriety, the
chastity, the virtue and honor Of
our institutions, for yours that are
SO debasing, dishoHorable. corrupt /
ing, defaming aud destructive? We /
have fled from these things, aud
with great trouble aud care have
purged ourselves from your evils
don't try to legislate them upon US,
nor seek to engulf us i'm your vices.
JOHN TYLoR.
SAT- Lake city, Nov. 2, 1869.
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