The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-28

ism. when law-de1ylnS auultely' oiSoAny'
murder. tyranny and blasphemy have been
practised for thirty or forty years under
mask of religion. and an opportune event
opens the way for their speedy extinc-
ton, nothing could seem more unseason-
able than TO make this an occa-
sion for preaching the sacred rights OF
conscience and the duty Of federation.
There could not be greater affront to relg-
ion itself or to the principle OF toieratlon
than protest against efforts to break up the
pestilent nest of denominations which has SO
long defed the laws and reeked with every
crime denounced in the Decalogue. Re-
ligion forsooth Is lust religion2 Is whole
sale massacre of the innocent rellgionf
Are treachery and secret assassination. ana
mutiny against the laws, and ribald,
revolving blasphemy religions What
is Mormonism. stepped as 1t Is In
hideous social filth and stained
with atrocious, dastardly murders. but an
organized attempt to 'blazon evil deeds and
consecrate a crime?" Shall we be troubled
with computations of conscience lest we do
injury to wolves because they appear In
sleeps clothing?
A scrupulous tenderness for the Mormon
religion comes with especial bad grace from
the Evening Post, which rendered such
powerful and efficient service in founding
the republican party. The first national
platform put forth by that party contained
this declaration :--"Resolved. That the
constitution confers upon Congress the
sovereign power over the Territories
of the United States for their gov
eminent, and that in the exercise
of this power it is both the right and the
duty of Congress to prohibit in the Terrific
res those twin relics of barbarism, polygamy
and slavery" This was adopted full year
before the horrible Mountain Meadows mas
sacre, and the Euening Post in those days
expressed no solicitude for the relig-
ious rights of the Mormons. Does the Post
deny. do the Mormons themselves deny,
that polygamy is fundamental tenet OF
their religion? What is the use Of
mincng phrases and drawing unreal
distinctions when religion is made O
cloak for the foulest abominations? II the
Mormon religion can survive the extinction
of polypamy and it's order of secret assassins
called Danites, we have no objection, or at
least no objection Of which we would wish
the law to take cognizance. But we insist
that the time has come when murder must
be punished and polygamy suppressed, and
if the Mormon religion stands in the way
down must 60 the Mormon religion.
When the first republican platform de-
nounced polygamy and slavery as 'twin
relics of barbarism," it employed language
as apt as it was forcible. No twins were
ever more nearly related. Polygamy is
species of slavery, more odious than any
other because it enslaves the weaker and
more defenceless of the two sexes. The
labor of dozen Mormon wives is as val
liable as that of dozen female negro slaves
was previous to the civil war; more profit
able, in fact, to the owner because negress
cost from three to seven hundred dollars,
whereas Mormon wife merely costs the
trouble of seduction. Nobody can dispute
that an average Mormon wife is q veritable
slave. All the books of travellers prove this;
but there is abundance of better evidence.
We will exhibit this foul cargo by samples.
1t SO happened that week or two after the
first republican national convention, in the
same juno when it was held, Mormon case
came before one of the courts of this city.
An Englishman, Samuel Jervis by name,
made an application to the Supreme Court
for the custody of his children. His wife had
been enticed away by Mormon mis-
sionary and embarked on a sailing ves-
sci with her three children for this port.
Her husband pursued her, overlook her
in this city, and instituted legal pro-
ceedines for the recovery of his abducted
children. In the hearing before Judge
Clerke the character of Mormonism was
clearly depicted. Among the witnesses was
Bernard Cannon, sergeant in the United
States army, who had served the greater
part of year in Utah and mingled freely
and largely with Mormon society. In the
presence of this humble sub-oficer the
.saints" had no motive for the dissimula-
tons they practise on journalists and lit
erary travellers, and he had ample oppor-
tunities for seeing their ordinary everyday
life. This sergeant swore to having
witnessed many denominations, but it
suits our present purpose to quote only from
that part of his testimony which bore on the
servile condition of the Mormon wives. He
mentioned Mr.. Crossline and his three
wives:-''He had child by his last wife,
aud the 9th r two wives used to take care Of
the child while the other woman would take
a yoke Of oxen and have to cut load o.
wood in the mountains and return with it.
sWomen do the work of men, especially il
the lower classes; all seem to work for the
elders" II knew seven of Elder Taylor's
wives boarded with one OF them. The
women live in dread as to the chance of leav