Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-09-04


whom John Taylor is the priest.
The latter has firm will and a
strong following, but is devoid of
qualities essential if he would gain
rulership. He is unlikely to sue
ceed in an undertaking which Brig
ham Young formerly in his place
accomplished by impudence and
cajolery. twill be hard to convince
the Mormon people, who for months
past have been hearing and reading
the exposures and fraud practiced
upon them by Brigham and his un-
scrupulous cabal, chat any member
of that cabal has suddenly become
what Brigham himself pretended
to be-the special and only earthly
deputy and revelator of the Most
High. The poor dupes believed
that, perhaps, of the chieftain who
now lies dead in the Lion House.
They can hardly transfer the belief
at this time to another human
creature. The absurd doctrine of
revelation, the wicked and sense
less rites of the Endowment House.
the sanctity Of polygamy, fraud of
celestial marriage, the slayish sub
mission of mind and viii to the
dictation of a single tyrant-these
have had their day. They will
eventually cease to be.
ToTTERING MoRMoNIsM.
A house divided against itself
cannot stand and must fall. Divided
indeed the Mormon system is in
various ways. During late years a
power has risen which, though it
was controlled by Brigham Young
while he lived, now bids fair to as
sert itself. 1t is the financial, the
mercantile and banking element of
the Mormon community-an ele-
ment selfish and prosperous - the
leaders of which have long been
secretly diSgusted with Church
mummerieS and will not be con-
trolled by fanatical priesthood.
THE PROPHET NO FINANCIER.
But Notwithstanding Brigham
Young's boast that he was a great
financier and the general belief that
he successfully conducted a number
Of profitable business enterprises, it
is fact that every legitimate bust
ness enterprise with which he con.
nected himself was a conspicuous
failure. He made vast sums of
money, and died immensely rich in
bank and other stocks, houses,
lands, etc.; but bis wealth was the
spoil Of the most gigantic and un-
scrupulous robberies ever perpe-
trated. He stole millions from the
people whom he invited here-stole
them outright in the name of the
Lord. He extracted them in the
forms Of tithes, gifts, temple funds
and other specious devices. For
nearly a quarter Of century he
managed to keep 100, 600 people in
comparative penury and ignorance
that he and the favorites who sur
rounded them might thrive. His
avarice and his loveof power, which
survived other lusts Of the flesh
active in him in the days when
Joseph Smith revealed polygamy
that he and brother reprobates
might with impunity desecrate the
beds OF neighboring husbands in
Nauyoo, enabled him to become
opulent in spite of a business inca
pacity which was puerile.
OPPOSITION THE PRESENT sYs.
TEN.
Sharp sighted Mormons like
William II. Hooper, William Jen-
nings, H. s. Eldridge and John
Sharp owed too much to Brigham's
fayoritism to dispute his sway.
Now that he is dead they will be
first to resist the effort of any sue
cessor or pretender to introduce
methods similar to his into their
affairs. They have found out that
the policy of seclusion and excIu-
sion which the prophet adopted in
secular as well as religious matters
was too ruinous. The huge store
labeled "Zion's Cooperative Mer-
camille Institution" designed, to-
gether with branch agencies, to
coerce the patronage of customers
throughout Zion, had steadily
ceased to prosper its credit in the
East having been for a long time
kept up by Brigham's individual
backing. During the period of its
decadence several Gentiles and
apostate merchants have grown af-
ilaent.
FLOURIsHING APOSTATES.
The Walker brothers, John
Ohristill and Henry Lawrence, who
apostatized about 1865, have flour
i8hed in independence, and the
Walker brothers are now doing the
largest mercantile business in Utah.
The mercantile, mining and rail-
road enterprises which have set
into the Territory, many of them
directed by Gentiles and apostates,
are gradually stirring up the people
and rendering it impossible for the
church leaders to hold them in
such absolute subsection as formerly.