The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-11
U I, A H.
Polygamy Not To Be Abandoned
BY the New Rulers.
An Interview with Ernigra-
ton Agent Stainee.
lie Discourseth ElOquently on the Evils Of
Modern Society and Foretells the Ey.
tineliOn Of the American People.
Po|ygamic Marriage the Only Panacea
for the Worlds Ills.
How the Mormons Deal with
Transgressing Missionaries.


II was generally expected that whom Brigham
| Young's earthly career came TO end that the alb
horrent poyaamy OF the Mormons would die with him,
and the silence since Of the apostles who have sue
ceeded him In the government or the Church on this
subject seemed to lend confirmation that they would
permit this repusve feature Of their faith TO die OUT
but IL Is clearly evident from what Elder Staines says
on this matter that the kindly conclusions Of even
their bost friends tar from being realized and that
the people Of United States are doomed TO have
this everlastingy worrying subject thrown before
| them. To still further confirm this dsagreeabe tact
Apostle George Q. Cannon, the four-wived delegate
| from Utah 10 Congress, sends In bill among the
$500" for the consideration OF our national
Legislature, asking the admission Of Utah into the
Union a sovereign State. without word about the
Abandonment OF polygamy.
IL is peculiarly fitting at this tmo that the inward
thoughts OF tho Mormon leaders should BIO known,
and to a representative OF this paper Elder Staines
unbosoms himself.
RgPoRrgR-When the last company Of immigrants
arrived morning paper published that OF your
missionaries Elder Park, had stated that tho Mormon
elders not allowed TO teach poygamy in Europa
What Ia your reason tor keeping these people In
ignorance Of practice your Church TILL they got
to Utahf DO you, Mr.. Stanes, think that Is exactly
| the right thingf
derstood the missionary, tor polygamy taught whore
ever have branches OF tho Church. From the
mer OF 1852, when the revelation polygamy
read In the Tabernacle In Salt Lake City, there has
been concealmsnt Of that doctrine anywhere.
Elder Orson Pratt publisnsd II In Washington, D. c.,
In December Of thas year, and for ten months
after he maintained IN his paper The Seer pub
shed for the special benefit OF Congress, prac
sice in Utah. aud advocated the benefits be derived
49,
and the arguments for support republished
England and the nations OF Northern Europe where
our missionaries have been successful That reveia-
ton poiygamy has been translated and published
without anything being kept back. and goes
Utah to-day without being fully acquainted with It's
practice there The fact Is, II you tell you
the whole truth, u the imperative duty Of the elders
to teach Il; but they must under any considera-
ton practise II, for they would In such DO
Utah 20 be cut OF from the Church in the way ap.
pointed Tor such transgressions
TRYING UNFAITHPuL
| REPoRrER-WhaIf Do you mean to ssDlood atone''
themr
| AaExr-I mean simply that every missionary abroad
belongs to some quorum OF priesthood, and when any
one Is charged with the commission Of crime he Is
sent home 10 DC tried by the quorum TO which he be-
longs and II the charges are proven no Is dealt with
according TO the character Of his sin.
REPoRrER-Pease DO little explicit on that last
sentence. ! want TO Understand and report you
rectly.
AGExT-well, simply mean 70 say that, as we have
both married and unmarried missionaries abroad this
difference Of condition has 70 be considered in sitting
| IN judgment upon them. II married missionary
whether he was polygamst or tho husband OF one
| vile only at home committed adultery abroad he
would DO cut on from the Church a. once; II u
unmarried missionary that was guilty Of Illicit rea-
tons with unmarried female ne would be tried and
all the circumstances OF their situation would be
adhered. The council that judged him would insist
that no should marry the girl whom no had humbled,
ana II he refusod 70 do so they would cut him or
IRON the Church, and the girl her parents friends,
could then prosecute him, they desired " do so,
| court Of law. 81 M
THE sRpUcER HAS TO MARRY.
REPoRrKR-Witn your people marriage settles that
AGExr-Il Is the best thing TO be done. II the mis-
slonary and the girl loved each other and had been
guilty. OF indscreton and desired TO be husband
wife, the principal parties Interested would thus BIO
satisfied, and where honor was wounded that atone
Dent would Dc the most rational Ii he did not
10 make her his wife, would torco him do and
that she was properly protected and cared
= vile; otherwise ne would be cut oil and branded
seducer, and girl in community would ever
| be seen with him. He would be despisel.
REPoRrER-You seem 10 make allowance for any
temptation coming from the lair sexf
AGExr-None Whatever. Tho Mormon missionary
can offer no excuse for that wrong It's his duty 70
teach and practise virtue, and well guarded have
been the Instructions given 70 them confluence
that they are under no circumstances permitted 10
talk love 70 anybody. Though man may know that
It his privilege TO take other wves Utah and may
maiden abroad whom he night desire for wife
when she GOT to Utah, he has no right say word
10 her hint at SUCH contingency. The mis-.
siouary who does the contrary would be sent home
II discovered.
RKPoRrKa-But havenr you had missionaries who
have Gone sof
AGxNr-on certainly. But they nave been very
TOW indeed, compared with the great number OF m,s-
sionaries who have been abroad II would be strange
Il we had not trail human nature among US, and
Judas now and again.
REroRrgR-Hsve you not found that with the &C.
ccp,ance Of the doctrine Of poygamy by the unmar-
familiarity with the missionariesf
AGKSr-rhe contrary has been the experience OF The
missionaries. have been tDrty-six years in the
M HQyQ nj ~ raln hoU hoAn
very few indeed, nm SATISFIED they have been lever
SINCE poysamy was laugh. than BEFORE and the rea-
son tor that difference Us very clear to my mind,
REPoRrRR-Piease state, you ieeI AZ liberty 10 do
30.
NO PARoxYsMAL KISSES
AGExT-When Mo.monsm hrst taught II was in
our minds the restoration oil primitive Christianity
ana with II there was good dcai OF "Urotncry ove
such was man estsd al the time among small
gregatous Of dissenting bodies especially among those
who claimed 70 enjoy SO much OF ''the SPIRIT" and
among tne Mormons, as among them, some places
there was nothing particularly hurtluI IN .holy
klss'' oil "orotnsr and sister," but when poygamy
was brst spoken ofa familiarity innocent iJia>ty
ceased knowing that tue doctrine OF poIyganiy was
innovation upon established usages and was sure 10
meet with much opposition our missile aries fully
realized that Il tneir duty TO be more than ever
guarded, both IA speech and In associations with the
people, so that person could take offence al their
| conduct Tns necessity ~ once threw up barrier
against all familiarity. Besides that The character OF
| our preaching was necessarily much changed. We
were attacked by the churches in defence OF tho
doctrine OF poygamy ana what II was designed to
compsh our missionaries had to become social moral
| lsts ~ mucn biOie preachcrs and IN dcnOuncing
and exposing the terrible elects the great socia
ev' 50 prevalent Ia ell Christian countries. the
| young people VI our Mormon audiences were thus
enabled 10 The fatal consequences OF wrong, aud
thus barrier alter barrier tho minds Of
the people against 1.-The very appearance OF evil
Tue preaching OF polysamy from standpoint has,
therefore, elevated the standard OF moraity and not
| debased II.
RgPoRrER-of course, Mr. staines, you understand
that am merely asking questions TO get AT the dis
unctive features OF your poIygamy tor frankly tell
you that nbhor ~ but even With that understood,
/
VIII represent you faithfully. Coming back 10 tho
cmigrants you are receiving every summer, do you
think they are polygamiss Ia faith choice,
they not as u charged against you fret converted
to your principles oil Christianity, and then from the
influence OF that new convection, led gradually 70
! yield an unwilling adhesion 10 poygamys
| PoLyGAMr REFoRM
4 AGENT-No douot In the beg inning, there was much
more OF faith than ready acqucsoence In the social
argument, but II Is MOI 80 now. The world has greatly
changed during the last twenty-five years. ana princ-
pies That before required Bible quotations ior their
eupuorl can do periocty well Without theu II La all