Nebraska advertiser., 1878-11-28
Mormon Women in Convention.


doctrine of polygamy held meeting
in Salt Lake City, recently, as coun-
ter movement to the crusade now be-
ing made by the gentle" women of
Utah. The following is synopsis of
some of the speeches made: Miss
Snow said:
We are saints of the living God.
We have been prosecuted and driven
from place to place, and misrepresent-
ed from time TO time. We want to
explain that we are loyal American
citizens aud we claim protection from
the government under which we live
to practice our religion, and assist
with our labors to make this soil our
homes. We claim this under God
and the Constitution OF the United
States, as IL has been revealed by God.
and We have tue right to believe as
we please. and to listen to the voice of
God when He speaks. TO keep His
commandments, as He has revealed
|
raised up prophet. and to practice
the dictates Of conscience. Inasmuch
as one of these principles has been as
sailed, We claim the right to express
our views on this subject.
| Before plural marriage was reveal
ed, we were driven from our homes
and massacrei, and not one of the
murderers has been brought to JUS
tice.
1 believe in plural marriage as much
as believe in anything that is sacred
and that ii Will save the human fam
lily from corruption; that it would be u
higher honor 10 d nation aud to the
family, and Congress would be nobier
and higher tnan one composed of mo-
nOgamists. 1t tends TO virtue and ho-
iness, and whoever represents the
| women OF these marriages as degrad-
| ed, desire to bring evil upon US, o.
| they know not what they do, [ depre-
| cate the false and odiOus standing and
character, and / view with pity and
| cOmmiseTatiOn those who are banded
| together i'll our midst to destroy the
most sacred relation between men and
women, husband and wives, TO make
children bastards. aud trample upon
the most sacred of the affections of
the human heart. They seem as If
they wanted to measure arms with
the Almighty. l don't feel any re-
venge against them, they are with
God, Vengeance is mine, / will re-
pay. saith the Lord" Amen.
| The next speaker was a widow of
the late George a. Smith, Brigham's
first counselor. who read written adj
dress. She said the movement that
was being made against celestial mar
risge was a crusade against their sa-
cred religion, and that LAWYERS had
no more right to interfere with pluraI
marriage than with baptism by i'm.
| mersion.
Mrs. Zina D. Young. before referred
to. and once vile Of Joseph Smith
next addressed them. She said she
was the daughter. and had been the
wife, Of a Master Mason. That IL
polygamy was practiced there would
he no more ruined women That the
eternal aim of the Almighty was with
plural marriage, and that the women
who believed In IL bOnored God Ivy
their virtue. That the mormon
church was an organization of the
GOds. and that IL kept their daughters
from the corruptlng influences of the
world. That she bad no animnsity
no hardness of heart against the wo.
men of this crusade.
Mrs. Anna L. Cain was the next
speaker. She said she had been
brought up very strictly and virtu-
ously in England; that she had 81 |
ways heard of the land of the free
that any body could practice any re- |
ligiOn they saw lit, that she desired to |
come here, and did, to see this Edo |
RADIO (but as she used her his, il sound
ed as If she said this Heldorado). |
That she had been in the church |
twenty eight years, but she would |
not give up what Mormonism had |
done for her for Queen Victoria's |
wealth, and God being my helper, 7 |
am going to live my religion, for I |
know it is full of glory and immor-
tality.
Mrs. Bishop Smoot, of provo, was
the next. She is the Bishops first
vile. Sne gave ieT Testimony 10 the
everlasting Gospel and to the work of
the living God. and she wanted to say
that this haneful and distastefuI ulcer
this plurality of wives. was from God.
am a wife of poly gsmist; / be!iege
In its principles. and that it is pure
and chaste. and that purer and chsst-
er women do not live on Gods foot
stool. bail to be the first wife. hut
7 claim my husbands children nv his
other wives as honorable az nv own.
and 7 would he wiling toexhibit them
with anyhodv's.
We are looked upon hv our GENTLE
ladies as degraded. but they don't
know us. We are in the hands of God.
We know IL will stand.
DR.. Romania Pratt. first wife of Pres
ley P. Pratt, read long address.