New-York tribune., 1879-01-31


upon this subject, and upon various other MOT
INN interests. are given below.
=
TIE SUPREME COURTS DECISION.
Rights CtAEANTEED BY TIE CoNsH1UH"N-Jo-
srru SMITHS EEVILArIoN-EFFEcr OF THE De
CIs!oN
trpov A oCC \SION CORRESPONDENT or THE fEIBCNE'
SAT- LAKE Jan. ISL had a long conversation
rcceutlv. by appointment, with John Taylor, inc
head of the Mormon Twelve Apostles III winch he
exprcsscd very freely and with full knowledge that
.boy yo,ld be published his views upon the recent
decision of the Supreme Court affecting po!ygamy'
and moon various other matters of interest TO the
Mormon Chnrch The points of this conversation !
give herewith:
"Mr. Taylor allow me to ask if You dissent from
Ludge Waite's statement of the scope ami ctect OF
the amendment TO the Constitution guaranteeing
Ieli giOuS freedom"
eyes sir: | think that religious faith amounts
10 nothing unless are permitted to carry IL mo
effect. They allow us to think-what an unSpeak-
able privilege that is-but they will not allow us
the free exercise of that faith which the ConSthn-
finn Guarantees Here are the injustice and the
manifest breach of faith
"Is il not true that marriage is the basis OF socl-
civ. and therefore within the Jurisdicuoh oI Vuo
GOvernmcntT
lido not look upon il in that way. l consider
t,,t ,, Lop tho Constitution of the United States
was framed and adopted, those hlgh contracting
parteS did positively agree that they would not
interfere with religious affairs. Now, If our marital
relations are not religious. what ISL 1Ou may not
know it. but know that this Is a revelation from
God. and command TO His people, and therefore II
Is my religion
"If marriage can be legitimatcy called religion.
what human relation or pursuit may not be SO
,aIlcdl And if everything is religion, and the
state Is prohibited from interfering with 1t, what
place is there left for the StatcT"
"I have been anxiono to SEQ public affairs con-
ductcd in an honorable intelligent, correct, philo-
SOPHIE. patriotic and statosmanlike form III all
thing, think, and know IN fact. we are msun-
dcrstood lu many respects. some people think we
arc enemies 10 this Government. | can truthfully
say never was an enemy TO tie Government
neither have / ever entertained teelng OF enmltE
in nv heart. do not think for one moment that
either Joseph Smith or Brigham Young was an
enemy 10 thc Government; neither do l believe
that any of our leading men, cOmprehending cor
rect pI;ucpcs ever fee, inunlcal to the Government
of tine United states. Joseph Smith had a Tcvela-
1iou Could hc help tbatl If the Lord spake TO
hin was he to blameT
'C,u religious belief in yOuT oninion he accepted
byauy government as justification o; an act which
II has by law made criminal without abdicatng ITS
function, rs government -
"Vlcn the Constitution says Congress shall
make uo law respecting an establishment OF rell-
cion OF prohibiting the gce exercise thereof, we
take il To- mean what IT says. Congress, indeed
ran pas~ laws. and the Supreme Court can sanction
those laws: rut while they have the power being
in the majority, the justice OF those laws is another
matter
"Yicwcd as above, do you regard po'yG3my as
,upcrior to mpnOgamv as the form or law oi mar
liage and if so, wherein -
e. consider it altogether superior 10 the law ot
mouogamy IA great many particulars. FIRST
base it upon the will and command Of Cod both in
uncicut and modern times; second, base 1t npon
the natural results Of mOnOgamy. There Is III all
monogainic countries, the United States not cX-
ccptcd a terrible state OF things arising from the
practice %. monogamy, infantIcide and i~tlcde
prevailing to an alarming extent lolyeamy pro-
tccts lts offspring monGcamr docs NOT
'Do Won consider these evils the necessary cor
co.nltaut, of monogamy molo than Of polygamy" /"
These are the results Of monogamy, whether
necessary or not and these are the evils associated
within. We acknowledge our children, we ac-
knowledge our wives; We lryc no mstrcsscs. We
had NO prostitution here until it was introduced by
monogamy'
IVA, not the great object OF The institution of
polycamv to rapidly increase the number of the
ndhcrgu> of your church and is not tlat object ac
compli,ncI aS faras Is practicable IN that way =
"Thr object as well a. the institution was de-
signed hv the Almighty aud not by man, and il i
hu'liccgt for ne to know that He has His own par
poses in DONG so and Furthermore, our covenants
are associated with eternity well as time
"You say il was commanded by revelation from
God Was not Joseph Smith IN the habit oi PRAYING
for revelations when at loss how to pT"ceodP
.Yc~. ~,r aud 50 were the othcrfrophcis of whom
we read
"nov many in your Judgment do the adncrents
Of your church in Utah now number: 2
Il Idonot know positively; probably about l1o,-
900. You have your sources OF information as well
a, have
mo. | have not access to the church records.
You must have all the members recorded who are
more than eight years Of age"
"That j. a. near As | could give II, which is about
correct"
"How many of the men Of marriageablc age are
practical poly gamsts :"
That | could not say; have no idea
"Mr. Cannon, | understand, said in Washington
before q committee, one III every ten; did he say
so"
- think he did
Would that in your judgment be correct p
at }. q dihcult thing to get at, there being no
statistic, kept that am aware Of"
~ am not trying TO catch you on any record
ruc,iiou | am seeking information simply that
would Lc Of general interest IN the present state OF
this coutroycisy.'
"Oh. ycarenot afraid oi hcins caught. We have
nothing 10 conceal from the world. We are quite
willing they should know about these things"
An, there more narriagea1le women than men
in the church in the aggregate p
"You have the same opportunities andadyantages
al arrivin. at such conclusions we have
- think not You must have records. and 1t