The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-24
RELIGION OR LUST?
A Mormon Elder Reviews Carloads
Inauguration Speech.
Family Relations Considered
"reminiscences of the Invasion of
Utah By United States Troops
Must the MOrmOHs 60?

| muSJ LIS mUIulUEo uUr
Elder W. C. Staines, Of the Nor
mon church, who is the Utah emil
grant agent in this city, was
interviewed to-day by Telegram
reporter for the purpose of obtain
ing his views on the Mormon ques-
ton. He went to Salt Lake in 1911,
and has ever since been one of the
leaders of MOTmOnism.
MIR StaineS," asked the reporter,
lis it true, as stated in the Inaugural
ton speech, that the constitutional
guarantee of absolute religious
liberty is not enjoyed by the people
of Utah ?"
sNo, if it is meant that any other
religious denomination is restrained
from that liberty by the Mormons;
yes, if it is meant that the govern
ment does not allow the MOrmonS
to enjoy this constitutional guar
antee. Why, before the Gentiles
had churches of their own, Brigham
Young allowed their members to
preach in the Tabernacle. The next
passage in the Inauguration speech
is that which states that the Nor
mon church not only offends the
moral sense of mankind by sane
tiOniug pOlygamy, but prevents the
administration of justice through
the ordinary instrumentalities of
law. AS to the first half of this
passage, which says that the Nor
.hnr-nh nffav,dJ thn M oral
of mankind by sanctioning polyg-
aWy,' l claim that this is only be-
cause those persons whom the
President multiplies indefinitely by
calling mankind, whose moral sense
is offended by pOlygamy are people
who have been brought up in relig-
ions that teach mOnOgamy. If the
same persons had been born and
brought up MormOnS their moral
sense would not be offended by
pOlygamy. The moral sense which
polygamy Offends is merely a matter
Of religious training. 1t is not like
the instructive feeling implanted by
God in the human breast which tells
US it is wrong to steal or to murder
without being told that it is so by
some one else, or even in spitesof
being told that it is laudable to do !
so. There is no feeling like this
which tells man it is wrong to |
take more than one wife. 1t is |
simply prejudice arising from the
religious training which a person
has received.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. |
AS to the statement that the |
Mormon Church prevents the adj |
of Justice through the |
ordinary instrumentalities of law,
i suppose that the President here |
alludes to the difficulties which the |
encounters in convict |
ing MOrmons of pOlygamy. Now,
it is not likely that when there is a |
law which entails imprisonment for |
two or five years and fine of $4,000 |
on conviction of having more than
one wife, that Mormon who breaks
this law is likely TO tell every one of |
it. His brother MOrmons do not |
wish to know whether he has more
than one wife. His marriage to the |
wives is privately performed in the
Temple or Endowment House. The
wives themselves are not going to
give information by which they will
be deprived of the support of their
husband for two years or more, and
so it is no doubt difficult for the
to get evidence suffi-
GENTLY strong to convict. Every eff
fort is made by officials, detectives,
etc, to obtain admissions. They
will meet a little child and ask who |
its father and mother are and en-
deavor to get information which
they are unable to obtain from their
parents. The officers may suspect
that the three or four women living
with a Mormon are married to him,
but suspicious count for nothing
without evidence.
Is IT A CRIME?
AS to the charge of polygamy be-
ing criminal practice which des-
trOys the family relation and endan-
gers social order, it is only criminal
in the sense that it is against the
law. AS for it destroying the fam
lily relation l will admit this much;
of course where a wife loves her
husband deeply it is impossible for
her not to be jealous Of attentions to
any other woman. Nevertheless
they are as happy as many of the
married women who have only one
husband. The charge is made
against US that we take more than
one wife to crafty our lust. This
is not the case. 1t is because it is a
tenet of our religion, because our re-
ligion teaches us that procreation is
one of the noblest works of nature,
and that every woman should have
the opportunity of becoming a
mother if she so desires.
THE CHURCH AND THE LAW.
4, The next passage runs thus: Nor
can any ecclesiastical organization
be safely permitted to uSurp in the
smallest degree the functions and
powers of the national government.
Now. the usurpatiOn, if any, is on
the side of the government. All the
judges, the Governor, ETC., are APP
pointed by the government. The
jurors are usually divided half and
half between the Mormons and Gen
tiles, but we are excluded altogether
in some instances. There is a case
in point in the courts of Salt Lake
City at the present time. A num-
Der of cattle were stolen from the |
church herd, and several men were |
arrested. In selecting a jury the |
attorney for the defendants, Mr.. |
Brown, claimed that the church was
a corporation, that all belonging to |
it were interested parties, coIse-
quently, no Mormon should be al |
lowed on the jury. The point was
so decided. Now, suppose a Catho-
lie church in this city was robbed
of its precious vessels, would an OBJ
lection to a Catholic as a juror, on
the ground that he was an interested