Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-25
The MORMONs.
They Laugh the Power of sIis Cove
ernment TO Scorn.
cogrespondenee Ne,g yorh 7lmss.

Correspondence Ne1c York Times.
The first impression stranger gets Of
the Mormons is rather favorable. They
seem earnest, quiet, hard working folks.
and you have a sort of respect for peo.
pie whose religious faith has borne them
up through trials, hardships and perse.
cution sufficient to crush out all the life
and cheerfulness in them. But by de-
grees, as you are brought in contact with
them, the mask falls, and you find them
bigoted fanatics, hating us with q holy
sincerity. The leaders are cunning
hypocrites, using the power of the church
to bear on all the daily business of life.
In the mining districts of Southern Utah
the contractors for furnishing salt, wood,
charcoal, ETC., are all Mormon bishops.
They hire the poor devils under them at
starvation prices, and pay them In orders
on the cooperative supply stores, in
which they are either principals or part.
ners, and the men so employed never
see dollar of cash.
The serfs of Russia in the olden time
were not more abject slaves than these
people under the terrible power of the
church, which holds every mans life in
its hand. Terrible is the punishment
meted out for any offenses or acts of in
subordination The influx of the Gen
tiles has caused them TO be more careful
how it is exercised, but we know little or
nothing of the secret punishments that
are still inflicted.
1t is only brief time ago that it was
the practice to inflict what they call
"blood atonement" for any flagrant of.
fcnse to the church of any disregard of
its orders The culprit was never allow
ed an opportunity for defense. He re-
mained in Ulissful ignorance of
his danger until at midnight there
came a knock st his door. and he
was ordered to accompany the four or
i've masked men that confronted him
when he opened he door. Then he
knew his doom, and so did his family,
who knew they looked their last upon
him. Being led to secluded spot, n
shovel was placed in his hands and he
was made TO dig his own grave. He was
tben seized, forced upon his knees, his
head held over the grave, and his throat
cut from ear TO ear. His blood flowed
into the grave, into which his body was
thrown and covered up, and no more
was ever heard of him. His family
dared not mention their suspicious, and
10 Mormon ever dared TO be induisit;ye
or mention his Dame Such instances
were by no means rare.
The laws recently enacted by Con.
gross against po)ygamy are dead letter
and a farce. There never was time
when 1t was more openly practiced than
at present. They simply laugh at all
such enactments or attempts to interfere
with their peculiar institutions. Itisa
great mistake to suppose that law has
any terrors for them, or has abated poly
gamy one jot. The church in the palmi.
est days of Brigham Young's life was
never so strong, never more flourishing.
In Salt Lake City, there being SO many
Gentle residents, and Immediately un-
der the eye Of the Federal Courts. there
may seem an appearance of submission
and regard for the laws, but it is all de.
ception. Let a Gentle marry a Nor
mon woman, unless he Immediately
leaves the Territory, he feels the power
Of the bitter enmity of every Mormon.
his business is ruined. and in a thous.
and ways he Ia made to feel the power
of the unseen hand that is laid upon him.
He can enjoy no peace, security or pros
perity while he lives In the country.
The late proclamation of the President,
which the newspapers would have US be-
lieVe had created CONSERVATION in their
ranks, has fallen upon them IS harmless
ly as snowtlakes. They simply laugh at
it. The leaders of the church in Salt
Lake are shrewd and intelligent men,
and they may zee in it fOreIunner of
trouble; but they are not much alarmed
They rely greatly on the known milk-and-
water policy OF The government for i'm
munity from molestation, and they are
about right. The people Of the territory,
and the Mormon element generally, really
believe that the government dare not in.
terfere with them, and openly defy their
power. I asked quite an intelligent
Mormon the other day what he thought
of the message. He laughed, and snap.
ping his fingers cOntemptuously, re-
marked: THAT for his message and the
whole lot Of ien." Said l, Suppose It
comes to sending government troops
among you, what then p Government
troops Pooh! What would We care for
them. We would wipe them off the
face of the earth. The Lord would de-
liver them into our hands. no matter
what their numbers
This is the feeling generally with all
who have intelligence sufficient to COM
prehend the nature Of the message. The
greater portion hardly know there is a
President or world outside of Utah.
Salt Lake City is their Mecca and Brig
ham Young greater than all the kings of
the earth. They are all fanatics, and
the more dangerous for their blind faith
in the church. There is not Mormon
in southern Utah that would not prompt
ly respond to call from the church to
meet the enemy in the open field and do
its bidding TO the death. The country
at large outside of Utah is blindly ign0-
rant of the damnable and dangerous
character of the institution of Nor
monism that rears its insolent
crest in the very heart of our
country, and is suffered TO grow
and prosper. 1t is disgrace to the gov
ernment that permits it, and the people
of this era of civilization that allows the
laws enacted to be as ineffective as its
proper administers illustrate their in
efficiency. 1t is simply monstrous dis
grace to the nation. 1t is growing and
spreading daily and hourly. The Nor
mons are penetrating Arizona, Nevada
aud Colorado, and sending their emissa-
ries TO England, pi pioselyting the ignorant.
The shrewd and cunning appeal to the
brutal and sensual instincts, constituting
the strongest element in their pretended
faith, is the master influence that brings
converts to their standard. Men see in
it an opportunity for unrestricted license
of the grosser passions, and women are
deluded into fanatical idea of becom-
ing spiritual wives of saints. Root out
polygamy and Mormonism would die of
itself, the one great incentive and
strongest influence being gone.