The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-14

was not the Messiah that they slew
him, saying "let his blood be upon
us and our children" 1t would take
time to have the predictions of
Jos. Smith respected. Some of the
predictions have already been full
| filled and the others would be. The
organization of the church came in
contact with mems ideas, hence it
was rejected. They thought nothing
good could come from the Mormons.
This had been the history of the
past with reference to the gospel,
and would continue to be so. But
now the saints had the promise that
the work should stand. There was
no. suppressing the gospel now. 1t
would spread and grow until
it gathered in its fold every honest
soul. The fat of Jehovah to this
end had gone forth. 1t had been
said that when the prosecuted OBJ
tanned power, they would turn per-
secutOrs; that the Mormons, now in
the insignificant minority, would,
should they gain the power, Cypress
others. This had been the history
of mankind, but had not been so
with the saints, nor would it ever
be. When they had everything
their own way in these mountains
they did not Cypress others, but in
vited ministers of other denomina-
tions to preach to them and their
children, being willing to exchange
all their errors for any truth that
others might have. They were not
afraid of other religions, of rail-
roads or of contact with the world.
They had embraced the gospel be-
cause they knew it to be true, and
were willing to lay down their lives
to carry out its principles. In re-
gard to polygamy, President Cannon
said its introduction was bitter
pill to men, as well as women. 1t
had been highly Objectionable to the
feelings of the people, but they could
not reject it, because God had
established it. If it were
wrong, the saints practiced it
believing it to be true, and that it
was instituted for the salvation of
women. 1t was not to crafty lust
that they were polygamists. The
responsibility was greater than one
would accept if it were not for the
principle. At the same time, the
laws of the country having declared
pOlygamy crime, and those laws
having been declared constitu-
tional, the speaker would advise no
one to practice polygamy unless he
was prepared to suffer the penalty
for violating the statute-gO to the
Penitentiary five years and pay the
monetary penalty. If it were such
a wicked and bad principle the young
people who were growing up would
reject it. Returning to the matter
of persecution, Elder Cannon said
the saints would never become per-
secutOrs. The motive melting to
persecution was to snatch souls
from an endless hell, and as the
Mormons did not believe that men
and women were consigned to such
a place they would not labor to res
cue them. But the saints did not
want others to persecute them. They
had fed from their enemies to escape
their persecution, and now that they
were here they wanted to be let
alone, to enjoy peace and quiet. But
this could not be. matter where
they went, they would be objects of
the enmity of mankind. They must
come in contact with the world, and
if their religion was false it would
go down; but he had no fear of that
as their gospel was from God.
The choir sang an anthem and
Elder Atwood pronounced the bene-
diction.