The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-11-04

The hrst colony that went to Utah
was composed Of only few hundred
people now the church claims that il
rules some 100, 900 followers in the Ter
ritory. The first corners had large
percentage of Americans, who were
drawn into the tolls before the full en-
ormities of the institution were divulged,
but of those who have connected them
selves with the Mormon church during
the past thirty years quite nine-tenths
have been from Europe. and FROM the
very lowest classes of European society.
The immigration has increased from
few hundred annually to few thousand.
Last year more than 5000 came, and
this year heavy increase over that
number is expected The children OF
school age, as returned by the Mormon
authorities, number 10000. Those too
young. to attend school, together with
those above school age and still under
the age of 25 years, must number quite
5000 more. 1t Is clear that the Nor
mon kingdom in Utah is composed Of
foreigners and the children of foreigners.
1t is necessarily so. tits an institution
SO absolutely un-American in all its re-
quirements that it would die of its own
infamies within twenty years, except for
the yearly infusion of fresh serf
blood from abroad. Few Americans
could ever be made to bear
the unquestioned and unquestioning
obedience which is exacted from this
people. The Government is an absolute
despotism. Every ward In the city,
every small precinct In the country, is
under the control of Bishop. To him
the people have to submit all their af-
fairs, temporal as well as spiritual. His
advice amounts to q command, and q
command which must be obeyed. The
Bishops report to the elders, the elders
to the seventies, the seventies to the
high priests, the high priests to the
Presidents of stakes, they to the patri-
archs, they to the twelve apostles, and
they to the President and his high coun-
sellers. Down the same scale the orders
are sent. These leaders are the same
as God to the blinded thousands of
Utah. At the last October conference
the burden of the harangues to the peo-
pie was to impress upon them that the
chiefs, being daily and regularly in
spired by God, could make no mistake,
could do no wrong. The discourse of
Elder Orson Pratt is full of this BUSH
ness, and he did not fail to warn all who
doubted that they would be damned.
At the same conference another elder
explained that the people must obey
their leaders in financial as well as
spiritual affairs, even as the people did
in the days of Moses.
Through such system it is easy to
see how an ignorant and fanatical people
are held under absolute control by the
heads of the organization. In Brigham
Youngs time he was a more absolute
ruler than was ever the Gear of Russia.
Since his death the President, John
Taylor, and his first counsellor, George
q. Cannon, make the controlling power,
and give direction to the whole system.
Both are Englishmen. A favorite ex-
preston of Brigham Young's used to be,
ave follow the forms OF republic, but
this is kingdom" 1t is kingdom, or
rather a despotism, SO all-embracing
that intelligent Americans at distance
do not believe the truth about it when
it is told.-C @. Goodwin, IN Harper's
Magazine.