Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-12-18
Mormon DeSnOtism.

The first colony that went to Utah
was composed of only few hundred
people; now the church claims that it
rules some 100000 followers in the Ter
ritory. The first comers had large
percentage of Americans, who were
drawn into the tolls before the full en-
ormities of the institution were d1vllged,
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 q
few hundred annually to a 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
young to attend school, together with
those above school age and still under
the age of 25 years, must number quite
10000 more. 1t is clear that the Nor
mon kingdom in Utah is composed of
foreigners and the children of foreigners.
1t is necessarily SO. 1t is 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 ell their af-
fairs, temporal as well as spiritual. His
| advice amounts to a command, and a
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 patrl-
archs, they to the twelve apostles, and
they to the President and his high coun-
sellors. 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 OfSO0 ffatG Is 1tlll OF InlS DuSl-
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.
Throug gh 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
Young's time he was a more absolute
ruler than was ever the Czar 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.
"We follow the forms of republic, but
this is kingdom" 1t is kingdom, or
rather despotism, SO all, embracing
that intelligent Americans at distance
do not believe the truth about it when
it is told.-H G. Goodaoi,a, an Harper's
Olagazi,ae.f q