Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-28
ANTI-MORMON MEETING


The opera house was filed to overflow
ing on Sunday evening in response to call
heretofore published in the CHRONICLE for
a meeting to give public expression by our
citizens on the vexed question of Mormon
ism. The house was called to order by
Rev. H. H. Morrell, rector of st. Johns
Church, upon whose motion, Mr. J. A.
Rayl was called to the chair. The congre-
cation, under the leadership of DR.. S. B.
Boyd, joined in singing
"All hail the power of Jesus name"
After which selections from the Scriptures
appropriate to the occasion,- were read by
Rev. James Park, D. D., and prayer was
offered by Rev. MIR. Morrell.
Henry Z. Gibson was then introduced,
who read the following resolutions, which
had been prepared for the occasion:
Whereas, The polygamous doctrines of
a.iormonism srs being zealously dssemi-
lated Ia both Europe and America, and are
being embraced by multitudes, either from
ignorance or depravity /; and,
Whereas These mulutudes are congre-
eating in our Territory of Utah, and in the
United States and Territories adjacent
the eto, and are there both preaching and
practicing polygamy and other doctrines
destructive of the social and moral we'll
being of mankind, as well as disgraceful to
our civilization and notoriety as a nation;
and,
Whereas, In view of the agitation of
these matters in the Congress of
the United States and among Christian peo-
pie throughout our country it is deemed
proper for us to give some expression of our
feelings and opinions in reference to them.
Therefore, be it
Resolved, by the congregations of the
Christian Churches of Knoxville, Tenn, in
Joint mass convention assembled; along
with the citizens of Knoxville, generally,
l. That, while we accord to every human
being the right to worship God in his own
way, and the right to entertain any opinion
he may choose on questions of religion,
nevertheless, we insist that these rights are
not to be construed as comforting on any
one the means of destroying religion,
or of indulging in practices dangerous to
the welfare of society and the public peace.
2. That we look upon monogamy as the
natural la " of marriage, evidenced by the
equality in the number of sex, and we look
upon polygamy not only as unnatural, but as
also a sin against society and crime
against the laws of our country and we
denounce those who practice it, whatever
their plea, as enemies to the moral and in
tellectual development of mankind.
g. That we hold it to be a sound con-
struction of our Constitution, that no man,
nor set of men, under pretense of worshiping
God as they please, or under the claim
of freedom Of conscience, have any right to
violate any law necessary to the well being
of society, whether the law be one against
polygamy or one against kidnapping, arson,
robbery or murder; because, if religious
freedom can be pleaded as bar to one
crime, we do not see that it may not be
pleaded as a bar to all crimes.
4. That we regard polygamy as one of
the relics of the barbarous Law of Force,
and as the result not of the choice of wo-
man, but of the brutality of man; and we
denounce this barbarous Law of Force as
an outrage on woman, who looks to man as
| the guardian and defender Of her rights /;
We denounce 1t as a crime against the civil
| zation and refinement of the age we
| denounce il as moral ulcer on the body of
| the nation and, while it is our boast and
| glory that America is the asylum of the op-
| pressed of all nations, and the home of re-
| ligious freedom, we desire it to be emphat-
ically known the world over, that it is not a
| land where the oppressed can become the
oppressors, where women can be enslaved
| ard degraded, where freedom of conscience
| can be used as cloak to cover crime, and
where the foulest page in the social code of
the Turk can be interleaved in the catechism
| of any creed.
| 5. That copy of these resolutions be for
warded by the Secretary to our Senators
and Representatives in Congress, coupled
with the request that they will
use all constitutional means to make the
will of the American people ON the subject
of polygamy the law of the land, that all
necessary steps be taken to destroy this
relic of barbarism, root and branch, and to
teach the Mormon polygamists the. their
practices are crimes, and that the ac on of
| Congress may be such that the women of
America may be assured that the men of
America will ever shield them from social
degradation and polygamous bondage,
wheth enforced in the right of might or
under the pretense of a new religion.
w. z. WAsHBURN.
HENRY r. GIBSON.
Mr.. Gibson followed the resolutions with
a few well chosen remarks, after which
short speeches were made by Hon. Horace
MAYNARD, VIM. Rule, Hon. II. FL. Ingersoll
and Rev. DIR. Park, in the order mentioned
when the resolutions were unanimously
adopted.
The meeting was one of the largest ever
held in Knoxville for any purpose, and
shows that our people are in favor of rigid
laws against the infamous crime of polyg-
amy, vigorously enforced.
q rnfortunates Who Do Not Plead