Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-03
EVILS OF POLYGAMY.
A Mormon Elder Tells of the Bulls
Before Congress.


Elder z Fl. Gurley, of Iowa, of the
Latter-Day Saints Reorganized Church,
one of the committee of two appointed
by the last general conference at Council
Bluffs to visit Washington and urge the
passage by Congress of the anti-polyga-
my bill, reached this city on Saturday
evening and preached yesterday morn
ing before the local branch of the church
at Ninth and Csllowhill streets. The
subject of his discourse was the "Life
and Immortality of The Soul" In the
evening he again occupied the pulpit,
discoursing upon the Government of
the Church.
During the evening a Press reporter
had conversation with Elder Gurley
regarding the results of his visit to
Washington. well. sir" he pleasantly
remarked, elder Kelley and myself
went to the capital as committee repre-
senting the Mormon Church, for the pur
pose of urging Congress to pass a bill
preventing polygamy, blood atonement,
and other kindred evils now practlced by
the Brighamites or Utah Mormons. We
have met with encouragement on every
hand, and have good reason to believe
that we will at last be successful in our
combat with the evil that has so long
stained the escutcheOn of national pro
gress. We appeared before the Con-
gressional Judiciary Committee and pre-
sented the text book of our
church, which inhibits polygamy, blood
atOnement and the other evils of the
Utah community. We also presented to
the committee and to each member of
Congress The Polygamic Revelation,
being a complete expose Of the Brig
hamite doctrine, including the plurality
of wives and showing the distinction be-
tween that body and the true Mormon
faith as practiced by ourselves. We i'm
pressed upon the minds of the judiciary
Committee the fact that the government
alone is responsible for the liberation of
polygamy. Thus far two bills have been
reported upon the subject, and, while
both tend to eradicate tue one great evil
of polygamy, we hope to have amend
ments inserted in order to cover every
feature of the matter. You see we are in
deep earnest in our efforts, and now
that we have obtained strong foothold
we intend to maintain it until success
has been attained.
mot one half of the evils of polygamy
are known to the outside world. They
are simply indescribable. / tell you, sir,
the practice of pOlygamy in Utah is a
blotch upon the escutcheon of human
progress and a crime under the law, both
divine and human, the responsibility of
which must rest with the United States
Government And yet we are believed
by many to be identified with these law
breakers. We, the Latter-Day Saints,
comprise the true Mormon Church.
which inhibits pOlygamy and all other
sinful practices. Our doctrine is as diff
ferent from that of the Utah
church as is the Roman Catholic
teachings from those of the
Methodist Church. We claim that the
doctrine Brighamism is not Mormonism
We believe it is a crime to practice
polygamy, as well as blood atonement,
and that men guilty of either or both
should be punished l believe that Con-
gress will legislate upon the Utah ques-
ion, and that the measures that may be
adopted will not affect in any way the
reorganized church, holding as it does
the original doctrines of Mormonism,
with all the influence and prayers that
may be brought to bear for the extirpa-
ton of MOrmOnism. Our church is
steadily growing in membership, and
the passage of the anti-pOlygamy bill by
Congress will greatly assist us. Elder
Kelley is now in Washington, whence l
will return in a few days to renew our
efforts in just cause.