The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-01-29
TIE CLERGY ON MORMoKIsM

The Presbyterian Ministerial AS
ISOLATION of Cincinnati, the other
day, instituted a movement for the
suppression of MOrmonism. Just
what the Presbyterians propose to
do to bring about that suppression
has not been announced, but the fact
that they proposed to suppress in
duced the New York Times to send
cut a brigade Of reporters to sound
the New York clergymen on the
propriety and methods Of the bust
ness. A dozen or SO of the prOmin-
ent Gotham ministers were inter
viewed, and they all were Of the
opinion that Mormonism must be
Suppressed" wiped out," "blOtted
out" cleaned out" etc, accord
ing as the particular min
lister preferred suppression, wip-
ing, blOtting, cleaning, and so
on. These interviews were pub
lished in the Times Of the 23d in
slant, and an the Goth, the E0enigg
Post had a leading editorial con-
corning them. AS the Posts article
contains the pith of the ministerial
opinions, as well as expresses the
views Of one of the soundest news
papers in the land, We reproduce it
entire:
The Times has been Intervening seve-
raj clergymen Of this city aprOpos of An
anti. Mormon movement set on foot by
the Presbyterian Ministerial ASSOCIATE u
of Cincinnati, and In aid of which
meeting will probably shortly be held
hare. The answers made to the reporter
by our local mioIsters touching their plan
for the suppression of Mormonism were
not very encouraging, and one of them
that Of DR.. Crosby, was, if correctly
rendered, not only di,coursgiDg, but
somewhat alarming. He said very truly
that this views on the subject were
very decided" He would pat Mormon
ism: down by force: and if the present
army was not sufficient for the purpose,
he would recruit fresh troops." He
would then put $4,000 men under the
command of "Philp sheridan and send
MIN into the Territory to stamp the
evil out'-of course after the passage of
an act for the suppression of Mormonism
By Congress, and proclamation by the
President calling on the people to give it
up. How Phil Sheridan would "stsmp
it out" DR.. Crosby refused to describe in
detail, but he admitted that the process,
whstever Il il, would ito some extent in
volve bloodshed, but he would not hest
tate on that account" We infer from
this that what he has in mind is a drag
onsde after the fashion of Louis XIV.5s
plan for stamping out" heresy in south
France. In other words, when Phil
Sheridan came on a Mormon accused of
polysamY he would have him shot or
sabred with or without inquiry. We do
not like to push our conclusion so far SIS
TO say that DR.. Crosby would like 10
have the same treatment applied to the
women. We prefer to eelieve that tie
reporter has done him some injustice
throughout.
It is relief, after reading this, to turn
20 the interviews with the other minis
ters-Dr. BeVan, DR.. Parkhurst, DIR.
Burchard and DR.. Hsli-snd find that
they have no plan for the suppression OF
polygsmy whatever. 1t is infinitely bet
ter for minister to keep his mind per-
feet blank on any subject 'hsn I'll it with
schemes for letting so diery loose on q
community which. polygsmist though it
be, is peaceful and industrious, and has,
through its very Ignorance and delusion,
the strongest claim Oh the reasonable
ness and charity Of those Who know bet
ter and live more purely. We would
suggest, too, that ministers wdo hold
'svery decided views" on Mormonism. or
any other social or political subject,
should. before speaking on i, make
themselves 8 little familiar with
the limitations put on the
powers of both o hgress and
The President by the Unret States Con-
stitutiOn. 1t is we'll for those who want
70 sabre and shoot the MOrmons to re-
member that Congress cannot set up