The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-22
Mormon Immigrants.

A st. Louis Republican correspon-
dent sends the substance of an inter-
view with prominent Mormon elder
as follows:
In moment more we were in the
elegantly furnished clerks apartments.
Something about the company of
immigrants who have just arrived"
I suggested
"Well, there are 72S of them, 1 be-
ieve, counting the q returned mis-
sionaries. They are largely Scandi-
naVians, though there are quite good
many English, Welsh and German"
"How do you prosecute this foreign
missionary work."
Missionaries arel appointed whose
duty it is to go to the different coun-
tries and conduct the work. We
usually select young men, because
they are rugged and have no families
to leave behind. These missionaries
are entirely unhelped by the church.
We do not even pay their fare either
way, as you Gentiles do your mission
aries. 1t is purely loves labor. Even
after they return there is no reward
of any kind awaiting them. They.are
often maltreated, sometimes killed.
We enjoy the greatest liberty in Eng
land. In Norway and Germany our
workers are arrested and led out of
the country. Then we have to send
new ones who will not be recognized.
They hold their meetings in the for
ests or anywhere else that is con-
venient. In. the countries where we
are tolerated freely they hire school
houses, court houses, etc"
ic THAR xr-rsTly ~
"Oh, we are laboring in every coun-
airy; asi far as Iceland on the north
and New Zealand on the south. We
almost encircle the globe"
|" Do you preach polygamy as a doc
trine?"
"Oh, no; it would not be safe. We
regard it as minor feature of our re-
lgion, anyway, and simply answer
frankly all questions asked concern
ing it. There would be no reason in
parading any special doctrine. We
compel no man to come here, or once
here to stay here; neither any woman.
The trains run out here daily and why
don't these Wretched wives fee hence?
We simply ask the right to obey our
peculiar religious convictions and do
not seek to dictate to anyone else.
We will do as we prefer and we are
prepared to fight it to the bitter ED
in defence Of our principles"
Don't you regard this last invoice
of converts as rather unsayory one z"
"Oh, they are dusty with the, long
ride, of course, but it is our duty TO-
forget everything, except the fact that
we are all brothers in Christ's king
dom, and owe as much to these for
eigners as to our own kim"
If this were true could not help
wondering at this point why / found
Brother Reynolds, Brother glaylor and
all the other wealthy brothers lolling
around in their luxurious homes in
stead of carrying straw for cots with
which to rest the weary limbs in the
tithing yard.
"Where will these immigrants go p
"Most of them will go a good ways
south as far as Mexico, and north up
to the National park. Yes" added
Mr.. Reynolds, complacently, 1--WE are
even sending our people down into
Mexico now"
"Have you nothing to fear 2"
Nothing. The Lord is on our
side, and that is enough. We prefer
the law of God before the law OF man.
and SO long as the United States GOV.
eminent continues to frame laws
aimed at US, obnoxious laws that
threaten our liberty. we shall con-
tinue to esteem it our privilege and
our duty to evade those laws. We
are anxious to be considered loyal but
shall resist tremendously whenever
we are antagonized."
1t will be seen that there are some
Mormons who do not wear visible
horns and display cloven feet. A
smiling and insidious foe is none the
less to be feared, however, and the
reader is at liberty to arrive at his
own conclusions after looking at th
above statements Of fact. INEz.