The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-22
M0RM0NISM AND P0LYGAMY
How Converts to the Faith Are Made
and Compelled To Be Loyal.
4 Methodist Missionary's Views as to the
Best Methods to Suppress the Evil
S%candinayianS in Utah.

Rev. Peter A.. II. Franklin, who has been in
the city for the past week. and has addressed
several congregations here on the subject of
Mormonism, was interviewed by a Journal re-
porter: My mission here, said Mr.. Franklin.
is to tell what know of Mormonism as it eX-
lists to-day in Utah, and to raise money for the
building of schools of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of which | am a member live in Salt
Lake City, and have been i'll Utah about eleven
years"
Mr.. Franklin is a Norwegian, and although, as
he says, he has not studied English five minutes
in his life, he has a ready and forceful use of
words. He continued: There are about thirty
thousand Swedes, Danes and Norwegians in
Utah 1.-THE languages, you know, are so similar
that a person versed in one is Ineligible in the
others( and seven thousand of this number are
in Salt Lake City. These are not all Mormons.
A good many OF them have been and a good
many still bear the name of Mormons, who are
so only in name. 1t is with these that have
been laboring and will continue to labor. Be
fore l was in the ministry l had heard Mormon
ism preached. L went to Utah largely out of
curiosity to see what Mormonism was, but, UNI
like the moth that futters about the candle, I
escaped unsinged. Previous to entering the
ministry 1 worked among the gentiles in the
mining and numbering camps.
you are made to look upon polygamy here as
the most terrible thing in the Mormon Church.
Terrible as it is, it is not, from a patriotic
stand point, the worst. Polygamy is merely
used as a means to hold the PEG
pie, while the real object of the leaders
is to build up nothing less than a kingdom
recognizing the authority of the Mormon Church
alone A true Mormon, in my opinion, does not
consider himself a citizen of the United States,
or give his country his fealty, He hates this
government. and prays for its destruction. He
doesn't stop merely at praying, either. All the
Mormon leaders need to do is to intimate that
such and such a candidate is to be voted for, and
he is voted for and elected. They watch the
polls closely, and if any man votes against the
wishes of the Mormon authorities he will lose
socially and politically. The Mormon Church
keeps control by retaining in its hands all the
material interests of the country outside of the
mining interests. The mining interest brings
into the country a class opposed to Mormonism,
and as the mines, where they are opened up, are
proving very profitable, the influx of this class
of population will one day aid in solving the
troublesome problem which Utah now presents.
Farming. gardening and fruit-raising are done
by irrigation, and the streams and distribution
of water are entirely in the control of Mormons.
Mormonism, as is well known, is widening its
influence, and is now spreading over Idaho,
Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. They are rush
ing into Arizona, especially. in great numbers,
and hope to gain control of that country. Sew
eral hundred missionaries are now scattered
over Europe and the United States. There are
CIytV Mormon missionaries in Scandinavia
alone, which has been a fruitful field for them
formany years. The Seandinavians are a religious
people. These missionaries do not preach polyg-
amy, but the Bible pure and simple. There are
so many of my people in Utah, that they have
begun to murmur at not receiving some of the
rewards that are appropriated by the Saints.
They have been made the hewers of wood and
drawers Of water, and DO a large portion Of the
slavish work required in that Territory. In the
matter of wives, instead of having a plurality,
they are fortunate if they are allowed to retain
one, and still more fortunate if they are able to
support that one. They see that the people who
have the easy times and the authority are the
Americans. President Taylor has heard these
murmurs, and last year found it necessary to
have a revelation to appoint a Scandinavian as a
president for the Seventy.
In Utah they do not preach as they do abroad,
yet they hold up the Bible. They say that Adam
is a God, and worship him, and that he created
this world as well as peoplsd it They preach
that Christ was erucifcd for inherited sins. and
iiOt ~ olLLo AOIlllllAtbNAls anu OI Li4lo Htllil ilIC
Mormon Church has established its doctrine of
blood atonement for certain sins commit
ted. that cannot be forgiven without the
shedding of blood. Sin against the Mormon
priesthood is one of them. This blood atone
ment has been the cause of many bloody crimes
in Utah, but the outcry against it has. it is be
lieved, about stopped it. Treason against the
Mormon Church is held as a high crime against
their god. and the highest crime that can be
committed. Ne Mormon Church is simply u
large and compact political power, a power above
the United States government, as its members
believe. Edumndss bill. while inefficient. was a
step in the right direction. / think the govern
ment can do something toward suppressing po-
lygamy tMormonisml, but as to wiping it out l
do not believe that the government alone can do
it. 1t will need the 60 operation Of religious in
stitutions and of the education and elevation of
the people. Education would be me siowest
method, but the surest. / do not think the
method of crushing out Mormonism to be properor
feasible We do not want to make them appear
as martyrs.
There are some absurd things in the Mormon
~relifion; in fact it is a tissue of adsurdities One
tenet is that the wife can only be saved through
her husband. On resurrection morning the hus-
band is awakened first, and when fully awake he
looks aboat to find his wives. The
fact that he has this power doubtless
makes some of them more tlactablo
during their earthly sojourn than they other
wise would be. 1'icy reason that il they are
not am1anle the chances are that the husband
will not awaken them at all but let Thorn sleep
on through all eternity.
How about the limitations III the Endowment
House," inquired the reporter. Sill Nye. the
humorist, says that when the apprentice to
polygamy goes into the emblematic garden
where the apple exhibition is gone through with
as reported by a recent convert, a pale haired
livery stable keeper took the character of the
Creator Of the universe and Il thick-necked bull
whacker from Logan the character OF Adam.
A Norwegian woman who came to me and
who had gone through the Endowment House.
said that the samo man whom she saw personate
the devil in the garden of Eden afterwards adj
ministercd the Lords supper to her. But to re
turn to our subject. We purpose building five
school houses in five different towns south Of
Salt Lake, our purpose being to p4t "A school
teacher in each to teach the little olies and also
to engage n Danish PREACHER. Nc promise for