The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-10-14

gone abroad that the Mormons believed
| in killing and were addicted to murder,
| the speaker read from the Doctrine and
| Covenants, showing that murderers
and other offenders shall be delivered up
to the laws of the land, ard this showed
| that all such statements were utterly
untrue. The law against polygamy was
against an establishment of our religion
and we have right, therefore, to regard
| it as unconstitutional, this being, of
course, an exception. The speaker read
| from a sermon of President J. NJ. Grant
in relation to blood atOnement, and
pointed out who it was that should for
their own sakes have their blood shed;
he president Grant, spoke strongly be-
cause it was peculiar time and people
were arising in meeting and confessing
their sins, of the vilest character. But
who ever heard of the authorities of
this church, or any committee ap-
pointed by them, enforcing the doc
trine2 IF any one claims such thing,
let him produce his proofs. We believe
in the doctrine, but who shall enforce
it2 1t has not been done by US. The
law will not permit it, but the day may
come when it will be fully carried out.
Fear is necessary element to some ex-
tent, but men should do right because
il is right, not otherwise; and punish
ment as well as reward must be preached
to the people. The fears of the people
and the hope of reward at the time OF
the reformation were strongly worked
upon: the law of the land permits the
death penalty for murder, but not for
adultery and 1t was not for the church,
observing the law of the land, to enforce
the penalty in that respect; but 1t Is
L. Ill Glow
the seducers OF their wives, daughters
and sisters and rarely receive punish
ment for such killing. The horrors of
| former days in Utah, as depicted by SEN
sational writer's, were disproved and
ridiculed: referring to the Maxwell case
particularly, in which highly dramatic
crime was alleged and have been perpe-
trated upon the wife, by cutting out her
| tongue and numbering her under Pres
! ident Young,s residence, with some cor
| relative nonsense, quoted largely from
an anti Mormon publication which the
speaker held before him, he ridiculed
and thoroughly exposed. Referring to
the Mountain Meadows massacre, GER
/ tain sheet in this city says they were
| blood-atoned; every horse thief that Is
shot down is blOod-atoned; every one
| killed in the act of committing crime
| is blood-atOned. There are those In our
midst who deserve death, but are still
alive and so far as the Mormons are
concerned, will live till natural death
Oyertakes them. The doctrine of blood
atOnement then amounts TO this-that
when certain people have received GER
! tain ordinances and made certain COW
/ enants, their transgressiOn IS so great
that nothing short of shedding their
blood will make satisfactory reparatlon;
the speaker showed how ridiculous and
contrary to what Is meant are Well
selected and garbled extracts from pub
lie utterances, and gave some instances,
explaining further what was meant by
| President YOung's utteranceS on this
subject.
Relating to the Danites, the speaker
knew of no such order in the church,
and asked if anyone present knew of II,
! or anyone being killed by 1t. People
who apostatiZe and leave the Territory
4 get away alive, and always did, SO far as
! the church is concerned gave the origin
of this fictitious organization, which
died almost before it had an existence.
The Mountain Meadows massacre was
referred to, the speaker claiming to be
/ able to show that the Mormon church
was no more responsible for that great
crime than other religious organizations
are for the crimes of their members;
the time was too late and the subject
! too voluminouS to be now entered upon
at length; but hereafter it might be
taken up and discussed in all its length
and breadth; those who committed the
crime were communicated from the
church. and there was no proof that the
church sanctioned or endorsed, or knew
/ beforehand of the massacre, or ever
! forgave it, because it is not true.
Mr.. Penrose made an excellent i'm
preston; his address occupied an hour
and forty minutes.