Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-03-01
MORMON RE6ELLI0E.
Converts From Tennessee, Georgia and Ken
lucky Exposing the Shameful
Methods.

Converts From Tennessee, Georgia and Ken
lucky Exposing the Shameful
Methods.
Fayetteville CTenn.,l Observer.
A dispatch dated Manassa Cone
Jos county, Colorado, February 8,
1884, says there is a big revolt there
from the Mormon church. The
writer says that the Mormons in
this colorado colony are nearly all
from the Southern States. There
are, as nearly as can make out,
about 200 Mormon missionaries
scattered throughout the Southern
States, working like beavers for the
glory of the Mormon church. The
class they work upon is, of course,
not the quality" nor, on the other
hand, is it "the poor white trash.'
1t is mostly the comfortable solid
class of small farmers who have
homes of their own, and, without
much ambition to rise in the world
have always been above want and
have the means, by turning their
property into cash at a ruinous sac
rifce when the Mormon craze
strikes them, to get out OF this New
Jerusalem in the Rocky Mountains
this Zion of Latter Day Saints.
II will aid those unfamiliar with
the methods of the Mormon church
TO propagate its faith to explain that
this missionary labor is not the sac
rifice, the sublime abnegation of
private interests that on its face APP
bears to be; nor is it sacrifice to
the church, but is q well-directed
scheme of profit. This statement
will seem intolerant to the more
liberal minded reader. 1t would
have seemed the quintessence OF
intolerance to myself a few months
back. A little grim scrunity has
shown me that the missionary bust
ness is managed on the plan sub
stantiaIly identical with the pay-as-
you-go system. Stripped OF all SEN
timensial drapery, the naked facts
show il to be a scheme of saving
souls on percentage,
President Taylor, the successor OF
Brigham Young, began life poor
mechanic in Toronto, but he served
so faithfully in the Lords vineyard
keeping a prudent eye meanwhile
on the Lords revenues, that he IS
able to live in palace at Salt Lake
at an expense of $50, 900 to 6O,OOO a
year. He began poor missionary.
He held the post for many years of
missionary agent at New York. He
got special rates of transportation for
the emigrant Mormons, and charg-
ed them another special rate-be-
sides collecting his commissions
like a holy man-and great was
the profit thereof, and the Lord
perceived that John was dilligent
unto himself and prOspered him &C.
cordingly, and John is millionaire
to-day, and head of the Mormon
church,
Shortly after the close of the war
the,MOrmons began tOsend mission
aries to the Southern States. The
occasion was propitious. They met
with success among better class
of people than might have been
supposed. The idea of direct guild
ance by the Lord Of Hosts came to
a broken and dieheartened people
with a peculiar force.
Such converts as they got were
absorbed into the body of Saints in
Utah. There is much reason to
think that they were discovered to
be an unexpected and unWelcOmed
leaven in the Mormon loaf. They
were suffered to disperse into the
mining regions of Nevada, Califor-
mia and the surrounding territories
without any of the opposition with
which the Mormon church usually
harnesses and opposes apOstates. The
mines of the west were booming
then the railroads were building,
work was plenty, and it was far
easier to get away than 1t Is to-day,
To get away from Utah even to-day
Except from Salt Lake City, is no
easy thing if a man has q family,
and especially if he has property
that must be sold.
Fully half of the Southerners in
the colony have lately broken into
open revolt, and there is every reas-
on to hope that all will soon join in
denouncing the cruel deception by
which they were induced to leave
comfortable homes in mild climate
and come to this elevated and for
zen region, barren and timberless,
whose fire wood has to be hauled
nineteen miles.
About two months ago there was
disturbance among them on ac-
count of arbitrary measures en-
ployed to compel them to vote the
ticket i'm the November election
which the priesthood had dictated.
Fourteen CT them had drawn up a
petition to the First Counsel" of
the church at Salt Lake City, pray
ing for redress. Anti MormOns adj
vised them not to send il, but to
take ali independent course and
hold their ground. Led by WIN.
l.. Ball, of Russell county, Va,
Felix B. Meyers, of Rome, Ga,
and J. H. TrOtty, of Hickman Co.,
Tenn, they did so, and now half OF
the SOutherners in the colony are
with them, and have withdrawn
from the church, and the others are
on the fence.
The sufferings these people have
passed through since leaving home,
their religious disappointment,
their hopeless poverty, their heroic
stand for the right when driven TO
the wall, all eutitle them to the
greatest and kindest consideration
from "the old folks at home." The
colony is located in the southern
phAN Va dOOul HlllpS
from New Mexico line, in a noun
tain valley forty by sixty miles in
area, 800 feet above the sea, and as
level as the floor. 1t is called San
Luis Park, and is the largest of
those beautiful spots which have
rendered the scenery of Colorado
famous.
The road wanders through a
dreary waste of Sage-bush and
grease-weed. There Is an OCCASION
al meadow OF wild mountain hay.
The gaunt mirage of the "New Je-
ruselem" rises before you. You
can almost count the boards in the
ugly shanties. The reigh of DESC
lation is supreme throughout the
valley. We are at fhe village. Now
for the cruel story.
Statements were made to the wri-
ter by a number of the disaffected
but we copy only one, that of Mr..
Meyers, who lived IN Fayetteville
many years ago. Our older read
ers will remember him. He was
an industrious, steady and deserv-
ing young man. His shop was