The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-25
POLYGAMY IN UTAH.
What a Man Sees Who Lives in the iIIdst of
the Saints.


the Saints.
Report of Meeting at Chicago
The Rev DR.. MNiece, of the Presbyterian
Church at Salt Lake City, was the next speaker
He said that If anyone wanted to have any good
idea of polygamy he should live seven or eight
years in Salt Lake City, as he had done To
live under the shadow Of the polyeamous house
hold of President Taylor, where some half dozen
or more wives were conducting that beautiful
Mormon system of domestic olss which at nj gbt
always pleasant The children there we're
taught that it was treason to speak against
the Mormon church. The evil had dis
gusted foreigners The political parties could
not say anything against the other for what it
had not done against the growing evil or Nor
1nonism. During the past two years there had
been more Mormon marriages than ever before.
Mormonism was not declining, but was growing
stronger and more defiant against the govern
ment of the United States. The main evil of
Mormonism was not its poygamous practices
Perhaps its best points were its polygamy. its
falsehoods and wholesale swindlng practices
Its worst element was the unlawful attempt of
educated men to mislead the ignorant by insist
ing that they were a divine priesthood, and that
they were the divine and supreme authority
in all things = He quoted from the re-
Murray, which cited the menace which tho
Mormons were to this land. The Mormons in
tended to set up an independent political power
OF which polygamy should be the corner stone
that they controlled the balance OF power in
Idaho, and absolutely controlled Utah, and that
htey would soon control Wyoming and Arizona,
The church intended to control these govern
ments through its priesthood. 1t had the most
thorough organization, and practlced the most
thorough despotism. II dictated to the people
what books andnewspapers they should read, and
controlled their property debating to whom it
should be leased or sold. The church sought to
subsidize the press where it could. If it could
capture congressman by champagne suppers, it
cheerfully did so. Ii it could capture minister
from Henry Ward Beecher up, it was glad to do
so. The Mormon church sent out more mission
aries than the Presbyterian church. The people
We're taught to hate the American government
They used the political power of the Territory
20 overthrow the American home system. The
right of dover is taken away from the first
wife There was no punishment provided for
against the grosser crimes in the Mormon laws.
The women were allowed to vote but they were
compelled to vote to maintain polygamy. There
was no such thing as free government within
the borders of Utah The American people
were not allowed representation. 1t was taxa
ton without representation. The city Of Salt
Lake was controlled by Mormons. There
was something to be feared from Mormon
ism at this time. It had grown from a few
hundred to be vast power. They banded to-
gether and committed perjury in order to pro-
tect one another in the courts from being prose-
cuted for violations of the law The remedy for
Mormonism had been advocated by Gov Murray
for the past four years. and this was to take all
the political powers out of the hands of the Nor
mons and place it with the friends of the govern
ment He read the text of Senators Cullom's.
bill, which he claimed was the only remedy that
would eradicate Mormonism. This measure
might be termed radical, but it was notany more
radical than was the government of Utah o-day,
which was controlled by John Taylor, J. @. Can
non and Joseph Smith, who made the laws for
the people and controlled $4,000 votes. They
were an absolute despotsm. The Mountain
Meadow massacre was looked upon by the Nor
mons just measure for the furtherance Of
the church.