Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-25
THE NEWS" COUNTER CALL"

had lengthy article on the relative
worth of this worlds goods and the |
blessings of world hereafter, which may |
be termed tho goods of eternity. Tho |
whole line OF argument and its illustra-
ton we take to be a refutation, from |
the Ne,cs' standpoint, of an article
in yeasterday mornings Irib"qe ap- |
pcaling to the business men oil
tho Mormon church. The argument oil
the Tribune was worldly goods, the |
argument of the News is spiritual |
goods. With the faith and assurance |
of world far beyond this, world |
where sin and sorrow enter moi, and which |
may be attained by those who follow a
prescribed line OF conduct in this world,
the spiritual goods OF that far away world
must over outweigh the worldly ones OF
this. But there is between this world and
that other assumed world OF faith the
wide gulf of grave doubt. The hope and
longing for an individual life after death
has closed this one OF earth, is no evidence
OF the existence OF such longed for life.
The heaven OF each man is but wished
for realization OF the disappointed hopes
OF this world. Does man desire king
doms, principalties and power, and live
life that he believes will vouchsafe
him these hereafter save for the sole
reason that he has not had them hero?
Each mans heaven ia fashioned after
each mans heart and nature; the poor
desire to be rich tho weary desire TO find
rest; the sorrowing to find Joy the sinful
to find forgiveness. Ii man carries
cross in this world he hopes to wear
crown in the world to come. Will all
these hopes, all these longings, all these
aspirations only be realized by the peo-
pie of Utah through disobedience to the
law of the land in which they live? The
assurance OF the Nous is that only
through living in violation OF the law can
the blessings OF eternity be attained.
But why is an appeal made to the busi-
ness men oi the Mormon church? Simply
because their minds are not continually
given up to the contemplation Of things
hoped for but not seen, that contempla-
ton which makes OF men ascetics and cis-
ionaries. The appeal is made to them
because they have had experience OF the
world, and are capable of seeing things
and estimating them at their true worth.
II an absolute devotion to the attainment
of worldly wealth is liable to blind the
spiritual eye, so an absolute devotion to
the attainment OF spiritual blessings is
liable to blind the eye of reason. The
distortion OF any faculty necessarily tends
to distort all the faculties, and with dis
tortion of the faculties there comes error
in all their operations. The appeal is
church because it is believed that they
have retained that Just balance between
the spiritual eye and the eye of reason
which will enable them to comprehend
the true situation OF affairs in Utah, and
in the hope that they will use their inhu-
cnce to cause others TO see things in their
true light. No doubt the News thinks
that it sees things in their true light, and
verted and false light. The Neirs sees
things in this light alone, ii we mistake
not The Mormon church is par ,ercel-
lence the church oil God, and among other
members to do as a. part OF the
plan OF salvation is to practice
polygamy. 1t sees that the wicked,
as it terms them, are opposed to
this doctrine and it's practice, and that in
accordance with the desires OF the wicked,
the Government of the United States has
passed laws for the special purpose OF ex-
tirpating polyeamy and the practice of
unlawful cohabitation; and it secs that
these laws are being rigidly enforced,
which, as being against an ordinance OF
God, is persecution and crusade. Under
this belief it exhorts its followers to adj
here to this practice that they may reap
the promised reward hereafter, and he
cause God suffers such things to try this
people, and when He has sufficiently tried
them He will put forth His hand to pro-
tect them.
The people OF the United States, who
are the wicked in this case, view the
matter in an entirely different light, and
disbelieve in the special doctrine OF the
Mormon church and hold that it is directly
contrary to Gods will. Further, the
people of the United States have
always held the doctrine that it is speci-
ally the province aud duty of the State
to regulate the institution OF marriage,
and that to allow any church to regulate
that institution would be to surrender to
part and in this case small part, a
right which belongs to the whole and
they are determined that such shall not
be the case. They also see that the in
stitution of marriage lies at the very
foundation Of the State, and that in all
civilized countries the monogamic sys-
tenn has been introduced and protected as
the one best calculated to promote the
happiness and welfare OF the individual
and advance and secure the prosperity OF
the State.
That is the question. Now. what is the
actual condition oi things consequent
thereon? 1t is this Many polygamista
are under Indictment and already some