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

naQ a lengthy arllCle Oh tne reldtlN
worth of this worlds goods and tn
blessings of world hereafter, which MAJ
be termed the goods of eternity. Tht
whole line of argument and its illustra
ton we take to be refutation, from
the News' standpoint. of an article
in yeasterday mornings Trib'ine ap
pealing to the business men o
the Mormon church. The argument o
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 not, 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 ever 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, principalities and power, and live a
life that he believes will vouchsafe
him these hereafter save for the sole
reason that he has not had them here ?
Each mans heaven is fashioned after
each mans heart and nature; the poor
desire to be rich; the weary desire to find
rest; the sorrowing to find joy; the sinful
to find forgiveness. If man carries a
cross in this world he hopes TO wear a
crown in the world to come. VIII 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 Neaps 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 OF 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 Wis
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.
If 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
made to the business men of the Mormon
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 influ-
ence to cause others to see things in their
true light. No doubt the News thinks
that it sees things in their true light, and
that it is others who see them in per-
rerted and false light. The Neacs sees
things in this light alone, if we mistake
not: The Mormon church is par ercel-
tence the church of God, and among other
things which He has commanded its
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 its 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 polygamy and the practice of
living in it, which practice the law terms
unlawful cohabitation; and it sees 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 ad- |
here to this practice that they may reap |
the promised reward hereafter. and be-
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 thenL
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
hat institution would be to surrender to
l part, and in this case a small part. a
light which belongs to the who'll: and
hey are determined that such shall not
De the case. They also see that the in
'titution of marriage lies at the very
of the State, and that in all
countries the monogamic .sys-
em has been introduced and protected as
he one best calculated to promote the ,
happiness and welfare of the individual !
nd advance and secure the prosperity of {
he State. I
Thatis the question. Now. what is the !
ctual condition of things consequent G
hereon? tits this: Many polygamists f
re under indictment, and already some
re serving out sentences, and all polyg- !
mists are liable to indictment and are
earful lsst the terrible fact may be ah- d