The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-06-19
A MORMON SCHISM.

the Mormon Church at Utah just
at present, growing out of the per-
secutions for polygamy. A very
large faction of the Saints have
come to the conclusion that there
is nothing to do but live within the
law. Perhaps majority of them
are of this way of thinking and are
only prevented from so publicly
proclaiming by the belief that the
vigorous enforcement of the law
begun by the Federal authorities
will be abandoned. As for the
refugees who have fed from Utah
to avoid arrest, they are anxious
to come home again and are will
ling to surrender polygamy for
peace and quiet, and are very much
encouraged by the action of the
United States Court in suspending
sentence where a much married
Saint promises to obey the law and
give up his plural wives. 1t is by
the utmost efforts that the ortho-
dox elders are able to deter these
from their purpose, and it is only
by persuading them that the Uni
ted States will soon abandon the
prosecutions that they are restrain
ed from surrcndcring at discretion.
If, therefore, the same rigor on
the part of the authorities is MAIN
tanned as has been shown during
the last month, it will soon deyel-
op a split in the Church.
The spirit of rebellion, however
has crept in amongsthe women,
and the plural wives are betraying
the secrets of polygamy which the
Mormon Church had hitherto con-
cealed so we'll. Several of them
have lately testified against their
husbands, and have verified all that
has ever been said of the abuse of
the Mormon plural home.
In the meanwhile the extreme
wing of the Church still tries to
instiIl courage into the weak-kneed
and still denounces the government
agents in the most savage terms as
spies, marauders, murdercrs, etc.
Ore of the Mormon papers Insists
that war is inevitable, and that in
the conflict which will shortly en-
sue this country will be oyerwhel-
med and destroyed.
"That this nation," it says,
"should be punished for its wick
edness and It's iniquitious course
toward the Mormons is only COM
mon justice, and that it will be
punished is as certain as that there
is God in heaven. Moreover, it
is recorded in the Book of Nor
mon, that when any nation that
inhabits the continent should be-
come ripencd in iniquity it should
be destroyed. That the United
States, in order to take away the
liberties of a handful of their citi-
zens, and those, too, the most vir-
tuons and loyal, should hire an ar
my of spies, sneaks, informcrs and
marshals to arraign them for trial
before unjust judges and packed
jurics, and finally punish them by
fine and imprisonment for no
crime, unless it is for being inn
measurably superior in point of
honesty and morals to their accu-
scrs, is almost past belief. But
the Saints can afford to be patient
| and wait, for the Lord will fight
their battles. He has said 'Ven-
geance is mine, and the people OF
the United States will yet learr
that the day when the Supreme
Court decided against the Saints
was the darkest day in their histo'
ry.
Such is the situation in Utah anS
in those portions of Idaho ane
Arizona into which the Mormon.
have penetrated The crisis thai
is to decide the future Of thcs'
Territories has arIised, and th'
next few wrecks will detcrmin'
whether they are to remain nest!
/ Of polygamy. immorality md ig
tnorance or whether the laws ar
to be obeyed IN other portions O