The Portland daily press., 1885-01-02
SOCIAL. AND P0LzTKCAE CRIMES
IN UTAH.
KATE Fields lecture on the M OrEnem
Question in the stocibridge Course

q
to very brilliant audience, which completely
filed the great auditorium. Kate Field holds a
first place today on the American lyceum plat
form. Her presence is one of such charm and
fascination; her dramatic power SO mpressive
her voice so thrilling and eloquent in its ex-
quisite meditation; that to hear her lecture be-
comes an entertainment OF the highest intel
lectual and artistic qualification. The terrible
problem of Mormonism is presented as it nev-
or has been before, and its importance is net
less than the interest with which Miss Field
invests her theme. A telling point in Miss
Fields lecture is her urgent plea for a nation
al marriage law. The mysteries Of the En-
dowment House,-that "whited sepulchre,"-
are described, and its singulArities explained
that Mormonism is treason is emphatically
shown, and the vigorous and effective manner
in which Miss Field handles her subject gives
its presentation power seldom felt from the
platform.
The lecture was listened to with the greatest
interest and frequently broken by applause
The following is an abstract
Until one year ago, said she knew abso-
lutely nothing about Mormonism-about those
200 people who, though living under the
American flag, are still aliens. I obtained nv
information by accident. / CHANGED to arrive
at Salt Lake City, expecting TO stay a week,
and remained eight months, simply because
could not help it. 1t seems to nus to be stupid
seltishness to say we have nothing to DO with
Mormonism because it is so far away. II the
Rocky Mountains take poison, the Atlantic
Ocean will feel the effects. can touch to-
night only upon those points which show that
Mormonism is brutal and buds treason. have
had Mormon elders tell me that polygamy is
the corner stone of the church. Yet the church
existed for years without this corner stone.
The Mormon church, under certain oircum-
stances allows its priests to lie. John Taylor,
the president of the Mormon church in France,
years ago denied that the church allowed po-
lygamy. At that time John Taylor had not
less than seven wives in Utah. And
piece of the Almighty" She denied
the oft-made assertion that Mormon women
are satisfied with their lot. They accept it as
part of the religious creed. When polygsmy
was first proclaimed, the women dared to
murmur, and so did some of the men. They
were told that ii the President himself should
speak against this he would be damned. She
quoted Brigham Young as saying to his peo-
pie: "If any of you deny the plurality of
wives, and continue TO do so, you will be-
damned" The effect was to cause Mormon
women to hold their tongues Mormonism
was ground into them and they kept silent.
GENTLE women who are inclined to think
harshiy of their Mormon sisters must remem-
Der that the nature of woman is religious, and
this is part of their religion At a meeting a
hymn was sung the close OF one stanza of
which was:
tGod bless the wife that strives
To aid her husband all she can
To obtain dozen wives''
The lecturer then gave description of life
in the Mormon family, showing stats of
affairs repugnant to the civilized mind. Once
the first wife took part in the second marriage
ceremony, and gave her husband to the second
wife, but since national legislation on the
subject, these marriages are more secret.
Women, once said Brigham Yolng, will be-
more easily saved than men, they do rot know
enough to go wrong. 1t is claimed that only
good men practice polygamv. This is not So
John d. Lee, shot by the United States au-
thorities for being engaged in the Mountain
Meadows massacre, had nineteen wives, four
of whom were given him by Brigham Young
after the massacre, one or two Of them as re-
ward. It is also claimed that only those have
plurality of wives who are able to support
them. This is not so. Many of the wives
support themselves. With half dozen wives,
man may live in clover without doing any
thing. It is claimed that the wives are treat
cd alike. This is not SO. Brigham Young
rarely visited some CT his wives, and there are
others who seldom see some OF their wives.
No one who hiss the slightest knowledge of
hum an nature bnt knows jealousy an strife
must exist in such families. Ask Mormon
woman il she believes in polygamy, and she
will almost invariably say "Yes." Woman s
nature does not change, because it
breathes the cir of Utah. One who has
lived in Utah ten years says he never saw but
one woman who really liked polygamy, and
she was virago, who turned the second wife
into servant Self-interest leads the women
to say they are satisfied with polygamy.
Divorce is not rare in Utah. John d. Lee was
divorced from eleven of his nineteen wives
During Brigham Young's time the prophet
done thriving business in untying his people,
Brigham once said in a sermon: when / seal
wives TO you. | charge nothing for it but
don t intend to divorce you without your pay
ing for it," He was once honest enough to
say that the divorce was not worth the paper it
was written on but the people will have them
and the $40 furnished pin money for his
wives. 1t may sstonish yon 70 find tibet none
of us are safe from Mormonism. They have a
way OF being baptized for their friends. and
some have been baptized at least two thousand
times for various persons, GO, for instance
George Washington and many of our public
men. These men will be astonished at the
resurrection day to find themselves Mormcns
This adds new terror to death. The intro
duction of female suffrage into Utah was
coup d'etdt to preserve Mornonism and DC
lygamy, not, as is claimed, as tribute TO the
sex. The United States to-day is responsible
y
tion of womanhood. Miss Field then gave a
very vivid description of the ceremony OF en-
dowment, at which ceremony the oath is taken
TO obey tho Mormon laws in preference to al v
thing else, the penalty for disobedience being
to have the throat cut from ear to ear Gan
such men be true TO the United States govern
ment? The man comes out serf. "We must
obey as horses and mules obey" said a church
official in 1863 In 1874 an official said pnb-
licly; THE laws of God are above the Laws
OF man.
She quoted freely from Mormon AUTHORITIES
to show that their hope and their aim has
been, and Is to not only control religious, but
temporal matters. From the beginning the
Mormon vote has been unit, and they have
put that vote where it would hest subeerve
their interests. If you think Mormonism tg
confined to Utah, you are very much misbak-
en-. The Mormons send their delegates from
Idaho, and there are Mormons in Colorado
and it will not be long ere they will hold the
balance Of power there. Mormonsm is al
ways treason. The formation of the Mormon
church makes 1t a body corporate, with power
over it's subjects temporarily and spiritually.
The Territory absolutely sbdicatss in favor of
the church, and the church virtually SAYS
what sort of emigrants shall settle there. The
church has now three hundred missionaries
out and at the work Of proselytipg one hnns
dred of whom are in the southern States and
these missionaries bring ssttlers into the Ter
ritory much faster than any other settlers can
go thare.
The lecturer then gave sketch of the send
ing Of United States troops into Utsb, of the
reasonable utteranees of Brigham Young aud
other Mormon officials and of the recall OF the
troops in 1861-a virtual surrender OF the
United States to Mormonism, and alluded TO
other inefficient legislation by Congress upon
this subject Having passed two snti-nolyga-
mic laws without effect, Congress .passes
third. Last winter, for the first time, nom
Mormon legislature met in Utah. What was
the result. John Taylor and his assistants sat
outside and pulled the wires to which his min-
ions danced. Last winter John Taylor had
another revelation, to bind his people still
closer. After continuing in this line for some
length, showing how inefficient all laws have
been, and claiming that there is Mormon
lobby In Washington, and that the Mormons
have good deal of political influence, she
asked what can be done and answered it by
saying, make a United States marriage
Law. 1t is disgrace that there is
no such law. Pass q universal marriage law
and do away with special anti-polygamy bills
marriage must be 10 accordance with tho Law
Of the land. With such law man is either
married or single, he either has one wife or
none. b. ell means pass a national marriage
law. And when Congress has entirely done
its duty to the whole country, Utah will 90 on
as before. What then2 What would any ma
tion do with traitors? Deprive John Taylor
of his temporal power, and the Church would
be powerless. The people of this country do
not realize what is in Utah. The loyal people