Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-05-07
A MORMON MANIFESTO.

| MOTlllOu tdDerudCleS, dG WIlCl Vic ucClfla-
tion of grievances and protest which had
been formulated at the General Conference
of the Mormon Church on April s was read.
The declaration is addressed to the Prsident
and the people of the United States. 1t be-
gins by saying:
"The condition of affairs imperilling the
vital interests of a vast majority of the peo-
pe of Utah and their cO-religionists in the
neighboring States and Territories impels
US, their representatives, to address you.
| Our rights as American citizens are tram
pied upon, and believing it our imperative
duty in the presence of danger to protest
against gigantic evil which threatens not
only our liberties but the liberties of every
free man, we, in general mass meeting as
sembled, in the name of freedom, justice
and humanity, make this appeal for relief
and protection. We are unpopular with
our fellow countrymen. 1t is our reli gion
which makes us so. We are small minor
ity in their midst, but we have yet to learn
that these are grounds upon which to justify
in land of liberty acts of oppression which
we, as people, from the beginning of our
history, have been made to suffer. AS to
our religious faith, it is based upon evidence
which, to our minds, is conclusive. Our
convictions are not to be destroyed by legls-
Force may enslave the body, but it cannot
convince the mind. TO yield at the demand
of legislator or judge the rights of consci-
ence would prove us recreant to every duty
we owe to God and man.
"Among the principles of our religion is
that of immediate revelation from God.
One of the doctrines so revealed is celestial or
plural marriage, for which ostenslbly we
are stigmatized and hated. This is vital
part of our religion, the decisions OF the
Courts to the contrary Notwithstanding"
The declaration then in defending the
practice of polygamy declares that the prac-
tice as understood among the Occidental ma
tions, is a system of sensuality, but the lat
ter-day saints believe that the marriage is
one which, when properly solemnized, ex-
lists in eternity. Every faithful woman in
the church believes that in order to ensure
her exaltation in the presence of God she
should be married or sealed to an upright,
faithful man. The declaration then says {:
"Actng upon this belief these alliances
are formed while on earth upon the prlnci-
ple that man is not without woman, nor
woman without man in the Lord. They
firmly believe God has revealed this to them
as a command, but while patriarchal marri-
age, as it is termed, is part of their faith
and practice they have no idea that it should
become universal. Equality of sex, if no
other reason, would prevent this. 1t is a
mistaken idea that our church favors the
propagation of this doctrine or seeks to es-
tablish it as universal system. At the
same time we fully believe that women
should be married even if two or three of
them, as in the families of Abraham, Jacob
and others, became wives of one man. In
stead, therefore, Of our system of marriage
promoting sensuality experience has proven
that it checks it; instead of being destruc-
tive to family relation it is preservative of
it. Plural marriage was the publicly pro-
claimed doctrine of the church in 1852. Con-
gress declared it crime in 1862, but the law
enacted against it, remained for seventeen
years dead letter the Federal officials hesi-
tating to enforce it as if they doubted its
constitutionality. The law of 1862 was not
declared constitutional until January, 1879.
Plural marriage, therefore, was openly
taught ten years before any law existed
against it, and twenty-seven years had
elapsed from the time of its first public pro-
mitigation until the Supreme Court decided
the law to be constitutional. Thus it is ap-
parent that plural marriage was not intro
duced in violation of law, but the law was
enacted against this principle OF all re-
ligion."
The charge of treason and rebellion made
against the Mormons is declared to be unjust
and untrue, and the fact is cited that a quo
ia of 800 men were sent 1000 miles over
land to assist the United States in fighting
Mexico. 1t is asserted that the general
government has ever been willing to lend
willing ear to all the reports of sedition
made against the Mormon people, and that
when investigated they have always been
exploded. Strong complaint is made that
the government has refused to confer the
Statehood upon the Mormons, although
Utah has all the qualifications of popula-
ton, wealth and stability of commerce and
society. 1t claims that aliens have inva-
riably been sent into the Territory to gov
ern the people who, with honorable excep-
tions, have trampled the rights of the peo-
pie under foot. The petitioners protest and
memorials against these abuses have never
been needed. 1t then goes on to say:
1.-THE commissioners appointed under the
Edmunds law have grossly abused the au-
thority conferred upon them, and have
usurped extraordinary and arbitrary powers,
while their sole duty under the law was to
and to canvass the returns and issue certifi-
Gates of election to the members of the leg
isative assembly. They have illegally as
sumed to exercise important legislative and
judicial functions. They officially fOrmulat-
ed an unauthorized and illegal expurgatory
test oath, covering the whole life OF indi-
viduals, and required each elector in the
Territory to take it before he could register
or vote, and by their orders the names of
persons who failed to take this oath were
stricken from the registry list. They SO
constructed the test oath that it could not be
taken by any person who had ever lived in
polygamy or who had cohabited with more
than one woman in the marriage relation,
but it could be and was taken by persons
who cohabited with more than one woman
not in the marriage relation, thus disfran-
chising only Mormons and permitting non
Mormon violators of the law to register and
vote. They have arbitrarily assumed to
exercise legislative powers by promulga-
tion of rules and orders, which in effect
materially changed existing laws, and eX-
cluded from the polls thousands of legal
voters, who have since been been restored
to privileges of electors by the decision OF
the Supreme court of the United States.
"It is further asserted that they have con-
stituted themselves the supreme tribunal for
the determination of all matters in the Ter
ritory pertaining to elections and quaifica-
tions of voters. 1t is asserted that they
have grossly abused their authority in the
appointment of registration officers by Sc
lecting for such positions, whenever posi-
BILE, only such persons as belong to the an
ti-Mormon faction. Complaint is made
that the United States officials have gener-
ally allied themselves with sectarian priests
and DOlitical adyenturerS leading the eX-