Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-22
JOS. SMITH Az THE OPERA HOUSE
The President of the kEeorSaiaiNo0
Church Talks TO SAINT an"
sinner.

Last evening the Walker Opera House
was crowded to Overlooking with Mormon
Jew and Gentle for the purpose OF hear
ing President Joseph Smith, OF the he
ORGANIZED Church of Jesus Christ OF
Latter-day Saints. On the stand oeslde
the speaker were Alexander III. Smith, OF
Independence, Missouri, now en- route to
California, where he will labor in the
missionary work; R. ]. Anthony, OF Will
Der, Nebraska, in charge OF the Rocky
Mountain mission, embracing Utah,
Idaho and Montana; and Rev. Joseph
Luff, of Independence, Missouri.
At O'Clock President Smith was IN
troduced to the large congregation by
Rev. Luff, who conducted the opening
exercises A text was taken from secuon
So, paragraph 5, Doctrine and Covenants.
''Let no man break the laws OF the Land,
for he that keepeth the laws OF God hath nat no
need to break the laws of the land. WhereI
fore be subject to the powers that be, untl
he reigns whose right it is to reign, and sub
dues all enemies under HIS feet.
This language was given the Church IN
1881, in the original Doctrine and Gov
enants, which was purged OF the lllth
section on marriage and in its place sub
stituted the revelation on polygamy. The
preacher began by asking, can Mormon
ism exist without polygamy? as the
crisis seems to demand that the question
be answered 1t began in 1880 and continu-
ed till 1874 without it. The Saints were
driven from Missouri, not on account OF
ANYTHING of that sort, but for the fact that
they were anti-slavery in sentiment.
Plural marriage was not taught In any
public sermon, pamphlet, public docu-
ment or standard work up to the time OF
the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith,
June 9th, 1874, at Carthage, Hancock
county, Illinois. Under the teaching Of
the faith as advocated by these men and
their co-workers, between the years 1880
and 1884, there were between one hun
dred and fifty and two hundred thousand
united with the church, which prospered
and hourished This answers the ques-
ton whether or not it can exist without
polygamy; as it did, and therefore can
again.
One object had in view by the church
was the spreading of the gospel of the
New Testament scripture in all the earth,
and that to do this God inspired men to
discover the land, and inspired them to
aspire to political liberty that
they might have religious freedom.
He inspired men to write the Constitu-
ton of the United States and originate
the laws under it. The United States
must continue in some republican form
OF government until that object is ac-
complished, and everything tending to
prevent this object-that makes any peo-
pie antagonistic to the governments
not consistent with the divine object.
That which isolates the people creates i'll
will and is foreign to the design in estab-
fishing this church.
The speaker then made an appeal to
all the old Latter-day Saints, urging them
to retrace their steps back to the original
truth and harmonious design of the
church.
President Smith win speak again in the
Opera House on Wednesday night, when
a second large audience is expected to be
present to listen to his special remarks.