The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-21

MORMONISM REVIEWED
By KATE FIELD.
Copyrighted 1885, by the Author-An Rights
Reserved.
PART ~

Though gentlleS are only one NTH or the pop
ulation of Salt Lake City they represent two
| ffths of its wealth, if not more The telephone
telegraph, district messengers, the cable railroad
about to be laid, the great railroads connecting
Utah with the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, are
| all gentle inspirations Mormon energy is con-
| fined to few horse railroads. Even the Utah
Central railroad extending few hundred miles
south of Salt Lake. is only partly owned by the
Saints. Mormons are almost exclusively the
cultivators of the soil, for the excellent reason
that Mormons gained possession of it at an early
period, control the water-rights and make farm
ing so very uncomfortable to gentiles that even
of the few who have attempted to live in the
settlements, the majority have given up losing
game
''Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution"
which is considered "a prominent feature in
Mormon economy" is perfectly we'll known by
Doth Mormon and gentle merchants to have
been founded by Brigham Young for the double
purpose of killing gentle trade and absorbing
individual Mormon enterprise. It was gall and
wormwood to the Prophet to see his people grow
rich. He was shrewd enough to know that
wealth begat independence, and independence
begat apostacy and apostacy beeat revolution.
Therefore he conceived the magnificent idea of
gathering his people into one net over which he
should watch seeplessly. With this object in
view, Brigham Young night called together
twenty or thirty leading business men. Meeting
in the Prophets office they sat in a semi
circle. and Brigham unfolded his new
plan of salvation. He wanted the breth
rem to do one of two things-either to
sell out and join him in his cooperation scheme,
or to move away from the main or business street,
and thus so divert trade as to force gentle
chants to leave the country. Having made
known his project, Brigham proceeded to ex-
tract opinions from the brethren, cunningly
asking one at a time Nov, Brother John, let
us hear from YOU" Brother John rose. and
entirely agreed with Brother Brigham. Brother
William entirely agreed with Brother John,
and thus the Prophet swung round the semi
circle, meeting with no opposition until he ques-
toned the end man. This brother stood high in
Brighams favor. He was enterprising and paid
excellent tithes. He knew the Prophets game; he
knew that it meant ruin not only to himself but
to all those merchants whose hearts gave the lie
to their craven speech. This man had the courage
of his opinions, and kindly but firmly protested
He argued that business could not be diverted
from the main street, and that if the Mormons
moved off it the gentiles, far from being obliged
to leave Utah, would thrive the more, rs there
would be less competition Finally, he showed
how the entire absorption of Mormon capital and
brain was neither feasible nor advantageous, and
sat down amid the silent blessings of his COW
ardly brethren. He had saved them
TT1..
his favorites should dare tooppose him was more
than his philosophy had ever dreamed He was
dspleased but felt it unwise to express his senti
ments. We'll, we'll, he replied, Il don't insist
carrying out this matter. Well drop it for
the present" And the brethren breathed freely
Six or eight months later lions Cooperative
Mercantile Institution founded, with Brig
ham Young as president, and with one of his sons
inaw as superintendent. The original nten-
ton was to make the z. G. NJ l. purely
Wholesale establishing branch retail stores in
all of the twenty-five wards and supplying the
wants of the settlements as well. Many of these
branches were started, but died lingering
death, as they were remote from the business
center and had limited stock The wholesale
house soon became retail. and. while it ruined
Mormon, gentle or Jewish enterprise. In 1874
the stores were the verge of bankruptcy, ow-
ing to bad management, and shares were sold as
low as % cents on the dollar. Then several rich
Mormons came to the rescue, put in a new
superintendent, and the piratcal institution took
new lease of life. To-day its stock is mostly
owned by the church and few of it's leaders
Employees have one-tenth of their salaries conse-
Grated to the tithing Office. AS their salaries
are generally very small, the souls of these hard
workers are ostensibly benefited at the expense
of their bodies.
Apostacy has greatly interfered with material
interests. When the Walker brothers left the
church every possible device was resorted to in
order to ruin their business. Policemen were
stationed at the door of their shop to warn off
Mormons.
Harrison and Godbe leaders of the great
apostacy in 1869-70 were nearly ruined for brav
ing the church, and many humble man has
told me of his dire poverty, caused by the refusal
of the Saints to give him work on account of his
heresy. Many and many harangue have I
heard in ward meetings warning Saints against
dealing or assocating with gentiles; apostates
are far viler reptiles in their eyes,
Joseph Smith, after dilating upon hell, deals
thus tolerantly with apostates in his vision
And which is the torment apostates receive
But the end, the place where the torment began
Save to them who are made to partake of the same
Was never, will be, revealed unto man"
yet God shows by vision glimpse of their fate
And straghtway he closes the scene that was shown
So the width, or the depth the misery thereof
Save to those that partake, is forever unknown"
1t is mistake to imagine that there is no re-
lgious caste or class. Heredity is firmly be-
leved in and acted upon, and wealth is fast as
sorting itself as a motor. The church financial
ring already sways John Taylor in political ap
pointments. Church and state are identical and
it is because they are identical that Mormopsm
is unrepublican, 1t is often declared that from
the President downward the Office bearers re-
cave no salary or othar emolnmants The conn