Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-03
"PONDER A LITTLE"

Under this title the Ne,Us OF last night |
says that it is because the people of the
United States Go not ponder over the |
actual trouble in Utah that they are |
worked into burning hostility against the
Mormon creed. II the people Of the
United States would ponder over the
question more they would be better in
formed and would have better under
standing of things here. 1t would also
be we'll for the people Of Utah to ponder
q little over the situation in Utah, for
then they too would have a better un-
derstanding Of things here. If the
people Of the United States were
to take all their facts. from the
News they would be woefully mis-
informed, and they would, no doubt,
come to the conclusion that polygamy did
not exist to any extent in Utah and that
it was not preached here. This is scarcely
the case. The general opinion of the
Mormon people which the world enter
tains is largely erroneous, 80 far AS we
can Judge. The great majority OF the
Mormon people are Industrious and fru-
gal, and while polygamy in the eyes OF
the law is adultery, the Mormon people
are and always have been advocates Of
chastity, and have ever discouraged sex
ual crime. We believe we have been
fair in this estimate OF the virtues of the
Mormon people, and now let us see
wherein they are open to just censure.
The Mormon people have persistently
violated the law against polygamy and
have claimed right to do SO. For this
they are justly censured with being a
lawless people. When the law which
they have SO extensively and SO persist
emily violated was declared valid by the
Supreme Court of the United States, they
ignored the decision of that court and
continued to violate the laws as before.
The Newa will scarcely have the hardi.
hood to say that If the people Of the
United States were to ponder little
more they would come to the conclusion
that the laws against polygamy and the
decision Of the Supreme Court Of the
United States have not been ignored by
the people Of Utah. That polygamy
exists in Utah and is held to be cardinal
doctrine of the Mormon church is true
and no amount of pondering can change
this fact. Neither can any amount o
pondering ever alter the fact that polyg
amy is unlawful and that the United
States have jurisdiction OF the Ter
ritories, and that law OF Con
gress applicable to the Territories is
supreme over the laws Of any Territory
This latter fact it would be well for the
people of Utah to ponder little. The
people Of this Territory do not ponder
enough the fact that Utah belongs to the
United States and that the Territory is
not Independent of the Government
This is most important fact, and care
full consideration of it by the people o
Utah would save them much trouble
The greater part of the trouble ir Utaf
has arisen from the fact that the people
have acted on the theory that this Terri
tory does not belong to the United States
1t does belong to the United States, ant
the sooner the people fully realize ant
acknowledge this fact the better it will b'
for them. Another thing it would be wei
for the people of Utah to ponder not 1
little but very much, is the fact that the.
exercise the powers Of government in thi
Territory because they are citizens OF tn,
United States OF America, and not becaus,
they are members OF the Mormon church
These are important matters and ii tn,
Ne,us would but teach its readers to pom
der them little, it would be doing
very good work. So far as the creed O
the Mormon church is concerned, that i
a matter which will interest only thos,
who are interested in creeds. But whel
the professors OF one creed array them
selves against another creed because the,
do not like the doctrines OF the Greco
against which they array themselves
their opposition is tinctured with tn,
suspicion of doctrinal hate. In thes,
matters we have no interest, and our op
position to the practice of polygamy il
because such practice is an usurpation o
a sovereign power of the State, and there
fore inconsistent with the control OF tn,
family, which is the basis OF the State
by the State. The evils resulting from
the practice of polygamy are far create
than any good it could possibly do. TIL
Mormons have as much right 10 claim
divine origin for any of their doctrine
as any religious body has, and rice rersa
1t would be well for people everywhere t
ponder this fact.