The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-11-14
PHIL. ROBINSON AND THE NOR
MONS.

Mr.. Phil. Robinson appears to hay,
excited the anti-Aornon press o. Utal
TO frenzy of passion by the few word
he offered in defense of the Aormons o.
Utah the other day in tbs Pal Nal
Gazette. The Aormons, like the early
Christians who they resemble il very
many respects, are "a sect everywhere
spoken against" and Mr.. Robinson
like Gamaliel of old who pleaded fol-
the rights of the early Christians, says
of the AoFmon as Gamaliel did of chris
tianity and its advocates: Let them
alone; for if this counsel or this work
be of msn, it will come to aaught-i;
will die of itself. And If it be of Col
you cannot overthrow it.
The particular passage which seems
to have raised the ire of our anti
Mormon friends follows a recital of
what would naturally be the very
gloomy condition and outlook for the
people Of Utah. He says:
But in spite OF all this, I know the Nor
mons too well 10 believe that the United
States can crush them. They are supported
by the convictions of religion and loyalty,
and the consciousness OF honest living. The
Americans can, If they choose, massacre the
Indians whom destiny has cOnfided 70 their
care as a nation and not be brought TO book.
They can shoot down in cold blood, as they
did the other day, the Chinese al work on
the pubic roads, and not be punished By the
courts for their crimes. They can. IL they
like, cut the Threats OF, stab and pistol, Nor
mon men, women and little children, as
they did at Haun's Mill-but they viii gain
nothing by it. ! believe Mo-mOniSm 10 be
beyond human power TO eItinguiSh. IL may
die out of itself; but il cannot be smOthered
justice, such outrages on humanity, as Utah,
10 the eternal disgrace OF America, is now
witnessing.
One can scarcely see in these
statements anything that should
be a rock of offending even 10
the anti-Mormons of Utah. 1t is 8
truth that the antI-Mormon press OF
Utah cannot disprove, that the Nor
mons are supported in the contest
wsging here "by the conviction of re-
ligion and loyalty, and the conscious
ness of honest living"
Il is fact, that the government has
the physical powers to put to the sword
or bayonet every man, woman and child
in Utah-to massacre the whole people,
as several families were massacred at
Haun's millin Missouri-and even some
men in the United States have adyo-
Gated the idea of making war upon the
Mormons; one Rev. (?) DR.. suggesting
from his pulpit that Phil Sheridan be
sent to Utah with his boys in blue to
settle the Mormon question with their
good swords. The government could
adopt that plan. Or. FOLLOWING the
example of Missouri and Illinois, the
government possibly could, by murder
and arson, wear out the people and
drive the remnants from the land they
have redeemed from a desert waste
the government can do all this, but
such a course would cover it with
eternal infamy; and it would not crush
out the convictions in the hearts of the
Mormon people, or destroy Mormon
ism. All history sustains Mr. Robin
son in his conclusion, that the in
famously outrageous course adopted
here in Utah cannot crush out the life
of Mormonism. Where was it., and
at what time, that the cruel edict of
kings or parliament, backed up by the
use of prisons, the assessment of fines
the rack, the block and gibbet prevailed
against the convictions of conscience
among Anglo-Saxon peoples2 1t
has never occurred; it never
will. They refuse every time to
surrender. The Mormon people bring
into this contest all the ardor of reIig- I
ious zeal, backed up by a consciousness
ofthe rectitude OF their intentions; and
brute force, or cruel laws brutally ad-
can never prevail against
them. All history supports the con-
clusion. But We take il that Mr.. Rob-
-nson's offense arises from the fact that