Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-02-13
THE MORMON QUESTION.
rgIrrEH roe TIE TRIBUNE.

| WRITTEN roR TIE TRIBUNE.
So long as the Territorial and local
| government remain as at present, ex-
clusively III the power of the Mormon
church authorities, the public peace
will be in state of menace The re
cent exhibition of mob violence il
| Salt Lake City which necessitated q
call on the war department for troops
by the Z. S. authorities in Utah tc
sustain the common law Of the coun-
try, is most suggestive of the state OF
affairs in the land of polygamy.
The Mormon leaders have been
heretofore credited with much craft,
cunning and Hypocrisy; where has it
all gone? In defying the National
authority, in attempting to take the
law into their own hands they have
placed themselves outside the pale OF
sympathy, a consideration, other than
the outraged majesty Of the law may
give them for trampling upon it. The
Mormon authorities are now getting
food for reflection, they will be forced
to understand that violation of the
law is punishable in Utah, as in the
States and Territories Of the Uuion,
and that what is penitentiary of
fense throughout the Union will no
longer be tolerated with impunity, or
condoned in Utah. Bishop Sharpe
mas already shown them proper con
ception of the duties of the citizen, in
submitting to the law and renovating
the institution Of polygamy.
The whole truth in the matter is.
power has rested in the church rulers
to an imperial degree, prudence and
common sense alike would demolish
even the twelve Apostles: that defiance
open and aggressive to the people of
the I. S. must cease that a line must be
drawn somewhere sometime: that the
twin relic is about to be punished; that
it has been foul biotch on free Anne
rlsan institutions, and must so where
the s'Woodbine twineth, 'and the soon
erthe better for all concerned. Thepeo-
Die OF the United States has shown
the utmost moderation in permitting
Mormonism as an institution to exist
at all. Thinking all along. and think
ing in vain that time would do away
with this local debasement, and per
haps that the common sense of the
many among the Mormon people
would eyadicate the cancer Of polyga
my from out their midst. It is sad
commentary on the civilization Of our
time that in this Nineteenth Century,
there should exist people in any
section Of this country, SO entirely
morally debased, SO full Of the igno
rance, bigotry and superstition of the
darkest period OF the middle ages, as
are to be found i'll Utah. From the time
that Ill educated, hypocritic Joseph
Smith, formed a partnership with Sid
ney Rigdon to compile the bookof Nor
mon, to the present period, people are
found to believe in the sanity divini-
ty of the Apostles, Bishops and Ed
ers, a combination of greed, deceit,
avarice and hypocrisy, almost without
parallel in ancient or modern history
[ have heard it asserted by many
Of the brethren in Utah that the
plates from which the book of Nor
monism is compiled, was show to Joe
Smith by an Angel of the Lord, and
that no eye should look upon them
except those Of this solfstyled, self
made prophet Of the church Of the
latter day SAINTS: And, with this and
with this and such assertions, are
blended a woman's curiosity, going to
show that Rigdon's wife wanted to
know what Smith and her husband
were about but without avail. Every
night so seems the NEUROLOGICAL yarn,
Joe Smith when the days inscriptions
and Interpretations were concluded in
obedience to the mandate Of the An
gel of the Lord, buried the plates out
of sight so that no human eye should
behold them. But Mrs. Kidney Rig
don cautiously watched Joe to see
where he hid the plates, which was
near a large tree. Finding opportu-
nifty she proceeded to the tree" to in
vestigate the secret, when 10! and be-
hold two large LIONS were at the place
defending the sacred plates all brass
every bit of it. Now when you find
people, young and old (the leaders ex-
cepted) believeing such trash as that,
believing that there is amongst them
who are favored by noe
turnal visits from the Angels of the
Lord, and empowered toperform mir
aeles, the miraelists being at the same
time the biggest profigates, liars, and
vagabonds beneath the broad blue
canopy Of heaven.
It may well be asked what can leg
islation do, however remedial, useful
or beneficial in such places as Utah