The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-25
WRONG METHODS.

In the District Court on Friday, il
the trial OF Joseph II. Dean, for unlaw-
full cohabitation, George Wood wa,
placed on the stand as a witness for the
prosecution. Mr.. Wood is serving 8
term of five years and six months i'm
prisonment for polygamY aud unlaw-
full cohabitation. Three or four of the
months of the time have passed, and
he was brought down to testify against
his relative. When asked by the Dis
trict Attorney ifhe continued to believe
in the rightfulness Of the principle OF
plural marriage, Mr.. Wood said, en-
phaticaIly, Eyes, l do; and what is
more, know it is true" How did that
answer strike the prosecuting attorney ?
What did His Honor on the bench
think of it? What will all those who
are putting forth such vigorous efforts
to destroy the Mormons think of it?
Will it appear as an indication of early
success in their work.
Intelligent people viii regard Mr.
Woods reply as just such an answer
as the. conscientious, thoroughly con
WINGED man would have made under the
circumstances; and in that answer
these same intelligent people will find
further proof to their minds tnat the
methods employed for sdealing with the
problemsof polygamy as practiced by
the Mormons are all wrong. Here is a
man who has fairly entered upon j
long season of torture for believing and
practicing certain religion; he has
been long enough in prison to have ex
perienced its pains and ayonies in their
Iullness; he knows that more than five
Of what should be the est and happiest
years of his life will be passed behind
walls and bars; that he will be deprived
Of the society OF his family and friends,
and suffer in mind and oody as the man
who loves freedom and independence
must suffer as a prisoner. Yet his IN.
happy experience of the past few
months and the gloomy outlook ex.
tending over Eve years of the
future have neither shaken his
laith nor aroused any feeling
Of dependency. He may be called
fanatic, but that doesn't help the mat
ter; he has a religion which he will
obey and live, or he will exist in prison.
His religion may be wrong, and his
in that religion improper, but
you are not going to convince him of
MS error by combining him in the Peni-
by compelling him to wear the
striped gsrb of the convict, nor by Civ
ng him coarse AID unwholesome food
% eat. All severity, all deeds of harsh
less intended to convince him of his |
.rrJr or punish him for alleged wrong
toing, will only strengthen him in his |
'elIef, and prove more satisfactorily to
lis mind that he is obeying tue will of
lis God. To him suffering is but what
lie expects and what is intended for
punishment is held to be unrighteous
Let US suppose that every polygamist
n Utah was with Mr.. Wood in the
'enitentiary, and that all feel
g he does, as they all must feel
-nless they are .lustful frauds and
ase hypocrites, what would the gov
rnment have accomplished in the way
f suPpressing polygamy and eonvinc-
ng MormoDs that the plural marriage
eatuIe of their religion was wrong?
AbsOlutely nothing. Belief in the
ightfulness of the system, in its
ivinity, must be destroyed before any
rogress can be counted; and it must be
Omitted that the punishment of fine
nd imprisonment does not destroy than
elief; on the contrary it strengthens
nd confirms it, as shown in the case
Mr.. Wood and the many others who
re suffering with him. Whatever may
e said concerning the principle of
Olygamy, the government methods of
ealing with those who believe and
ractice the doctrine, are certainly
rong, and should be changed for
hers based on common sense, and a
OF religious human nature.