The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-12
Mr.. West Reviewed.

Some time since an article from the
pen Of Miss Kate Field appeared in the
North American ReUieW, on Mormon
blood atonement. Hon. Joseph A.
West wrote an article to the same pub
Iication. giving a lucid exposition of
that doctrine as taught by the Mormon
church.
The publication OF Mr.. Vests article
furnishes the occasion for the Salt Lake
Tribune to send up a howl, and by the
basest kind OF fabrication and miser-
able living. to endeavor 20 rob the truth
of itsfnevitable weight.
AS usual with that sheet, the Tribune
does not attempt q review OF Mr.. Vests
article, but attacks the writer person
ally, and then resorts to a despieab'e
mess OF rot 10 prove what it asserts b.
inuendo
The sheet referred TO quotes portion
of Mr.. Vests remarks before the House
judiciary committee in Washington last
winter, wherein tiSt gentleman denies
that the Mormon church executes cor
pOral punishment on any of its mem
bars and utterly disregarding the con
text of the remarks, endeayors 10 make
out a case oil. Norm IN visiting and turn
ing" by saying that no one ever accused
their church. The Tribune does the
twisting. for il takes one sentence out
of q paragraph OF Mr.. Vests re-
marks and entirely ignores his positive
statement. in the very preceding SEN
tence TO the one il quotes. TO the effect
that that class of punishment Is not IN
fiicted on anybody.
IL proceeds to say that neither apos-
tates nor Gentiles are members, and IN
fers that thew are blood atoned by the
order of the church. No one knows
better than does the writer of the
scurYy article ~ the Tribune, that the
Mormons do not either teach or prac-
tice the methods OF o.Ooc-atoning
and murder that he inumates they
do. The simple fact that he has
been permitted 10 sling his filth for
wears without b ing molested is strong
proof that the majority of the people in
/ this Territory are pesceable and law
abiding. That the Tribune has not been
squelched and It's editorial staff SUB
/ iected TO q coat OF tar ami feathers ana
| escorted out of the Territory sstride Of
A three-cornered rail i due only 10 the
| temperate character of the MoTmons.
| Were the Mormon people one hun
| dredth part as bloodthirsty as the
! Tribune pictures them; were they given
/ to deeds OF midnight ASSASSINATION and
thlggism; did their religion teach them
any hing but truth. uprightness and
/ moral purity. with q wholesome dis =
gust of everything low, mean
| aud depraved, as the Tribune
tries to make the world believe
lit does, the whole gang which
infests the Tribune building would,years
ago have been given TO the crows or
had the Mormons been given 10 killing
men and then carting their bodies
/ around the town. exhibiting them TO
the public as awful warnings, as the
vile sheet declares, there would nave
A be n no better subjects for such public e1
hibitions than the writers on that sheet /,
and they would have been so exhibited
wears ago. aud not now be able 10 lie
about, yillify and abuse the people Of
this territory, as they do every week IN
the year.
Finally, the Tribune knows, and
1 ALWAYS has known. that its course To-
wards the Mormon people has been
one of the lowest possible kind OF Gus
sedness, and that not one OF the COW
arilv charges il has made against
them in all the years % us
existence has had any foundation II
fact. and it dare not come out IN q
straightforward way and name incl
dents aud men, because by doing 50 II
would be publicly proven 70 be tn'
scoundrelIy liar that it IS.
This last attempt is only a desperate
su bterfuge TO rob truth OF its justice
II could not answer Mr.. Vests article
and IL resorted 10 Is customary vitu
peration, abuse and innuendo instead