Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-25
THE MORMON INVESTIGATION.
More Damaging Testimony-A Dispatch
From MILFORD Woodruff.

On the cross-examination Of Henry Lawrence
in the Mormon investigation at Salt Lake city
he testified that accommodation from the
church meant ostracism by the Mormon people.
He had heard many sermons preached which
were disloyal, and the general tendency of the
teachings of the church during all the years he
belonged to it was to ALLEVIATE the feelings of
the people from the government Extracts
from many sermons delivered by Brigham
Young, Henry G. Kimball and other leaders
were read, and show conclusively that the
priesthood claimed the right to dictate to the
people in all things temporal as well as spirit
ual A number of witnesses testified that in
May, 1879, there was big demonstration in
Salt Lake City in honor of the release of Daniel
II. Wells from the penitentiary, where he had
been committed for contempt of court in re-
fusing to answer questions regarding the en-
dowment house ceremonies. The procession
consisted of many thousand Mormons, Who
went up the main street trailing the American
flag in the dust, and in passing the federal
court house they saw Judge Emerson, who
committed Wells standing on the balcony and
yelled and hooted at him.
MURDER OF GREEN.
In regard to the dispatches of Tuesday last
about the killing of a man named Green by the
Mormons for revealing the secrets of the en-
uoNiueut uouse. us WIG, WHO Is now living at
Franklin, Pa, says that four or six years ago
she and her husband determined to leave the
Mormon church, and. in order to do so, quietly
disposed OF all their goods and chattels to Gen.
tile neighbors BY some means the Mormons
discovered their intentions and deliberately
robbed them of their all, and Green was sent
into the mountains on some mission, while she
was sent east. He frequently told her that he
was marked man and that his death by vio-
lence might be looked for.
MILFORD WOODRUFF SAYS IT Is POLITICS.
MILFORD Woodruff, president of the Mormon
church, sends dispatch, in which he says:
This is the periodical anti-Mormon sensation
which we are accustomed to expect in NOvem-
Der. Congress meets in December and it is
presumed that the usual efforts will be made to
secure legislation against the Mormons. OF
course this cannot be accomplished unless the
public mind is prepared for it. In addition to
this might explain that we are on the eve of
an important municipal election here, in which
the antl-Mormon party, by preventing the
naturalization of Mormons and in other i'm
proper ways, hope to be successful. l can
truthfully say that there is absolutely nothing
in the Mormon religion that is not consistent
with the most patriotic devotion to the govern
ment of the United States.
In regard to the claim that the priesthood or
chief authorities of the church assert or usurp
the right to control the Mormon people IN all
their temporal, including political affairs, l
"ouio say am the present head OF the church,
and do not make any such claim. 1t would be
impossible to exercise it if did. The charge
Of undue interference is absurd. Elections are
conducted under a strictly secret ballot system,
50 that no man knows how his neighbor votes.
All the management of elections down to the
smallest details is in the hands of the officers of
the United States government and their APP
pointees
Statements made by two or three apostate
Mormon witnesses to the effect that the en-
dowment ceremonies involved the death pen
atty upon those who leave the church and dis
obey the priesthood are simply untrue. The
Mormons on the stand decline to discuss the
ligious rites and ceremonies are the property
of the individual citizen and do not belong to
the state. You might as well ask why Mason.
if he were placed on the witness stand should
refuse to reveal the rites and signs of that
order.