St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-24
WOODRUFF'S WILES.
The Head Of the Mormon
Church Speaks for the
Polygamists.
Politics, He Says, Is at the
Bottom of the Present In
vestigation.
Anti-Mormons Accustomed to
Spring Sensations Before
Fall Elections.
Nothing in the Mormon Re-
ligion That Conflicts With
the Constitution.

CHICAGO, Nov. 23.-In response to q
telegram from the Associated Press,
asking for his statement concerning the
investigation now in progress in Salt
Lake City. Wilford Woodruff. president
of the Mormon church. sends the fol.
lowing dispatch: "This is the period.
ical anti-MormOn sensation which we
are accustomed to expect in November.
Congress meets in December. and it is
presumed that the usual efforts will be
made to secure legislation against the
MOrmOns. Uf course this cannot be ac.
cOmpliShed unless the public mind is
prepared for it. In addition to this, ]
might explain that we are on the eve of
all important municipal election here,
in which the antI-MormOn party, by
preventing the naturalization of Nor
mons, or in other improper ways, hope
to he successful. l can truthfuify say
that there is absolutely nothing in the
MOrmon religion that is not consistent
with the most patriotic
DEVOTION TO THE GOVERNMENT
of the United States. The revelations
and commandments to the church re-
qulre that the constitution and laws of
the land shall be upheld. 1t is also a
part of our belief that a time will come
when this country will be distracted by
departures from he spirit and letter of
the constitution, and when general law
leSSncSS will prevail and when that con-
ditiOn shall arrive the Mormon people
will step forward and take an active
part iii reScuing the nation from ruin.
AS people the MOrmons have the high
est veneratiOn for the ins tuition of the
republic. There are among our cOmmu-
nil her nf
from the revolutionary fathers who
fought and bled TO establish our pOpu.
lar government" LII regard to the
claim that the priesthood or chief au-
thOri.y of the church assert or usurp
the right to control the Mormon
people in all their temporal. inclue-
ing political affairs, would 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 Mormon people would not tolerate
any such absolutien. The charge OF
undue interference is absurd. Elee-
tions are conducted under strictly
secret ballot system. so that no man
KNOWS HOW HIS NEIGHBoR VOTES.
All the magement of elections, down
to the smallest details. is in the hands
OF the officers of the United States gov
ernment and their appOinteeS. True.
the M0rmOnS arr, to Il considerable de-
gree, united in tn 1ir political affairs.
This is largely uue to their being con-
staEtly and vindictively aSsailed by a
small minority in Utah, who have
sought to wreSt the control of public
affairs from the hands of the majority.
They have thus been driven together by
a common interest and compelled to dis.
tinguisl their friends from their enemies.
A good zeal is being made of form of
prayer based upon two verses in the
sixth chap er of the Revelations of st.
John. as contained in the new teSta-
ment. 1t relates to praying that God
might avenge the blood of the prophets.
An attempt has. see. been made to
connect this with avenging the death Of
Joseph and Hiram Smith. and to have
reference to this nation. 1t can have
no such application, as the endOwments
were given long before the death of
Joseph and Hiram Smith and have not
been changed. This nation or govern
meut has never been charged by the
Mormon people with the assassination
of Joseph or Hiram Smith. as it is well
known that it was the act of a local
mob disguised. Concerning the cry
about blood atonement, well. there is
this: The foundation of our religious
faith is our belief III the
ATONING BLOOD OF CHRIST,
through which the resurrection will be
brought about. We believe in the
Scripture doctrine, who so Sheddeth
mans blood. b. man shall his blood be
she'd but we also believe that all exc
cutions for murder should be under the
law of the land aud by its officers only.
Statements made by two or three apos-
late Mormon witnesses, to- the effect
that the endowment ceremonies in
volved the death penalty upon those
who leave the church and diSobey the
priesthood. are simply untrue. There
IS no accounting for the bitterness and
untruihfuIness of some men who have
been connected with an organization,
especially a religious one, and have
turned against it. The Catholic and
other churches have had much to con-
tend with in that line. The MormOnS on
the stand decline to disclose the
formula of the endOwments, because
secret religious ri eS and ceremonies
are the property of the individual citizen
and do not belong to the state. You
might as we'll ask WHY Mason, if he
were placed on the witness stand ShOnld
refuse to to reveal the rites and signs
of that order | myself am a Master
Mason and have been informed that
many MasunS as well as people not con-
nected Will tnat fraternity nave Deen
Indignant at the attempt that has been
made during the last few days to ext0rt
personal information from MOrmOns.
Members of other benevolent societies
can see that their rights and OrganiZa-
tions would he endangered should such
proceedings carry. While Mormons
HAVE REFUSED I'd DIVULGE
the rites to the courts, they have uni
formly sworn that there is nothing i'll
the endowment ceremonies inconsistent
with good citizenship. Several eX-
MormOns testified to the same effect.
The cause of the present agitation is
purely political. There are two local
partieS-the Peoples party is composed
largely of our pc, ,ple, although mum.
ber of non MOrmoms sympathize with
it. The selt-styled Liberal party is
composed almost entirely of anti-MOr-
mons. aad they are but small minority
in the territory. There will be
election next February. The
present proceeding have been instituted
by the anti-MormOns as a means to
enable them to carry that election.
Doubtless the agitatorS have also in
view the approaching session of con-
gress."