St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-01
Their Church Is and Always
Has Been a Reasonable
Organization.
MormonS Animated by a Feel
ing Of Hostility Toward
the Government,
Hence They Are Not Fit Per-
sons to Become Citizens
Of This Republic.

house oathS in the Mormon church. The
application has created widespread at
tention. and for the past two weeks
Judge Anderson has been taking teSti-
mony. In his decision to-day, he states
the ground of his opposition to the adj
mission TO citizenship of such applicants
to be that the Mormon church is, and
always has been reasonable OrganiZa-
ton, and in its teachings and its prac-
tees hostile to the government of the
United States; disobedient to its laws
and seeking its overthrow: and that the
oath administered to its members in the
endowment house binds them under
penalty OF death to implicit obedience
i'm all things temporal, as well as spirit
ual, to the priesthood, and to avenge the
DEATH OF THE PROPHETS,
Joseph and Hiram Smith upon the gov
eminent and people of the United
States. The directors to the right of
these applicants to be admitted to cit
izenship intro luced eleven witnesses
who had been members of the Mormon
church. Several of these witnesses had
held the position of bishop in the
ch urch and all had gone through the
endowment house and participated in
its ceremonies. The testimony of these
witnesses was to the effect that every
member of the church is expected to go
through the endowment house and that
nearly all do so; that marriages are US
ually solemniZed there and that those
who are married elsewhere go through
the endowment house ceremonies at as
early date thereafter as practicable,
in order that their martial relation shall
continue throughout eternity. 1t was
further shown that these ceremonies
occupy the greater part of the day
and include the taking of an oath.
obligation and covenant by each, that
he or she, as the case may be, will
avenge the blood of the prophets.
Joseph and Hiram Smith, upon the gov
eminent of the United States, and will
enjOln this obligation upon his or her
children into the third and fourth gen.
eratiOns; that he or she will obey the
priesthood in all things, and will never
reveal the secrets of the endowment
house under penalty of having their
THROATS CUT FROM EAR TO EAR,
their bowels torn out, and their hearts
cut out of their bodies. The right arm
is anointed that it may be strong to
avenge the blood of the prophets. An
undergarment, called the endowment
robe, is then put on and is to be worn
ever after. On this robe, over the heart,
are certain marks or designs intended
to remind the wearer of the penalties
that will be inflicted in case of viola
ton of their oath. On behalf of the APP
plicants, fourteen witnesses teSti-
fed concerning the endowment cere-
monies, but all of them declined to state
what the OathS are there taken, or what
obligations or covenants are there en-
tered into, or what penalties are at
tached to their violation, and these wit
nesses, when ask for their reasons for
declining to answer, stated that they
did so ION a point of honor" while
some stated that they had forgotten
what was said about aVenging the blood
of the prophets.
ONE OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES
of th e church testified that all that is
said in the endowment ceremonies
about avenging the blood of the prophets
is said in lecture in which the ninth
and tenth verses of the sixth chapter of
Revelations arc recited. Other wit
nesseS for applicants testified that
this is the only place in the
ceremonies where avenging the
blood of the prophets is mentioned. One
of the objects of this investigation is to
ascertain whether the oaths of the en-
dowment house are Incompatible with
good citizenship, and it is not for appli-
cant's witnesses to determine this ques-
ton. The refusal of applicants wit
neSSes to state specifically what oaths
are entered into renders the testimony
of little value and tends to confirm the
evidence on this point offered by the
DIRECTORS. The evidence establishes be- |
yond any reasonable doubt that the en-
dOwment ceremonies are inconsistent |
with the oath of citizenship. The ap- |
plicatiOn of John Moore and Walter j. |
Edgar, both of whom were shown ON |
the former examination to be members |
of the Mormon church, and to have |
gone
THROUGH THE ENDOWMENT HOUSE,
are therefore denied. As to the admis- |
sion of the other applicants upon the |
ground solely of their being members of |
the Mormon church, a large mass of |
evidence, mostly documentary, has been |
introduced. The evidence consists |
mostly of the sermons and writings of |
the Mormon rulers and leaders. pub
lished under direction of the church,
and continues:
81 think there can be no question but that
the church claims and exercises the right to
control its members In temporal as well as
spiritual affairs"
The evidence also shows that the
blood atOnement is one of the doctrines
of the church. under which. for certain
offences, the offender shall suffer death.
On this point Judge Anderson quotes
Brigham YOurg at considerable lengths
and refers especially to his denunciation
of the government when, in 1857, it sent
United States troops to Salt Lake City.
The judge, summing up, says whether
the language of Brigham Young, Heber
Kimball, Orson Hyde and others in
Stigated
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE,
or whether that horrible butchery was
done by direct command of Brigham
Young, will probably never be known.
Judge Anderson then quotes the orders
entered in 1859 by Judge COOlbaugh, re-
citing the difficulties thrown in the way
of his court by the Mormon people, and
continues:
''The counsel for applicants, however.
contend that the feelings of the people OF
the Mormon church towards the government
have undergone change, and that in later
years the former feeling of hostility has
disappeared or become greatly modified.
The evidence, however, does not sustain this
claim.''
The evidence shows that the church
has in the most determined manner,
and with all the means at its command.
opposed the enforcement of the laws of
the United States against pOlygamy and
unlawful cohabitatiOn. During the ten
days this investigation lasted not
word of evidence was introduced show
ing that any preacher of that
church ever, in a single instance,
advised obedience of the laws
against polygamy; on the contrary,
the evidence was that it was persist
emily refused obedience to at least a
portion of the laws of the government;
has insulted and driven United States
officers from the territory; has denied
the authority of the United States to
pass laws prohibiting polygamy as an
unwarranted interference with their re-
ligion. Undoubtedly there are many
members of this church who feel friendly