The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-25
CREED OF THE MoRMONs.
President Woodruff Makes a Few
Deniels.

CHICAGO. ILL, Nov. 2S.-In response to
a telegram from the Associated Press, ask
ing for his statement concerning the investi-
CATION now in progress in Salt Lake City,
Willard Woodruff, president Of the Mormon
church, sends the following:
SALT LAKE Nov. %. 1889.
Ihls Is the periodical anti-Aiormon sensation
which we are accustomed to expect in Novem-
ber 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
puoHc mind is prepared for II. In addition to
this, might explain that we are on the eve of
an important municipal election here, in which
the ntl-hormon party, by preventing the nat
uralizatlon of Mormons, and in other improper
ways, hopes to be successful. can truthfully
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 com
mandments to the church require that the con-
stitution and laws OF the land shall be upheld.
TO THE RESCUE OF THE REPUBLIC.
1t is also part of our belief that the time will
come when this country will be distracted by
departures from the spirit and letter of the
constitution, and when general lawlessness will
prevail, and that when that condition shall ar.
rive the Mormon people will step forward and
take an active part in rescuing the nation from
rum. As people the MormOns have the high
esJ NeneraJlon Tor the 1nStltutlOnS or the repub
Hc. There are among our community quite a
number of descendants from revolutionary
fathers who fought and bled to establish our
popular government.
NO DEsPoTIC POWERS
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, |
would say, am the present head Of the church
and do not make any such claim, 1t would be
lmDO9glblp To axarptSa H. if I did The
people would not tolerate any such absolutism.
SECRECY OF THE BALLOT.
The charge of undue interference is absurd
Elections are conducted under a strictly secret
ballot system, so that no man knows how his
neighbor votes. All the mana cement of cleo
tions down. to the smallest details, is in the
hands OF officers of the United States govern
ment and their appontees. True the Mormons
are to aconsiderable degree united in their po-
htlcal affairs. This is largely due to their being
constantly and vindictively assailed by small
minority in Utah who have sought TO wrest con.
troll of public affairs from the hands of the ma
Jor1ty. They have thus been driven together by
common interest, and compelled to distinguish
their friends from their enemies.
THE PRAYER FOR VENGEANCE.
A good deal is being made Of the form of
prayer, based on two verses in the seventh
chapter of the Revelations of St. John, as con-
talned in the New Testament.
1t relates to praying that God might avenge
the blood of the prophets. An attempt has since
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 gov
ernment has never been charged by the Mormon
people with the assassination of Joseph and
Hiram Smith, as it is well known the murder
was the act of local mob disguised.
BLOOD AToNEMENT.
Concerning the cry about blood atonar1apt
well, there is this: The foundation of our re-
| ligious faith is belief in the atoning blood of
Christ, through which the resurrection will be
brought about. We believe in the scripture
doctrine, 'Whoso sheddeth mans blood by man
shall his blood be she'd" but we also believe
that all executions for murder should be under
the law Of the land and by its officers only.
DEsERTIoN DON'T MEAN DEATH
Statements made by two or three apostate
Mormon witnesses to the effect that the endow-
ment ceremonies involved the death penalty
upon those who leave the church and disobey
the priesthood are simply untrue. There is no
accounting for the bitterness and untruthfulness
of some men who have been connected with an
organization, especially religious, and have
turned against it. The Catholic and other
churches have had much to contend with in
that line. Mormons on the stand decline to
disclose the formula of endowment because
secret or religious rites and cerem onies are the
property of the individual citizen, and do not
belong to the state.
SECRECY OF MASoNS.
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. l
am myself q Master Mason, and have been in
formed that many Masons, as well as people
not connected with the fraternity, have been
indignant at the attempt that has been made
during the past few days to extort personal in
formation from Mormon. Members of other
benevolent societies can see that their rights
and organizations would be endangered should
no fhg
have refused to divulge these things to courts
they have uniformly sworn that there is
nothing in the endowment ceremonies incon-
sistent with citizenship. Several prominent
eX-MormonS nave testified to the same effect.
PURELY POLITICAL"
The cause of the present agitation is purely
political. There are two local parties. The
Peoples party is composed largely of our
people, although number OF non-Mormons
sympathize with it. The self-styled Liberal
party is composed almost entirely of anti
Mormons, and they are but small minority in
the territory. There will be a municipal cleo
tion next February. The present proceedings
have been instituted by the anti-Mormons as
means to enable them to carry that election.
Doubtless the agitators have also in view the
approaching session of congress.
PROGRESS OF THE INVESTIGATION.
The investigation IN regard to the endow-
ment house and the teachings of the Nor
mon church was resumed in the district
court to-day. James e. Talmage,
principal of the Mormon college
in this city, testified that the
pupils Of his school were taught that the
revelation in regard to plural marriage was
from God, and that the constitution, when
properly administered, did not interfere
with any revelation of God. The witness
said he believed polygamy was right aud the
law against 1T was unconstitutional,
notwithstanding the decision of the
supreme court Of the United States. All the
pupils were taught to obey the revelation
of celestial marriage. The witness thought
about one in thirty of his friends were
polygamists. He believed the president
of the church was diyinely called, and he