Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-12
Spirited Defense of the Church From
Delegate John 7. Caine.
BRIGHAM YOUNG HATED POLYGAMY
But He Attached Himself to Several wives
for Duty's Sake.
THE PROSPERITY OF THE MORNONs
icoRRzsPoNDHNcR OF THE prsrATcH.I

to President Woodruff's pronunciamento
against plural marriages, and tells me that
polygamy is dead in the Territory. He says
there have been no plural marriages to
speak OF for years, and that the Gentiles
have always had an idea that there were
more polygamists than there really were.
Said he:
''There are now 160, 900 Mormons in Utah,
and there have never been more than $500
or 5000 men who have had more than one
wife. This is less than 2 per cent OF
the male population Of Utah. The
majority of the polygamists had only one
extra wife, and it was only in exceptional
cases that they married more than three.
The young men among the Mormons have
not gone into polygamy. They are the lead
ing power in the Territory to-day, and they
are, to large extent, running the church.
REFORMED BY THE YOUNG.
'The Mormon Church, at their State con-
vention in 1887, when they adopted a con-
stitution ard asked for admission into the
union, passed resolution prohibiting polyg-
amy. and the doctrine has not been taught
in the church since then. It was the young
men who brought about this change. The
leaders of the church and the older men ac-
cepted the situation, and from now on every
Mormon will have but one vile"
docs the church still believe in polyg-
amy?" asked.
1.-The people may believe In it, but they
believe in obeying the laws of their country,
and as these laws are against it they will not
practice it. Many of the Mormons went
into polygamy against their own wishes.
| Brigham Young once told me that the great
est trial OF his lie was the adoption of this
| principle, and that it was only because he
thought it was his duty that he took more
than one wife. He said this to me at the
theater one night, and have no doubt of
his sincerity. He considered il cross, but
he believed that polygamy came from God,
and he accepted it. He was not q sensual
man. His life was full of activity, and it
was so made up of outside matters that he
had no time to give to sensuality."
YOUNG LIKENED TO MOSES
"Wbat kind of man was Brigham
Young ?" 1 asked.
HE was great man," replied Delegate
Caine. "The work of Moses leading the
children OF Israel through the wilderness
was nothing to his taking that band of Nor
mons over the untrodden wilderness Of the
great American desert, and OF settling them
ia the heart OF il. Moses travelled but a few
hundred miles, Brigham's band traversed
thousands. 1t took Brigham Young less
than a year to find his land of Canaan,
while Moses wandered around for fully 40.
Brigham Young will have a great place in
history, and the dav will come when all
Americans will be proud of him."
"Give mea description Of his character"
said I.
brigham Young" replied Delegate
Haine tsxuoe O IL oroot Ha
had an evenly balanced mind and wonder
full executive ability. He was able to decide
upon anything that came up the moment it
was presented to him. and he always
grasped things in their details as we'll as a
whole. He had a wonderful amount of
practical knowledge, and he built the tenn
pie in Salt Lake City that cost a million
dollars and more.
BRIGHAM's GREAT WEALTH.
"He was very industrious man, and he
went to bed early. rose at daybreak, ate
plainly and dressed simply. His soul was
wrapped up in the Mormon Church, and he
cared more for its interests than he did for
his own. Still, he died rich, and each of his
children got 10000. although he had 30
children. His wives were all provided for
out of his fortune and the estate was so lett
that it was in the hands of trustees, SO that
all were fairly treated.
"He made the most of his fortune out of
the Union Pacific Railroad. He built 100
miles OF this road, and one of his sons was
one of the masters of construction for the
Union Pacific. 1 don't think that Brigham
cared anything for money as money. He
valued it only as it enabled him to carry
out his plans. He was very valuable ad-
wiser to the church, and it was largely due
to him that our people are in so prosperous
a condition as they are to-day"
"Does-the Mormon Church own much
property" asked.
PROPERTY OF THE CHURCH.
'No," replied Delegate Caine, ''it does
not The United States Congress passed an
act taking our property from us, or rather
stealing it. It was nothing more than a
steal, and there are other churches in Utah
to-day who own more property than the
Mormons. When Speaker Reed was in
Utah, a year or SO ago. he said to me in
that drawing tone of his: The Gentiles
complain that you Mormons won't sell any
of your property 1 showed him that
large proportion of Salt Lake City was
owned by the Gentiles the Hebrews and
others, and asked him how this could be if
the Mormons would not sell.'
do your people hold their titles in fee
simple, or does the greater part OF the prop
erty in the Territory belong directly or in
directly to the church,"
''In fee simple, OF course" replied Mr.
Caine. "The church has nothing to saw us
to what shall do with my house, or my
iarm any more that the PRESBYTERIAN or
Methodist Church has to say as to the prop
ertv of its members. I suppose there is no
part of the United States where so many
people own their own homes as in Utah.
GREAT INDIVIDUAL PROSPERITY.
"Nine-tenths of the Mormons own their
own homesteads and the census of mort
cages will show smaller number among
them than among any other class of people
in the United States. When Brigham
Young began to build up the Territory he
urged the newcomers not to rent houses, and
advised them to buy or enter piece of land
and put up house on it.
1T you can't put up house. said he,
put up shanty. IF you can't put up a
shanty, build dugout, and in the mean
time live in a tent. The people followed
his advice, and the result is they are we'll
to-do. As to selling their property, the
Mormons are good business men. at least as
good as the average member of other
churches. They know the value OF their
property. They do not need to sell, and
they only do SO when they get their
price,
docs not the church eat un a great part
Of the substance of the peope?" asked.
Not more so than other churches" was
the reply. "We believe in giving one
tenth of our income to the church, and we
believe in supporting our church ourselves.
You never get a collection plate showed
under your nose when YOU 20 to listen to a