Arizona republican., 1890-06-29

were followed into western Iowa with a demand obtained from the Government for 300 of our young men to leave their wives or aged parents, and under com mant of Colonel Cook, to make forced marches by way of Santa Fe, Tucson and Gila River to Los Angeles, Cal. This march was performed only through the greatest privatiOn and heroism known to American warfare. The fruits of that unparalleled Mormon patriotism is the homes we enjoy in Arizona, Cali fornia and UtahA Being mustered out of service at Los Angeles in the same fall, many hastened to upper California where, at San Francisco, they met the ship Brooklyn, from Boston, freighted with Mormon emigrants, who brought the first printing press to the Pacific Coast. Ephriam Green, of my personal acquaintance, while at work for Mar shall on the Sutter millrace, was the first to see and collect nuggets of gold, and call to them the attention of others. He was the real discoverer of California gold. For more than one thousand miles of trackless desert wilds and mountain gorges, surrounded by bar barous Indian tribes, we "built the bridges and killed the snakes," marking our toilsome and weary way with the graves of hundreds of our loved ones. Our pioneers arrived on the present site of Salt Lake City July "A, lS47, and had the satisfaction to know that we were the first and consequently the oldest settlers. With an eye to our country's still greater future we carefully noted the possibilities and facilities for a transcontinental railroad and
 as early as 1850 we called the attention of Congress, by memorial of our Legis- lative Assembly of the Territory the present overland route. seemed mad for California gold we re- mained at home exploring for life facili- ties in the then unexplored mountains; i; pioneering out to Americans the new method of agriculture by irrigation. For years from arduous and unequalled war fare with the mountain locust and cricket we were kept on the borders of starvation, while all this time we had hostile Indians to feed or fight, and sometimes both. We endured the test, brought success out of terrible adversity, | learned to make beautiful homes in bar ren wastes, and made the desert bloom and ripen in abundance the choicest fruits. At the same time in self sacrifice and for the love of their religion our heroic and tireless missionaries were in all parts of the world with the gospel to preach to the poor. Soon converts from every land came fiocking to Utah.
 Hitherto they had never owned a shelter or spot of land in which to be buried. Now they found preparations | for their sustenance in Utah and for future independence. The poor were assisted, the ignorant taught. Today | there are many thousands of freehOlders | in Utah who came from this class, and are the most wealthy and substantial citizens. The "soiled doves" of modern civilization for whom society has no further use or place, left to he kicked down the slimy way to perdition, even they have been taught to mOut their | feathers in reform and to replume them- selves in virtue, and now are happy wives and mothers. Not until carpet bag Federal officers were forced upon us to open the avenues of debauchery to the Mormon youth, which has been their avowed object, was there any pub lie enticement to immortality in all the cities of Utah. But now oh, how changed Our enemies not satisfied that we had so often been robbed, spoiled and eXiled in the past, now find the easy conveyance in less days than it took us weary Mormons in coming to Salt Lake, where they now find the Mormons a Survival of the tittest," enjoying de- lghtiul country and climate with rich and beautiful cities and palatial homes. All too good for the Mormons; just good enough for themselves. So what can be done? A few political vampires not wanted in the East, with empty grip sacks and no business; and preachers from the different sects sent to convert the corrupt Mormons, whose women they found able to teach them in Bible theology; with the missionary Federal officers; the transient and mining popu- lation, all join in a general conspiracy to rule or ruin the Mormons. Through the press, from pulpit and platform, they seek to intiame the prejudices of the masses by base misrepresentation and foul falsehoods concerning Mormon murders, endowment oaths, Danites, etc., etc., all of which are untrue, but through whose influence Congress has been cajoled and by special act has dis incorporated the Mormon church; has confiscated to the government some million or more of its property, and now has before it bill to disfranchise all Mormons, and thereby to give us, the pioneers and first settlers of the noun tain and coast region of the great South west, to the spoliation of our enemies once more; to give to more than eighty per cent of Utah's people, nearly all of whom are native born, the privilege of being wholly governed by and to pay taxes to, the less than twenty per cent of the people-all oi whom are our enemies.
 Plural marriage we accept from neces- sity and duty as cure for your civiliza- tion's great crime against women, stay to the great social evil. All else of which we are accused is false. Virtue with the Mor- mons is the life line, and inidel- ity to the marriage VOW is death to fel- lowship. With us there were no un- married women, and bachelor of thirty was a nuisance in society. Federal officers and transients complained bit terly that with no single women and no courtezans it was rather hard on them in Utah. You say plural marriage is crime against the law. But who made it so? You talk pompously of your Christianity being adverse and antag- onistic to plural marriage. Now if your modern Christianity did not come from and through the Hebrew or Christian bible whence is it? The Hebrew bible with it's Christ was every whit conceived in and born of plural marriage. It is the off spring and spawn of polygamy.