Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-12
THE "MoRMOSv SITUATION.

THE "MORMONv SITUATION.
THE Chicago Times Of Nov. 9th
contains long letter from Salt Lake
City in which the Mormon situa-
ton is carefully and fairly discussed.
1t embodies the substance of an in
terview with President Woodruff
and IS Of sufficient interest TO our
readers TO reproduce. Following is
the full text, with the exception Of
such quotations as need not be
copied as the discourses from which
they are taken have appeared entire
in the columns Of the DEsEREr
News. The Times letter is as fol-
lows:
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov.
5.-We have had a month of no
pOlygamy. That is to say. a month
has passed since the president Of the
"Alormon" church proclaimed
against the practice which had been
indu!ged for half a century, and
isince the masses of the church in
general conference assembled uuan-
imously Endorsed and approved the
decree, thereby making it binding
upon all members. Your cores
pendent was here before the inhibi-
ton and has been here all the time
since, and he can observe no real
difference between the conduct of
the people now and what il was
previous to the forbidding revela-
tion. proclamation, or whatever else
1t may be called.
As u matter of fact there has been
no polygamy here for two OF three
years past, or if there has been any
the partiel have been so careful and
so successful in their efforts to keep
the knowledge Of their guilt from
the public that nobody has been
able to discover the truth. 1 mean
by this not that there have been no
pOlygamists here and not that they
have discontinued association with
their plural wives, for this would be
untrue, as the records of the court
will demonstrate and the pleas of
guilty establish, but there have been
no pOlygamous marriages within
the period named so far as vigilant,
eager and active marshals and ac-
tive prosecutors have been able to
discover. And secrets of this kind
are more difficult to hide in this
community than elsewhere, for out
side Of two or three cities the people
| live in small towns and villages or
On farms and everybody knows
everybody and everybody's affairs.
There has been just one arrest for
polygamy in three years. In that
case the woman went upon the
stand and swore that she was
married in the endowment
mouse in this city but by whom
the ceremony was performed she
lid not know. The affair created a
sensation in both Gentle and Nor
non circles, for all had understood
hat the endowment house had been
closed for years and that no mar
riages or other ceremonies were per-
formed there. President Woodruff
and other Church officials who
would ordinarily. and as the public
thought necessarily, have known of
such an event emphatically denied
al knowledge Of the marriage and
| expressed greater establishment
than Others. 1t was evident that II
any such marriage had been cele-
brated the people who were gener-.
ally supposed TO be coguiZant Of
such events, and whose permission
was believed TO be essential to them,
were ignorant Of the facts and were
annoyed by the circumstance. They
did not propose that another illegal
union should be celebrated without
their knowledge, for they at once
caused the endowment house 10 be
demolished, and the old adobe
structure which has stood on the
corner Of the temple square
for n third Of century,
the object Of so much awe TO
the Saints and go much mystery
TO the sinners, was RACED without
ceremony or regret. AS remarked.
that was the only polygamous mar
rage which became public during
three years or longer, and it war
rants the statement that polygamy
vas practically discontinued long
ago. Hence the late decree was
simply an official and popular con-
fessiOn and approval Of what had
already bsen done so far as the &C.
.ual fact was concerned.
Today things are moving along as
| Of old. / can observe no change in
the conduct or sentiments of the
Jeople, except that in conversing
with individual Mormons they ex-
press a sense Of relief. For wears
they have lived under a strain, and
this applies to both polygamists and
Donogamists, the latter suffering
more or less with the former. All
now feel that the pressure has been
lifted, that the strain has been
broken, the Mormons as a cOmmun-
ity and as individuals standing
squarely before their fellows and be- |
fore the law, with nothing TO hide and |
without a secret incentive to band
together in resistance to the whole |
of mankind. This sense of relief Is !
manifest in the Individual members |
and has shown itself in the commu-
uity, and it is noted with pleasure
Oy the conservative resilient Gem
tiles who have, for commercial and |
Ither reasons, long been wishing for
the coming Of greater harmony,
when the people could live and feel |
ike communities elsewhere; when |
the Gentle would not feel that he |
sould prove his loyalty only by de- |
spising ami opposing the Mormons,
and the Mormon would not consider |
1t necessary to esteem all who were
not his brethrena s enemies to HIM |
and TO his church. The anti-polyg-
amy decree has furnished the nom
fanatic Gentiles with reasonable
excuse for softsning in their senti-
nents toward the Saints, and for
extending TO the latter n hand sug-
gestive Of social and political friend
ship, and the MOrmons are mani
testing disposition to meet these
advances halfway. 1t is predicted
that in n little while the Utah
community will not be SO radically
unlike all other Americas commun-
tiles as it has been, and that while
MOrmons will cling to their religion,
will be pious and prayerful, and
will live as they have lived, with
the exception OF their polygamous
practices, they will not be treated
as outcasts by other people.
A day or two ago / called upon
President Woodruff with the view
TO an interview on the subject which
Is uppermost in the minds Of all
here and is exciting so much COM
ment in the press of the country.
The old gentleman received me cor
daily. aud after presenting me to
the diguitaries by whom he was
surrounded in his coy office at the
Carlo House, the official residence
Of the President Of the Church, In
luired what he could do for. me.
President Woodruff is Que OF the
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