The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-11

sion at which he arrives. These three
editors will fairly illustrate the various
Impressions which the action of the
church has had upon the journalistic
minds of the country.
me founders OF Mormonism had their in
spiration from the ancient scripture. They
built upon the model of the chosen people.
Ihelr prophets communed directly face to face
with the great creator, invisible to all mankind
save mas chosen instrument OF command. When
they iangulshed at Nauyoo they we're in the land
OF Goshen. and when they were led across
mighty rivers and mountain chains they were as
Ihelsraelite under the son of AMRAM flying from
lhe mousse OF bondage to the land of Canaan.
Deseret was far remote from civil
lZation forty years ago. Even later
Inc army that was sent out under
the Buchanan administration to remind
BRIGHAM YOUNG that he was within the terri
tory ana owed allegiance to the laws of the
United States found harder than the Jordan
road. Having no Jerichos to subdue, no Ca
NANTES to overcome, no Gibeonites to reduce
TO the condition of hewers of wood and drawers
OF water, the Mormons had even harder tas ks.
A desert was to be made to blossom as the
rose, and the gospel OF honest toll having been
zealously preached, the sage-brush gave way to
q smiling valley. They built their tabernacle,
the J set up the ark OF the covenant they
sought In simple peace to rear their own vine
and fig tree. But their ambitious leader
dreamed OF empire, audit was part of his policy
to establish polygamy, mainly that that his
followers might increase and multiply and re-
plenish the earth. To people reading daily
The ancient scripture and accustomed to liken
themselves to the seed of ISAAC, and of JACOB
N ,cl, 10
lations which gave the son of DAVID and BATH
sHEBA unnumbered concubines and peopled the
tents Of patriarchs living with numerous wives.
The Latter-day Saints went into the holy of
holes and heard the Lord declare for plural
marriage, and polygamy became an institution
OF Utah.
In the course of time the Gentle invaded
Deseret and the Latter-day Saint, accustomed
10 complete control of the territory he had
peoped and the capital he had built upon the
slopes of the Great Salt Lake basin, found him
sell comprised about by his enemies, back of
wnom was the great civilization of 65, 00O, 900
that no longer tolerates the practice which OBJ
tanned among the chosen people, though it ac-
cepts the Bible which chronicles that practice
as approved from on high The strong arm of
the secular law is raised against the polyga-
mist, who, finding he must plead, offers the
divine command as his sufficient warrant 1t
is curious manifestation of the worlds mere
oulty that 1t never does believe in latter-day
saint or latter-day revelation, though it ac-
cepts tradition as to remote existence of both
The Mormon's plea is disregarded. The honey
moon of the plural marriage shall be cut short
by the bridegroom's occupancy of prison cell.
a plural marriage-the penitentiary, disfran-
chisement. confiscation. 1t is not in human
nature TO endure the added pluralties For
more than decade polygamous practice has
been dwindling in Utah. Not proof against the
new environment it was fading out. At this
Juncture the prophets and high priests of the
olspensation unsandal and go into the Lord
who gives timely decree that plural marriage
shall no longer be exacted Of the faithful.
And so an end Of polygamy as an Institution