The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-05


issue Of the Illustrated american:
SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 9, 1891.
Editor Illustrated american:
My attention has been called to articles
in your magazine of December 81 and Jan
uary concerning the Mormon church. l
have neither the time Ior the inclination TO
notice the numerous misstatements and
vile aspersions that frequently appear in
the public prints in reference to the Nor
mons,'' They have been common for more
than half a century, and the later produc-
tons are chiefly echoes of the falsehoods
refuted years ago. There is nothing new
in the articles that have been published in
the Illustrated american except this {:
The writer claims to be a "Mor-
mon''-'the Oldest Mormon in the Rocky
Mountains;' to have been connected with
the Mormon church for nearly sixty years :;
to be resident of this city now; to relate
true Mormon history and to express the
present views and intentions of the Nor
mon people. Thus the old untruths and
the current misrepresentation in reference
to our people are presented under a new
guise, and that which might pass unnoticed
if published in the ordinary way or over
the signature of the compiler, is likely to
attract attention and obtain credence be-
cause it purports to be written by Nor
mon. This is why L devote some at
tention TO these articles.
That the person who has gathered from
various sources scraps of purported Nor
mon history, fragments of supposed Nor
mon doctrine and fragments of imaginary
Mormon sentiment, is not and
NEVER WAS MEMBER OF THE MORMON
CHURCH,
and that his whole pretension is false is
evident to everyone familiar with the sub
jects on which he attempts to treat.
In protesting to relate how Nauvoo was
settled, he speaks Of show Joseph Smith,
our leader, became possessed of a large
tract Of land in Hancock county, Illinois, I"
and says, "Tne angel who revealed it to
him babe him call the city Nauvoo, which
he said meant, The Beautiful y
When the place. on which Nauvoo was
built was first occupied by the ''Mormons, ),
it was called Commerce, and at that time
Joseph Smith, instead of becoming pos
sessed OF this Large tract OF land'' was
suffering illegal imprisonment in the state
Of Missouri. 1t was never claimed that an
angel revealed the place to him. 1t was
offered to the Saints who had fed from
their lnhuman prosecutors in Missouri by
the owner, and was purchased and paid for
in an ordinary business manner No
Mormon" would make the mistake that
is here conspicuous.
He states that he was in the Jail at Car
thage with Joseph Smith and his brother
Hyrum when they were assassinated That
hn min Inrr- \
watched to see if there were signs of life
In the man he loved. That he expected to
be shot the next moment, etc. 1t is a mat
ter Of undisputed history that when Joseph
and Hyrum Smith were murdered, only
two other persons were present in the
prison where the attack was made. They
were Willard Richards, who died March ii.
1854, and John Taylor, who died July %.
1887. Their accounts of the tragedy have
been published many times since 1874. and
the words used by this pretended Mormon
are the identical language of DIR. Willard
Richards.
THIS PLAGIARIsT BETRAYs HIMSELF
in an equally conspicuous manner in his &C
count of the exodus from NauVoo and the
enlistment of the Mormon Battalion at
Winter Quarters. 1t is stolen bodily from
the celebrated lecture Of General Thomas
L. Kane before the Historical Society of
Pennsylvania, which has been in pubiica-
ton for forty years.
He states that Colorel Steptoe was in
command Of troops sent to the Mormon
capital at the time of the famous so-called
Mormon war;" in which, by the by, not
one drop Of human blood was shed. M
Mormon or person acquainted with Utah
history could fall into such blunder
Colonel Steptoes visit occurred MANY
years before was Of a pacific and civic
character, and he gave due credit to Gov
ernor Brigham Young and the people here
for their fidelity to the government and
their peaceful and Industrious life. He
also recommended the reappointment of
Brigham Young as governor of Utah
This pretended Mormon; forgetful of
some facts he previously presented saws in
his second article that ''every member of
the territorial legislature is high digni
tsry of the church; all local and municipal
government is under the same control. and
thus it comes to pass, in America, q church
absolutely governs a territory"
THE TRUTH is
that no high dignitary of the church occu-
pies a seat in the legislative assembly: that
no polygamist can hold any Office OR vote at
any election in Utah; that eight members
OF the last assembly were "Gentiles - that
Salt Lake, Ogden and Park cities are en-
tirely controlled by non-"Mormcnn NUM-
cipal officers; that instead OF the church
governing the territory, the governor the
judges, the prosecuting attorney and other
territorial officers are appointed by the
United States government, as well as the
postmasters, and that even the registration
officers and judges of elections are appointed
by a commission appointed by the President
and Senate of the United States. No sMor-
mon' would so mistake the situation be-
cause this anti-Republican condition of
affairs is a constant source of ssMormon,
complaint And no well-informed anti
Mormon" would commit such a palpabIe
error, which the writer himself refutes in
the sixth chapter of his first contribution.
Minor inaccuracies fstill further prove
the compiler OF these articles to be a person
UNFAMILIAR WITH ACTUAL ''MoRMoNn LIFE
however diligent he may have been in chill
ing anti Mormon" literature He speaks
OF 1.-THE United Order of Orderville., ), as a
present organization, when it has not ex
listed for many years. He quotes notice
issued over forty years ago in this CITY nv
bishop long since deceased, as being now
posted in all the settlements He saws that
in each town, besides the ward bishons
there is presiding bishop, which is not
true. He entirely misrepresents the func-
tons of the ward teachers. and by many
erroneous references shows that his state
ment that he is "a Mormon of nearly sixtv
years. standing is transparent with will
full fraud and deception.
This OF itself should, in the ewes of all
reasoning readers, vitiate his entire contri
button to the literature Of the day But