The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-23
NEITHER FOOLS NOR INSANE.


From first to last many ridiculous things
have been charged against the Mormons.
In an early day it was said the founder of
their faith, in order to impress his follow
ers with the divinity of his calling, would
pretend to exercise miraculous powers,
such as raising the dead, walking on water
in imitation of the MESSIAH, etc. To ac-
complish this latter feat he had a plank
laid upon trestles, but in such way that
1t was few inches below the surface and
on this he would walk while his astounded
disciples gazed in awe upon the miracle
The story has it that some mischievous
boys finding the trestle-work removed a
section of it and the next time the prophet
undertook the miracle of walking on water
his faith failed him as he reached the end
of the plank and he sank like any other
mortal would. This and hundred other
stories equally ridiculous gained credence
in the early history of Mormonism and
even now are occasionally made to do SER
vice for those who think it necessary to
speak or write against the Mormons
In Missouri they were charged with be-
ing Abolitionists and tampering with the
slaves of the old settlers, with view to in
cite servile war. After they reached the
desert valleys of Utah, they were then &C.
cused Of having deep sympathy with the
south in its rebellion for the. preservation
of slavery. 1t was but natural,
said their traducers, that there
should be bond of sympathy be-
tween the twin relics of barbarism- slav-
cry and polygamy; and hence it was
thought necessary to put them under the
surveillance of the troops from California.
who had enlisted for the war. When that
good and great man, ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
fell'by the hand Of an assassin, it is said
by their enemies that the Mormons were
iubilant. When President GARFIELD was
untimely stricken down by the hand of
desperate wretch and his life for weary
weeks hung in doubtful issue, while the
whole nation, bowed in sorrow, was pray
ing for his recovery, the vigorous tongue
SANDER said the Mormons were PRAYING
for his death. The blunder of the living
knaves who invented these SANDERS is an
parent, when it is remembered that the
first of these martyred Presidents was
friend to the Mormon people. He was
somewhat acquainted with the wrongs they
had suffered in his own state-Illinois. As
the war drew to a close and some over
Jealous partisans asked him how he pro-
posed to deal with polygamy among the
Mormons, his laconic answer was, Let it
alone" He illustrated his position on that
question by characteristic anecdote: In
his fathers field which he helped to cult
vate in his boyhood, was an old stick of a
tree. 1t was too heavy to haul away, too
gnarled and knotty to cut up, too soggy to
burn. ave used to plow around it,n said
the President. No one knew better than
ABRAHAM LINCOLN that the purpose
of the Republican party in class
ing Mormon polygamy with slavery,
was simply to throw the odium of support
ing polygamy on the squatter sovereignty
wing of the Democratic party. To rejoice
at the death of this man, whose kindness of
heart, good common sense, decent respect
for the rights of others and reverence for
the constitution, promised the Mormons an
immunity from oppression would be equiv
alent to charging them with rejoicing at
the death of friend.
GARFIELD was known to be equally
friendly, so far as he was personally con-
cerned, and in no part of the union was his
untimely decease more sincerely lamented
than in Utah.
But of all the insane charges made
against the Mormons, the effort in certain
quarters to make them responsible
for the present Indian excitement
is the most absurd A few weeks ago dis
patch to the New York World represented
General MILES as saying that he believed
the Mormons were at the bottom of the In
dian difficulties; and III the dispatch follow
ing UP General MILES official report of the
settlement of the Indian troubles at Pine
Ridge agency, another reference is made to
this most senseless Of all theories, VIZ: that
1.-The false teachings of the Mormons" had
something to do with the religious frenzy
that has appeared among the Indians of
Dakota.
In the first place, the Mormons have NO
communication with those tribes; in the
second, if they had. their teachings
would be altogether contrary to
the war like demonstrations which
the Sioux have been indulging in of
late They would teach them peace and
good viii towards all men; they would in.
struct them in some practical way in the
arts OF peace. We judge they would do so
from the fact that that is the course they
have pursued with the Indians in this ter.
ritory where they have not been hampered
by the ma rrow bigotry of self-important
Indian agents, or sectarian priests disposed
to elbow everybody away that was not in
strict accord with their creeds. 1t is gen.
orally admitted that the late BRIGHAM
YouNe's Indian policy was as wise as it
was generous. That policy may be stated
In two propositions. First. ut is better to