Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-11-02
THE DEATH or pOLyG,HY ~
UTAH.

chief Justice Zane. We reproduce II
almost entire:
"Yeats after Joseph Smith founded
the Mormon Church, he declared that
the A mighty had revealed 10 him that
polyRamy was right, and he adopted II
as y doctrine. He aud some Of his
followers commenced the practice. But
In obedienco TO public opinion, oa"i
upon the moral sense Of tho American
peonle. and accordi,y IN their own
. ..i, .a.,n, onr
'ess'" anu oOnsc'euc"' : p''''
naiionsl lAw.maters In 1879 ehAo'e'A
law defining plural marriage a.
crime, aud liking the punishment In
1859 they made anothsr iaW' more
s'ringentand comprehensive, uenn'ns
and furnishing unlawIul oohao,'a''oh
also as cfimg. Ana VA 1881 SUI hn'
other law was passed designed to be
vet NOR, stripyent and efrsctual. The
'.,,.,.,. :, 49,. ,-...t,,,. q, If,,h h.,,a,
" Wv q,
the enforcement OF tue 'No WIS "i'.
mentioned In September, 1854, and OF
the last law as soon NJ II took effect
,t,I.,..,, h,,d,..,, man
go "'O'0 '.." 49, -.
had been sent 70 prison iot 'he' Nionr
ton, Wilfori Woodruff, the President
Of tho Normon Church. made and
.,tI,.ha 40 ow,tai d..l,,atlon
$3.50. a.
terinei the 'maniiesto' IN "h'on
found the following language:
f4.,.., t,..,,,,l cx,,ac,. finn, tho
nl.si,,s,ia,, 100. h, p,.sId.ni WooI.
80, ~. ,,..,i,,,,o,,'af aJnntion nv m,
n ~, r'a,assns. oc,obs, a isaD
s,,,1 80 ~. ,,si,' ~, p,asiJents WIi.
80 .vl,.,,,,a - &c.,, N Cannon
~, 81 i,,''.,..t,',, a, ~, ,,ts..stn
] have made these quotations 10 snow
that the President OF the Church adj
,t.,,,t a.. ,,,..,,,h,,,. % aha, th., i,u mn.
-, ,--,-,
hlohins poiysa'hy anu uhi""'u' W.
habltati0n; that tho advicc was given
after prayer before the Lord, a. he anu
his first Counselor said, AMI 'that they
also said the manifesto was written anu
the advice given when the spirit OF
the Lord was upon Its author; that the
Church declared he was the only person
having the authority TO give the
advice, and that II was binding
upon all Its members; that after
prayer II was approved by the
iitst counselor aud other high Oiiicem
before II was submitted TO the con-
ference; aud that he declared lie knew
II was right. All this must be takou
as equivalent 10 the declaration that
the nianiiesto was the expression OF the
Almighty by means 81 the spirit, and
that II should be regarded by MormOus
as tho viii OF God 80 manifested 20
Woodruff, and declared by him ~ all
the members OF the Church Of Jesus
Christ OF Laiter-day Saints. In effect.
the manifesto Il declared 10 be fuvela'
ton by means OF Supernatural pOsor.
II aud the expressions OF tue president
and his flrat counselor, and theresolu'
ton and the circumstances attending
them, are more significant and solemn
10 tho mind Of the Mormon than TO
some OF US who have but little or no
faith In the interpretation OF Infinite
Wisdom aud Power In supernatural
ways, OF TO great many others who
do believe In supernatural manlicata'
lions OF Power aud Wisdom, but DO
not believe that the Lord communi.
Gates his viii especially to the M0f-
mon.
The Latter-day Saints, like the menu
befs Of other churches, are usually
sincere. During n period OF nearly ak
years before the action OF the Church
above shown, II became my duty 10
sentence several hundred Mormons
who had been convicted from time 10
time Of polygamy or unlawful cohablt.
alton. In the beginning II appeared
| probable that n large number of men,
law.Ablding aside from their polyga.
nous practices, would be Imprisoned
under the law. Believing that the
object Of the law was the protection Of
society from the evil effect OF the crimes
defined In u, 1 determined 10 take into
consideration, before sentence, any
promise that | might believe made In
/ good faith by the defendant 10 obey the
| law. | came 10 this drterml nation In
the hope that tn. example OF the man
In making the promise beforethe public,
aud his subsequent obedience, would be
| as oiiecluAl for the purpose aimed at by
the law as severe punishment. To that
end. 1 always asked the person 10 lie
sentenced 10 make the promise. Dur.
| ing the two or three first years, I sus.
pendrd sentence ON such as made the
promise, and liberated them. But, II
liz. promise was not made, tho de-
fendant In unlawful cohabitation cases
was sentenced TO confinement Ia the
penitentlary for ak months, and to pay
n hne OF three hundred dollars-tht
maximum punishment In that class Of
cases. Greater punishment was i'm.
posed In polygamy cases. a few nj