Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-04
THE ILLUSTRATED AMERICAN


matter With full determination 10 bring
the Mormon situation before the coun-
try and to persuade Congress, In pursu-
ance Of President HarrI-on'- message,
that prompt action was necessary"
propose 10 examine this and other
statements Of the Aforesaid paper.
The Presidents message is made the
prctcxt Tor the coure ~ this paper IN
relation TO the i.atter-dny Saints. The
Presidents message was given TO the
country H. December, 1880. The at
tack Of the above named paper began
la IL Issue 81 December 27tb, 1890.
That paper should obtain complete
anu reliable history 81 Mormonism,
procure photographs, make Illustrations
and get the matter upon the market In
20 short a time Is highly improbable,
n not impossible.
Lot Us look nj the editors "full dc.
termination 10 bring the Mormon stu.
alton before the country" II such n
determination were honest aud In the
Interest Of truth and Justice II would
be work Of months instead Of days 10
bring It out. Tho onc-sidcd, misleading
and false statements Of the paper shows
clearly enough that the editor was not
seeking topublish the truth. Hc says:
"rhc Leaders OF the Mormon Church
are focmcn worthy OF our steel" Why,
then, In preparing to lay the Mormon
situation before the country, dii he not
call upon them 10 state their ease, 10,
try their "steclv with him? Such a
course would certainly have been Of
great service 10 him lg getting a correct
statement Of the "Mofmon situation
before the country" Instead, the
editor has simply pilfercd from the an
tl-M0fmon huckster--hop the chesnuts
that have been ON the market for over
thirty years. The editor should have
written ''stoap' instead Of "steep In
his reference 10 the Mormon leaders.
The dnfnius Of this illustrated paper
IL not difficult OF discovery. II Il Itself
an illustration Of the odium Neoio1i.
cum. From the appearance Of the
Mormon faith II has been hated aud
fought aud persecutcd by the evan
gelical sccts. Never mob murdered
aud drove Mormons that was not In.
stlgstcd TO act by so-called Christian
ministers, " II was not even led by
them. Ifthis picture paper were 20
put the Mormon situation before the
country la IL true light It, publications
on the subject would DO the most ter.
rible condemnation OF the evangelical
secis that has ever appeared. The
editor Of the iHerfcdN appears 10
entertain n deep sympathy for our
wronged, robbed, driven and murdered
Indians. II ho were only 10 acqunint
himself with the truth Of the history Of
the Mormon people he would find that
they have been treated In the same
way the Indians have been, aud ia
part for the sane reason; that IA, bo-
cause they have always been obliged
b. bc on the outskirts OF whitc advance
across the country and by their mag.
nihcent Industry have everywhere
made themselves the pOsserrors OF
valuable properties that have excited
tho cupldity OF adventurous. The
so-cailcd Christian church has pushed
the borier-ruilian element against the
Mormon people by Its denunciatlon OF
them n "infldels" and ''beasts," Just
~ II has encouraged the same element
against tho Indians by It's cry Of ''sav.
ages" Some VI the worst slaughters Of
Indians have been conducted by al
legged Christians, as witness the sand
Greek massacre under Colonel Chlv-
ington. Yet since the days Of Penn no
people have been 10 successful Ia their
treatment OF our Indians m have been
these same mallgned aud pcrccuted
Morm0ns.
Hut, 10 returnto the main question,
the motive OF this editor may, l repeat,
bc found IN his sectarianism. His IA.
per IL an output OF the "Bibie House,
New York" Every preacher, pollti-
clan aud adyenturer who has DETAINED
the Mormons for half century has
been a Bible man. Yet the Mormona
stand upon the Bible "a rocl.
of their faith. IL IA not on record that
they ever lnterfcred with any sect on
earth. In the early years Of their pro.
pagandism they often debated with
cvangclist-, but n they always van.
| quished their opponents on strictly
scrlptural grounds, debate was alan
| dOned and the mob was substituted for
| ~
siOnary sent against tho MOfmous was
ever molested, and yet Mormon mis-.
sionnries have been murdered In al.
legged Christian communities by pro.
fc-sed followers of Christ. For years
the Mormons Invited passing ovange-
lists 10 preach In their tabernacle nj
Salt Lake city, aud there parson New.
man found Waterloo IN debate with
onon Pratt on Bible polygamy. Since
then parsons have not been eager to
preach for the Mormons. IL the Bible
u the inialllble word aud viii Of God,
the Mormons are right and this evan.
gellsts know IL. Hence their opposi.
ton. This action OF this "Bible House,
paper Ia therefore probably only an
outbreak Of evangelical fury thrown
oilat the meeting OF Congress In
which II had been perhaps planned to
make u struggle 10 procure such legis-
lation as would crush the Mormons aud
put Utah into the hands Of their
| enemies.
What are the merits OF the anti. Nor.
moa nghg II has none. IL Is such
a persecution ms led TO the massacre OF
the MoOrs and Jews Ia Spain, the Hu.
guenots In France. What IL the
"crime" OF the Mormons9 Their In.
depreciation VI the Bible. They are
guilty Of believing TINT God Is not a
theological vacuum but a real, living
material person. Their opponents as.
sert that God has neither "body, paria
or PASSIONS" that is, that he Is al the
same time an Almighty God and a
non-entity. The Mormons exposed the
ahsurdity Of such a conception and
raised the standard OF q real God, aud