Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-22
LATTER DAY SAINTS CONFERENCE.
Something of Their History and what
They ncIicvc.

friend and foe as one of the most revolving
events In American annals. Men are perse-
cuted for their religion, arrested under
trumped-up charges, incarcerated In jail,
guaranteed protection and then cruelty MUIR
dered by a h~eartless mob OF protested re-
l|igionists associated with cutthroats and vii
lains. Such Is the history Of what is known
as the Mormon church. Immediately follow
ing the cold-blooded murder OF Joseph Smith
and his brother, Hyrum, the mob rushed into
Nauvoo, a city then numbering $1,000, largely
composed Of Latter Day Saints, and at the
point Of the bayonet compelled them to leave
their homes, their property, their all. strong
men, helpless women and innocent children
were alike caused to suffer, and although
the bleak northwest winds were beating
down upon them and she snow covered the
ground, yet these mothers, some barefooted,
with children s~cantily clothed. in the dead Of
winter, were compelled to start on a trip
that would stagger the heart of every man,
but they pressed on and in the spring Of 1876
reached what is now known as Council
Bluffs.
Hero they planted their stakes and raised
their canvas homes, intent ON remaining at
least for a time. The site on which Council
Bluffs now stands was then a swamp, covered
with prairie grass, but the saints we're noted
for their frugality and diligence and scarce
had many moons passed away until a mar
velous transformation took place and there
seemed to be some hope for the rapid growth
Of the church, but as Jesus had his Judas, so
there crept into this organization a shrewd
and avaricious man, with a number OF equally
corrupt associates, whose main object was to
labor for selfish aims and to satiate the
oarnal desires which moved their being.
Scarcely had these people landed in what
Is now known as Council Bluffs than these
leaders sought in an insidious and subtle
way to weave into the original tenets of the
church founded by Joseph Smith the doc
trlne of polygamy, blood atonement, Adam
God worship and other principles as foreign
IN tha onGprl 6 GhTtCf and Tho Uin In fpnt
Of the founders Of the chui oh as heaven is
from hades.
Realizing that it would be impossible to
secure the confidence of the people should
they claim to be the originators Of the new
departure In the faith, they therefore as
| serted that Joseph Smith was the originator
of the doctrine and to establish the same
found willing tools to swear that Joseph
Smith taught and practiced this doctrine
OF polygamy.
But in the fifty years that have passed
away time has wrought many changes. They
who have been foremost in championing poly
gamy have been forced by the iron hand
OF the law to abandon the same and now
that the clouds have rolled away there are
but few but believe that Brigham Young
was the father of polygamy in America and
not Joseph Smith. To give this strength we
have only to state that Joseph Smiths only
known wife testified up to her dying day
that her husband had no other wife but her,
notwithstanding that Brigham Young and
others did all that they could to intimidate
her, even going so far as to threaten her
life IL she did not retract.
All the sons of Joseph Smith have remained
aloof from Brigham Young and his people
and shortly after their fathers death they
commenced a reorganization Of the forces of
the church, which had been scattered at the
time of their leaders martyrdom and had
been blinded by the erroneous claims of
leadership set forth by Brigham Young and
others. But the odds were against them, for
they not only had to grapple with an in
sidious fee which had crept into the church
were frowned upon wherever they went and
the anathemas of the pulpit and press were
showered upon them. They were classed as
one with the people of Utah and scarce an
opportunity was afforded for correcting this
in the minds of the people.
But they have persistently urged their
claims until within the past few years they
have been as much before the public as any
other organization. So successful have they
been that in Toronto, Canada, her royal
highness' chief justice decided in favor of
this reorganization" as against their perse-
cutors. In the supreme court of Missouri,
Judge Phillips, when examining the claims OF
the respective churches to see who were the
legal successors Of the church founded by
John Smith in 1880, decided in favor OF
the reorganization, and after spending several
weeks in wading through the testimony
stated that there was not a shadow of proof
that Joseph Smith taught polygamy, but that
Brigham Young was its author.
This church, under the leadership OF the
oldest son Of Joseph Smith, has grown from
a membership of not over 100 in 1852 tC
nearly 40, 600, scattered over almost every
state and territory in the union. During the
past week this church has been holding a
general reunion in Council Bluffs, and not
withstanding the attractions of the Nebraska
state fair and the alluraments Of the races
now in session at the Council Bluffs Driving
park, the meetings have been a success and
thousands have been in attendance. Upwards
Of a thousand people are camped on the
grounds and one of the police officers who
has served since 1862 states that it is the
most peaceable camp he ever attended.
The camp Is located some three or four
miles from Council Bluffs at Grand Plaza
Lake Manawa, The people are plain, country
folk with a respectable sprinkling of city
inhabitants. All seem imbued, however, with
the same spirit and manifest by act and WORD
that their religion is foremost in their minds
and hearts. Many of the leading men of the
church are in attendance.
Joseph Smith, the president of the church
has not yet arrived, but is daily expected
He is a man over 60 years of age and he has
that bearing which at once. impresses one
that he is a born leader, and the way II
which he prssides at the deliberations o.
the saints confirms beyond a question his
ability in this direction. In his younger
days he practiced law and became very pro
icient, and his ability In this line has served
MS pun pOSt uuilll duly III uls NhuICh WOIh, ds
1t has given him a knowledge of men an6
their government which he hardly coult
have secured in any other way.
His brother, Alexander Smith, was present
but was called home on account of his wife;
illness. These two brothers have been the
most formidable and relentless foes tina
polygamy and the Utah church have evel
had, for they realized the odium that wa,
cast upon their lives in placing the charg,
OF polygamy against their father, and they
have not left a stone unturned in their en-
deavor to vindicate him and at the sam,
time establish the family's honor, that theil
children should not suffer as they had don,
with the sting of SANDER given by the tongu,
Of prejudice and religious intolerance. The,
can now lift their heads and with pride re
view the experiences OF the past decade
which has to a large extent lifted the odiun
which has been associated with the memor!
Of their father.
A number of other leading men of tn,
church are present, viz: Bishop E.. S. Kelley
Joseph Luff, J. r. Lambert, ]. w. Wight
R., Etzenhouser, T.. w. Williams, w. T
Bozorth and others.
Promptly at 6 o'clock each morning a bel
rings and almost simultaneously the camper
are all astir. Breakfast over, they repal
to the large pavilion and at S;15 a Sunda,
school session is held; at $3.50 a prayer ses
sion, lasting until 1920; at 10:45 preaching
also preaching at 2:30 and s p. m. But il
all these meetings there is something in
teresting. fascinating, Although these peopl
have been looked upon as a class OF fanatics
ana IW aA 80 IAA1 a