The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-09
M0RM0NISM In UTAH
ITS PAST md PRESENT POWER
GRAPHIC1LLY ILLUSTRATED.

GRAPHICALEY Illustrated.
a Decrease in the Influence of the Church,
but Its Potency Still Observation-Disclosures
Senatorial Elections Cited in Proof of
This Fact.
To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
Salt Lake City, Utah, March l, 1885,
The persecution which drove the Nor
mons out of Nauvoo, H., was not alto
Sether a misfortune to them nor to the
rest of the country. They took possess
sion of What is now the richest and
loYeliest valley west of the Missouri
river, They found the Sale Lake basin
a desert, but by irrigation they have
made it a garden. The soil was Won
derfully fertile and the Wahsatch
Mountains furnished an abundance of
water. Nothing was wanted but in
dustry and energy and the Mormons
lacked neither. They entered Utah
when it was part of the republic OF
Mexico The fortune of war soon made
it legally part of the United States,
but the Mormon church established
dominion in the territory that was
practically Independent of either repub-
lie. There was a time when, WithoW
permission of the church, no Gentle
could enter the territory, and no Nor
mon could leave it, except at the risk
of his life. Indeed, no more rigorous
despotism ever existed. Absolute ODE
dience was exacted by the church in
both spiritual and temporal matters
and disobedience if persisted in was
death, 1t regulated not only the ordi-
nary matters of state and church, but
descended even to the most minute
matters of household life. At one time
1T determined not only for men and
women whom and when they should
marry but dictated even what sort OF
clothes a Mormon should wear and
where he should buy them and how
much he should pay. Whoever has
been about the streets of Salt Lake
City, or indeed in any of the larger
towns of Utah has seen these four let
ters prominently displayed on some of
the largest buildings, c. M. l.,
'Zions Cooperative Mercantile Insti-
tute." This is one of the greatest in
stitutions in Utah. 1t is a corporation
owning stores in every part of the state,
dealing in goods of almost every de-
scription. 1t was founded by Brigham
Young. He, or one of his apostles had
revelation that Mormons We're to buy
their supplies at the stores of this cor
poration. Brigham Young and the
apostles were the stockholders, and the
re- q noGt1aC nd p1darS
to-day hold the stock and it is still the
richest commercial concern in Utah. A
Gentle merchant tells me that within
seven years-this was of course after
the Gentiles had begun to settle the
territory and the federal troops had put
an end to the reign of terror '-he had
seen Mormon policemen standing at the
door of the Walker Brothers-the most
prominent Gentle house in Salt Lake
City spotting" the Mormons who ven
tured to go in and buy goods of bet
ter quality and at lower price than
those sold at the ~. c. M. L.
A great change, of course, has taken
place in Utah, due not SO much to the
enforcement of the Edmonds' statute,
or the presence of the United States
regulars, as to the progress of civiliza-
ton. The early Mornons were coarse,
ignorant and fanatical. No such sad
superstition as Mormonism could have
made it's way among enlightened peo
ple. Even aside from polygamy, it's
creed contains the coarsest supersti-
lions. 1t is well known that the ranks
of the Mormons were largely recruited
from the poorest and most ignorant
classes Of the peasantry of Europe. But
the resources of that wonderful Salt
Lake valley have made them rich
and prosperous people, and indeed
many of them millionaires. Wealth
has brought with it the opportunity and
desire for culture. The young Mormon
is ashamed of polygamy and is over
anxious to tell you that it no longer
exists in the state. He will not permit
the presidency and the apostles to die
tate to him where he shall purchase
goods A Mormon syndicate can no
longer enrich itself at his expense by
having a revelation. Such horrible
deeds as Mountain Massacre and the
"Atonement of the shedding of blood
were the results of fanaticism, which
has long since passed away.
1t is very commonly said that Nor
monism is crushed in Utah, but this is
far from being a fact The legislature
now in session here shows what a pow
er Mormonism still is. There are 45
members in the house, of whom only y
are gentiles; there are Is members in
the senate, of whom only are gentiles.
The recent senatorial contest in this
legislature illustrates not only the pres
ent power of the church, but is also a
pretty good measure of the power it
has lost Before Utah was admitted
as a state, it was thoroughly under
stood that polygamy was no longer to
be practiced by the Mormon church.
The Mormons We're anxious to be admit
ted into the union, but their leaders un-
derstood very well that they could not
be unless spolygamy was abolished. One
of the apostles had a convenient reveal
ton that polygamy was to be discon-
tinued. This was announced in the
tabernacle and in 1894 the Mormon
church issued manifesto that it would
no longer interfere in political matters
and in 1896 Utah became a state. In
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