El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-28
FUTURE OF MORMONiSM.
The Effect of Statehood OH the Church
Causes For Anxiety.

The Effect of Statehood on the Church
Causes For Anxiety.
From the Literary Digest.
The eff CT that statehood for Utah
would have upon the Mormon church
was q subject of much anxious con-
siderxtion beforehand among the
church peop OF other states; and
there areS many signs that the solicit
tude of the enemies of Mormonism is
increasing rather than diminishing as
the actual results of statehood are ex-
amined. A symposium on the subject
of 'sThe Mormon QusstiOn"-emb rac-
ing the political power OF the church,
the me hods of Mormon missionaries.
ard alleged resumption of :poly gamous
relations-appears in the Indepen-
dent.
OF the nine persons participating,
there Ia but one representative OF the
Church of Latter-day Saints, and thai
is the president, MILFORD Woodruff.
His contribution is very brief. He
quotes from his manifesto suspend1ng
the practice OF poly gsmy as follows:
"Iuasmuch as laws have been enact
ed by Congress forbidding plural mar
riases, which laws have b. en- pro-
nounced constitutional by the court
Of last resort, 1 hereby declare my in
ten ion to submit to those laws, and to
use my influence with the members of
the church over which preside to
have them do likewise
OF the Observance of this President
Woodruff writes:
This promise has been faithfully
kept, and no one has entered into
plural marriage by my permission
since the manifesto was Issued.
There never we're laws, of such
character, affecting relations which
had existed nearly half q century,
obeyed 40 implicitly and dutifully "a
tho-e relating to plural marriage have
been; but can not say that every one
who lived in plural marriage before
the issuance of the manifesto has since
then strictly refrained from such as
sociations. There is q state law, how
ever, framed in almost the precise Ian
guage of the Edmunds-Tucker law, TO
which all are ANNA able"
Prof. Marcus E joins, of Salt Lake
City, writes at cOnside able length
giving the results of q systematic eff
tort to get the facts by submitting
series of que stions to people in various
parts of Utah, concerning present
p actices and conditions OF the Nor
NOM; Answers received from 20 out
of 81 post Offices in the state from
''ths most reliable people" (they are
not further designated) indicate that
about $500 men and $500 women are
now living in polygamous relations In
the state, and that polyRamy is still
being preached. Prof. Jones thinks
the only remedies that will avail are
rational divorce law and q law of the
state disfranchising all Mormons, mon
ogamists as we'll as pOlygamfsts.
ID Clomopsnn nf T.nORn
Utah, quotes the passage quoted above
from President Woodruff's manifesto,
but gives one additional sentence
which he calls the vital clause" of it.
This sentence is:
.And 1 now publicly declare that
nv advice to the Latter-day Saints is to
refrain from contracting any mar
rage forbidden by the law OF the
land"
Thus the manifesto did not command
but merely advised against new poly
Famous marriages. Mr.. Clemenson
thinks polygamy must live while Nor
mouism does, quoting from the "reve-
lstion' that established pOlygamy to
show that it was made an ''everlasting
covenant; that it IL the celestial or
der OF marriages: that it is necessary to
the dedication of men; ard that upon
it's practice deper de the incarnation OF
the more noble spirits that are anxious
" waiting above to receive human
bodies.
According to Rev William r. Camp
bell, editor of the Kiusman, Salt Lake
CITY, the Mnrmsns have increased Co.
600, or nearly 33 per cent, in the last
wear He describes the methods OF the
Mormon missionaries and the doctrines
they preach, aud concludes that the
church ''grows neither be cause of its
merits as q sys EN- of moral or religious
truth, nor dues it grow alone by its ap-
peal to the depraved naturs OF man."
Rev. Dr.. T. G. Ilitf. super' ntendeut
of the Methodist missions in Utah. and
Rev. w. S. Hawkes., superintendent of
the Congregational missions, also ex-
presses the conviction that there has
been a general return to polygamous
relations. Rev. DIR. r. G. McNiece,
president of the Sheldon Jackson Col
iege. Salt Lake City, says that the eld-
ers in denying these ria ions bubble
over the term polygamy. affirming
that in plural marriages the woman
is sealed to the man, not the man to
the woman" He adduces series OF
facts to show that the pledge that the
priests should not interfere in civil
matters has been broken, aud that the
church is not only directly interfering
with the legi -lature aud with ex-cu
tive officisl., but issued msnife-to
last April "requfripg official members
of the church to secure the sanction OF
their eccles tissNcsl superiors before
accepting q nom.nstiOr to any pc l.
cal Office" ''Ig m.st be rem smb ar ID, -"
adds DR. McNle.s, ''that almost every
adult N ale mem Nc. of the church hold
an official posisi.u.' His hope of rem
edy lies in immigration and the gen.
er Gus maintenance of Christian educa-
tion.
An article tuss ~ c nau in a Mormon
journal, editeo sy George Q. Cannon
lIhe Juvenile iAssructor) indicates that
the Mormons lusaAselves are viewing
with some apprehension the spirit Of
political iudepoh.ence that seems to
have entered Ms church. This ar
ticle. written ~ ar. Cannon himself.
whom many regard as the real
head Of the church In Utah, run as
follows:
"Never since enc organization OF
the church have the Latter-dav Saints
been exposed to such contending in
fluences as thew have during the rast
few years. Thu conditions SURF und
ing them have In that time e. tire y
charged. They have been placed in
new and trying circumstances. The
ord has assured his people fro n the