Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-02

ted by Mormon speakers themselves
that many who HAD taken to them
selves plural wives before the Mani
fosto are still living with them, and
supporting them. You are certainly
mistaken In your superstition that state
ments to this effect are made before
Eastern audiences by those who would
not he perfectly willing to make them
here rs openly II circumstances de-
! manded.
Concerning the question Of church
and state to which reference IL made
There are many who are not preach
! ers' or even members OF Christian
churches who are firmly persuaded
that church authority in political mat
tiers IL a deadly menace to free insti-
! tptions. This IL true no mntter what
| church seeks to exercise that authurl-
| ty. Mormons, If freed from the die
| tation Of the Mormon Church and per
mtted TO exercise their lnaliennble
right as free men. are certainly rs
| good citizens and have as much right
TO comnoe' majority as any other
OF men.
"Methodista, organized as Methodist
| and voting under instructions from
! Methodist church officials and In obedi-
| encc to Methodist church policywould
! not be tolerated anywhere In this Rc-
public. no matter how strong numeri-
! cally they might be, The world has
| learned too well the awful lesson
taught II during the middle ages TO
| ever again submit to the political rule
| Of seculnrizcd church, ambitious OF
temporal power. The Church OF
| Christ. armed with the civil power. Is
| n rnonstrosity and has. In the past,
proven itself capable Of terrible hppstn-
| cy and of the preparation OF enormous
| crimes. II In not strange that every
tendency in this direction IL looked
upon with suspicion ny thoughtIui
men.
"Finally. you question the ground
for surprising that Utah presents a
field for missionary effort on the part
of the Christian churches. Why, let
me ask. should Utah not be considered
such field? We have missionary
workers in every state in the Union
and In every country upon the globe.
Is there no drunkenness, or immor-
ality. or gambling, or sabbath break
ing, or vice Of any Kind In Utah? Is
there no practical infidelity or world
illness or rejection OF Christ. that the
Gospel should not be preached? 4
Wherever there are those who are
ignorant Of, or who ignore. the prac-
teal teachings uf Christ there Is "A |
call for the messenger of the Cross /
Whether the people call themselves |
Methodlsts or Mormons. Presbyterians |
or Catholics, Baptists or Mohamme- !
dams, Congregationalists or iiindoos |
II these conditions exist, If there is /
dfaTtn oil spiritual IRE, ana lack OF /
real moral purpose II there IL sub- /
stitution of church membership or the |
performance OF rites and ceremonies |
for a spirit of vital piety. II there Is /
wnrldliness and practical forgetfulness /
of God there IL certainly field for I
earnest Christian missionary effort. |
The evangelical churches have come |
to Utah to stay. Their influence IL |
being felt more and more every day. !
They have come to antagonlze nothing |
except what Is false. unchristian. /
misleading and evil, and they desire
sin an revealed In the Gospel OF Christ |
for the individual acceptance of every
soul whom they can reach.
Very truly and sincerely yours
ALFRED II. HENRY.
~ + Street.
In the same spirit of earnest oandor
with which Rev. Mr.. Henry has APP
parently endeavored to write. the
News" will offer some observations
upon matters he has touched. 1t was
not our intention to deal severely with
DIR. lliff. nor did We from our stand |
point do so: not half as severely as .
he dealt. before an eastern audience, /
with the RELIGIOUS society which 1t Is |
the duty of this paper to defend. In |
regard to marital conditions in this |
State, spoken of by him and by Mr.. |
Henry. the News" has this to say:
Polygamy, MS defined by statute, Ia
the act OF marrying n plural wife, and I
is n felony. The manifesto abollsiiing
Mormon Church nearly eight years
ago. was an assurance that no more
such marriages should be contracted
by members OF that Church. If DIR. !
lliff spoke as he was reported. he de-
clared that poygamy was being wide
ly practlced by the Mormon people.
which was equivalent to accusing
them of both perfldy and felony.
Now there has not occurred in Utah,
with the consent of the officers OF the
Mormon Church. since the adoption of
the manifesto, single instance of
polygamy; and by natural process
the institution of plural marriage is
dying out. Mr. Henry might reply
that DIR. Tiff, and other persons from
Utah who have gone east and talked
In a vein similar to that In which he
spoke and whose utterances have
been noticed by the News" have in
tended to be understood as saying that
men who married plural wives before
the adoption Of the manifesto have
continued recognition of them since.
Between such recognition and polyg-
amy there is vast difference. At the
worst the former is only a INSIDE
meanor while the latter is felony:
and the Language the persons referred
to use describes the greater offense
The effect of such talk In the East
as is here objected to il to greatly
mlsrepresent the Mormon people and |
the actual status in Utah. Both in |
letter and spirit such statements are
untruthful and unjust, and conse- /
quently unworthy of protesting |
Christian. II persons who 20 AWAY |
from Utah and talk about the Nor |
mons would tell the truth. and make |
the truth complete, and separate II |
from everything that Is not of itself |
this nappr would never critt,i,, 49,. i