Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-09-03


religion. II does not consist simply Of
devotional feeling and Sunday services.
II cntciB into the AFFAIRS Of everyday
life. and directs It, adhorents to walk
In chastity. purity. honesty, industry.
and charity. 20 be praycrfui. peaceful.
truthful. honorable ana united. Every
Jatitr-Nay Saint understands that the
injunction Live your roiigionl" means
ne not hearers Of the word alone. but
doors Of Il, too" It was common
expression IN the Church long before
plural marriage was established It
has no special reference TO that prae-
tice. The writer's Of this resolution knew
when they penned It that It was a cum
ninriy devised pcrycrnion Of that
Phrase.
The assertion that there hre two
thousand eases Of Capitalization Of
'Mormoua with an their wives" known
to tho Presbyterian preachers
who adopted ~ foregoing string
OF falaehoods. r. very Htrong
rensntlon upon their own course a.
American citizens. There are courts In
Utah. controlled by judges and other
officers who arc non Mormons, and an
the machinery of the law ~ at their
disposal to punish vlolatofl of the law.
Instead OF prooiaimlng abroad their
knowledge OF widespread iawicssnef1,
why have they not Impaired their al
legged information In such way that
the eyii of which they complain might
be- chcckti7 ~ Il ~. they are but re-
tsllors 81 scandal. rcpehtsrs ~
prurlont stories that have been rolled
a. sweet moFscla under the tongues ~
saiacloul gosslps. on; Of two thousand
such cases az they describe. resulting
In at least one thousand births since
January Z. 1885," they surely must have
been nblo 10 prove enough to give some
color to their reckless assertion. hut
perhaps they will fali back on the fol-
lowing section Of rcsolutionsi
Fourth-That this situation may be
perp1tuntcd. and this peculiar lnftltu-
ton flourish. that ubiquitous thing
known M church influence" 20 affects
men that those whu could testify to
this lawlessncss are silent. jurica refuse
to md indictments. and officers mak-
no arrcfta Hence religious adudery
goes unEunlHhcd and the "kingdom"
grows apacc. From the heads ot the
church down. polygamy nnurisrca.
what arr We TO understand from this
remarkable assertion. rejecting. a. IL
does, not only upon the jurics, but upon
the officers of the law In this slater DO
the Presbyterian ministers wish ~ 20
understand that they are themselves >,
affected by what they call Church In
fiuencc" that they have been silent
when they could have testified against
the alleged iawiersnens prevailing In
utah9 IL Il possible that Mormon"
Church influence l. - potent and
ubiquitous" that even Presbyterian
preachers are afraid 10 TESTIFY. rpccin-
cally. before Jurles and officers OF the
law of that which they arc not afraid
to ailegc. generally. By public resolu.
ilona7 n what they say IL true, they
are accessories after the fact TO the
ononse Of What they term religious
adultery They are willing TO act as
tale .boarcrn among the people. but not
TO risk prosecution for perjury or libel
By swearing out direct charges Of that
which they impernonaily proclaim upon
the housetopH. They seem willing TO
turn detectives that they may nose out
something which they can use for the
detection OF readers whose literary
palatca desire spicy" pabuium. but
unwilling 60 do anything which would
be Of service In masnifying tho law.
A very "Chrlaiian" position 10 take,
truly Perhaps they viii explain that
they do no, pretend 20 know" % those
cases of which they speak. but they
have merely "come 10 their notice.
This will no. help their cause In the
least II will stamp thcm AZ scandal
Managers. tatuerr, vain babblerr. dis
pensera ~ idle stories, panderon TO
Vile tastes. prostltutora q the power Of
the puiplt. An this FOR the malicious
purpose OF ujurlng q whole oommuni'
~ on rumorr about the acts OF fc~
of IT, members.
nus there O. another turn 70 this eeF-
rlbls tale. "Polygimy nourishes," dos
~ Can any ~ tho.a prcvafleaborr
point 10 a single vase u poygamy In
she Mormon" Church since the lHHu-
ance Of tho Manifesto of october 9,
1907 The term "polygimy'' has
werl-dennod leEal and llngual meaning
4. d IN Jaw the offenAe % marrying
during ihc lifetime Of a lawful aud un-
divorced wife or husband. The ofenae
u noiyFamy 20 distinct and different
from that o. unlawful oohabltaiion."
They understand that very well. u
thuy do no,. they are deasoly ignoIuns
of terms vita which everybody Of or
binary intelligence In Utah II familiar.
In sending abroad the raitcmem that
From the heads Of the Church down
p1lygamy nourlshes," they Intend 90
convey 20 the people % the United
sasen the false Idea that polysam1us
marriages are SAN soiemnized In this
state. They als, know shat aucb
statement Is utterly and ptroelonsly
untrue. In tho midst Of the pecu<u
conditions u society IN uuh, q polyga-
nous marriage could not possibly take
piacs without becoming known. There
arr 0mcers Of che law who wouli only
DO TO ready to pouncs upon the par
lies and bring them 20 justice. These
prrsby.orlan ministers QhemaoivcH, II