Evening star., 1898-11-22

that under certain circumstances Latter
Day Saints would be doing no moral or re-
4iglous wrong I'm practicing plural marriage
under divine sanction and religious regula-
ticns"
or greater importance was Mr.. Roberts
own expression in his New illness for
God,' published in 1895. which is iudorsed
by the heads OF the church:
In the life TO come" he explains whsn
telling Of mans place In the universe, "a
man will build and inhabit. eat. irink. ss-
sociate and be happy with friends. ard the
power Of endless increase will contributs
to the power and dominion of those who at
tain by their righteousness Unto those
privileges.
What revelation is here! Instead Of
the God given power Of procreatiCn being
one of the chief things that is to pass away,
1T is one of the chief means of mans exal-
tauon and glory in that great eternity.
Through II man attalns to an endless in
crease Of eternal lives, and the right OF
presiding as priest and patriarch. king and
Iord over his ever increasing posterity"
Power GauGed by Children.
Frankly. this doctrine is that the more
children a man has the greater he will be
in the world to come. for he is to reign
eternally over his posterity. Therefore Mr.
Roberts, who has four wives and an in
definite number of children, will be more
powerful when he attains his godhead than,
for instance, Senator Cannon, who has only
one wife.
Is 1t any wonder in view of these facts
that the powerful element in the republi-
can party I'm Utah should have found in
Roberts polygamy the chief issue OF the
campaign? Their crusade was led by Judge
G {. Goodwin, who. as editor OF the Salt
Lake Tribune, had long fought polygamy.
He frankly told the people that If Roberts
Were elected the people Of the nation would
believe the church leaders had been dishon-
est in their promises, and that punishment
would fall on the whole people.
Governor Heber NJ. Wells himself a son
of one of Brigham Young's chief lieuten-
| ants, Joined in this protest, declaring "A
vote for Roberts will be vote against
Utah. He uttered this warning 10 his fei-
low church members:
Il am unable to tell what Congress NAV
do in the matter as to whether he will he
seated or not, but feel sure that the agi-
tauon OF the question will be very great
detriment to the state of Utah and 10 every
interest of the people. Every financial in
terest here will suffer. every industrial en-
terprise Of the state viii be more or less re-
tarded, the interests of the dominant church
itself will be injured, and the liberties of
the very class TO which Mr.. Roberts be-
longs will be placed in jeopardy"
But despite opposition and warning the
impression grew that the church officials
desired the election of the democratic cam
didate. and from the good Mormon districts
came majOrities which swept away all OPP
position.
What part the women took in the election
of course cannot be told, but the church
leaders have always counted with conf
dence their support, and IL has never
/
| been lacking. Several Of the prominent
Mormon Wcmen openly supported Roberts,
and declared his personal character was
not in the balance, but the issue was one
| of principle.
| Congress will now be called upon to deal
| with the problem, for a contest of Mr.. Rob
| erts' election is bound to be made either
| by his opponents or by the church forces
| of Utah. 1t is doubtful whether the repub-
| lican candidate, Alma Eldredge, will arise
| to the occasion. He has always been a de-
vout churchman, and there is good reason
| to believe that his nomination was pro-
cured with the idea that he would not stand
| in the way of his ecclesiastical followers.
! He avoided the question of polygamy all
| during his campaign. But Warren Foster,
| the populist candidate, pledged himself 10
carry contest before the House of Repre-
| sentatives, and it is probable that he will
| do so.
| He will be supported by very powerful
element in this course, for the church peo-
pie of the nation are beginning to see that
Mormonism is still mendcing, and that its
progress must be checked If il is not TO
spread its doctrines and influence through
out the Rocky mountain region, and per-
haps throughout the halls of legislation.
Already the strong Presbyterian confer
ence, having control over Utah, part OF
Wyoming and the greater part of Idaho,
has called upon Congress to place before
the legislatures of the states a constitu-
tional amendment providing that Congress
shall have power to pass laws against
polygamy and all forms of celestial mar
riage, and the Methodist and Congrega ton
alist organizations have taken less radical
but decisive measures in the same line.
Their action in the past has always aroused
their eastern brethren, and is bound to do
so again.
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