The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-20


5000 miles from home they are raising
a commotion among our people and
don't understand what they are after.
Are they really missionaries sent out
from Utah to propa gate their religion, or
are they religious tramps who lind thls
an easy way to live? They compass sea
and land to make a single proselyte and
remind MS of the far-reaching zeal OF the
.lesuits of the sixteenth century. 1ne
.Jesuits went to the heathen of all coun-
tr;os, who had not heard of Jesus, but
these Normons go to the Protestants III
enlightened Christendom and seek GOV
ertly TO undermine their faith. Ihey
work upon the weak minded and fanatl-
cal and only make converts by destroy
ing fha neace of the family. No wonder
that the good people of the communities
drive them out and maltreat them 1
haye-no respect for pr0selyters IN
Christian land who would seek TO draw
their converts from one Christian chufch
to another and SOW diScord In a famlly.
/ was Illuminating about this Mormon
ISM which is another child born OF New
England fanaticism, where all the devil
ish things originate. 1t is close AKIN TO
the doctrine of free love, that originated
there half century ago, and is now
pretty generally accepted. If man
doesn't find his affinity when he marries
he finds her afterwards, and they keep
on swapping around.
Joe Smith came from there and one
day pretended to find a Bible under
big stone. 1t was placed there by an
angel and had golden leaves, and he was
told to read it for it was the last will
of God and he must preach it to the
people. He copied the writing and was
going to sell the gold, but the angel re-
buked him and took the golden leaves
away Well, that man found fools
enough to start a new departure in
religion and because the good people
at home made fun of him, he and his
followers moved to Pennsylvania, where
he had more visions and the angel gave
him Il pair of magic spectacles and a
Urim and Thummim, and talked to him
behind curtain, and John the Baptist
visited him and gave him the Holy Ghost
and the gift of prophecy and supernat-.
nral powers. From there he and his fol-
lowers went to Palmyra. y. Y. and
had the Book of Mormon" printed, and
organized church with thirty mem
bers, and Smith cast a devil out of a
man named Knight.
But Palmyra got too hot for them and
they moved to Kirkland, Ohio, because
the angel said so. But Kirkland got too
warm for them and they moved to Mis-
souri, and founded the city of Zion. Not
long after he went back to Kirkland on
visit and they tarred and feathered
him, but his persecution gave him
strength and followers and they built a
1a
LATTER Day Saints. and started a bank
and flooded the country with wildcat
money in the name of the Lord. The
leaders were arrested and indicted for
murder, treason, burglary. arson and
larceny, but were allowed to escape from
jail and leave Kirkland with their fami-
lies From there they went to Illinois,
guided by an angel, and founded the city
of Nauvoo There they built another
church and sent missionaries to Eng
land to make converts, and they made
them. Nauyoo grew up rapidly and the
Saints soon numbered 1,500 men and
elected Smith mayor and lieutenant gen
eral. In 1912 he was at the very height
of his prosperity and took a hand i'm
politics. I'm 1S43 he had another revela-
ton from the angel and was advised to
take some spiritual wives. Accordingly
he took two married women. the wives
of Dr. Foster and William Law, two
of his chief supporters. OF course, this
raised a rumpus and Foster and Law
started a newspaper against him and
published the affidavits of sixteen wo-
men, who charged Smith and his head
man, Rigdon, with impurity and i'm
morality Smith then destroyed the
press and Foster and Law had to fly for
f1,as. Erac lad 10
and had warrants issued for him and
Rigdom and seventeen others They were
arrested and put in jail The governor
visited them and promised protection to
them, if they and their families would
leave the country, but the people We're
so eXasperated with them they went
that night to the Jail and broke down the
doors and shot Smith and his brother to
death.
What kind of story is that to found
the Mormon religion upon. And yet these
Mormon elders have the cheek to travel
through the Southern land to propagate
their spurious faith among our people.
But Smiths wife and his son Joe never
did accept the revelation as TO spiritual
wives, and the son reorganized Mormon.
ism at Plano, H., where he publishes
The True Saints Herald, and is in AL
that region the acknowledged head OF
the Saints of the trne Mormon church
The polygamists We're all expelled, after
suffering by whipping and house burn
ing and other penalties by mob violence
They moved in scattered bands TO Utal
and chose Brigham Young as their lead
err He was Jealous advocate of poly
gamy and showed his faith by his works
for when he died in 1877 he left seven
teen wives. sixteen sons and twenty
eight daughters that he acknowledged
besides II number of others who ac
knowledged him.
But these Mormons who are sojourn
ing in our land declare that polygamy i
now abolished and that they are no
proselyting to that faith, though it wa
the faith of Abraham and Jacob an Da
vid and Solomon. Well, our people don
want such mem fooling around thei
families and demoralizing weak men an
weaker woman in every community.
moderate chastisement would have
sanitary influence on all such tramps.