Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-16


| general conference Of the Church, held
| on October t. 1890, the manifesto was
| placed before the general assembly, at
| which the whole communion was repre-
| sented. II was there and then ratified
by unanimous vote. and thus became a
| law binding upon every member OF the
| Church throughout the world.
That obligation has been scrupulously
! kept. President Woodruff had the love
| and confidence Of his people, and the
| respect OF the whole community, with
| out regard to religious or other differ
| enccs OF opinion. While man OF wide
| experience. he was probably as incapa-
| bic OF deceit as any man that ever lived.
| At his death, at the age of nearly
ninety-two years, all classes OF the peo-
| pie testified their respect TO his MEM
| DRY. No one acquainted with him could
| believe that he would act otherwise
than in good faith, especially In mat
ter Of such magnitude ana Importance
as the one under consideration.
| After the manifesto came the initial
step In the magnanimous policy Of the
general goyernment-the issuance OF
| the amnesty proclamation by President
| Cleveland, followed by another OF the
same character by President Harrison.
Those executive acts Of clemency wiped
| out all past offences on condition OF a
| future compliance with the law.
Why, then, the present agitation on
the subject? In attempting TO answer
this interrogatory IL is proper TO state
| that the source Of the disturbance Is
local, with headquarters at Salt Lake
| City. It's active agents are clergymen
and politicians. When any body OF men
enter upon such an undertaking IL Is
natural for the onlooker to cast about
! for a motive. In this connection II is
| proper To say that the Mormon
| Church Is one Of the most compact or
| CARNATIONS in existence. In this re-
| spect II Is a marvel TO all intelligent
| people who have studied It. Its MEM
| bers are honest, clear-headed. courage
Gus, and industrious. The evidences OF
these traits are so conspicuous that a
| wayfaring man may run and read.
| Their missionaries, mostly young men
| able TO endure the hardships incident
TO travelling over various parts OF the
| world under adverse circumstances,
| preach without salary. Many Of them
| attend TO this labor without purse or
script About l,S00 OF them are thus
| engaged In various nations at the pres
| ent time. They meet with phenomenal
| success.
This method Of conducting evangeli-
| cal work involves constant self-sacri-
| fee and Is a standing reproach TO men
| Of other denominations who have good
| salaries and an abundance of the COM
| forts Of life while attending to their
| clerical duties.
| Ministers OF the denominations meet
| with meager success among the Nor
| mons" of whom IL has been truly said,
| "Once a Mormon always a Mormon.
| The latter claim that they have all that
is good In any other religion. and a
| great deal more besides. Hence a num-
| Der OF clergymen are anxious to see
the Mormon Church broken up; for this
| cause they are hail-fellOw- well-met
| with designing politicians who desire to
| have a certain class Of Mornons dis
| franchised
II is only just to say, however, that
| there are numbers OF ministers who re-
| frain from participation In this ques-
| tionable method OF Saving souls"
| while others merely fall In with IL half
| heartedly to protect themselves from
| being ostraczed by their less scrupu-
| lous brethren.
The political wing Of the agitation is
| worked by combination which aims
az the control Of some OF the leading
municipal corporations OF the State.
| This object Is perfectly clear to all in
| telligant people who live In this part Of
| the country. The clerical agitators,
hacked by the political wing Of the con-
! spiracy, have sent out emissaries TO
arouse an antl-Mormon sentiment
| Laying aside the book containing what
| they claim TO have accepted as divine
teaching, they go from city to city
verifying the words OF the poet Burns:
Ev'n ministers, they haze been kenn'd
In holy rapture,
A rousing Wild. at times to vend,
And nail I wi Scripture,
They assert that plural marriages
| have been as numerous as before the
| issuance and communal ratification Of
| the manifesto. Notwithstanding that
| President Lorenzo Snow, successor to
the late President Woodruff, recently
| published, at the request OF leading
| Eastern journal. a direct statement on
this subject. The following is an ex-
cerpt:
|
most solemnly and emphatically that
| the statements which are being pub
| lshed 10 the effect that the Mormon
| Church is encouraging and teaching
| polygamy are utterly untrue. Ever
since the issuance Of the manifesto on
| this subject by President MILFORD
Woodruff. my predecessor in office, po-
| lygamous or plural marriages have en-
| tirely ceased in Utah. Since my access
sion to the presidency of the Church Of
| Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saints !
| have repeatedly asserted my intention
| TO stand by that manifesto, and my de-
| termination not to permit any marriage
| to take place under the sanction OF the
| Church which is contrary to the law OF
| the state, and | now reaffirm that
statement. Holding the keys Of this
| authority In the Church over which
| am called to preside no such ceremony
| can be performed and recognized With
| out my consent. / wish this TO be clear
| ~ understood. ! make this declaration
| uneauyocally and without any mental
| reservation. Polygamous marriages In
| the Mormon Church have entirely
| ceased. The implied understanding with
| the nation when Utah entered the
! Union as a State has been sacredly OBJ
4
served. There Is no intention or dis
position on the part Of the Church TO
violate or depart from II in the future,
President Snow is in his elghty-slxth
year. enjoys excellent health, and Is
possessed OF a clear and vigorous mind.
| He Is a cultured gentleman in the true
sense of the term. and when his word
Is given on any subject there Is no
question as 10 its fulfllment.
or late there have been two prosecu-
tions. melted by the anti-Mormon agi-
tators, for unlawful cohabitation. one
was that Of Angus NJ. Cannon, presi-
dent of the Salt Lake Stake, and the
other that of Heber J. Grant. one OF the
Apostles OF the Church. They are not
cases OF polygamy: these gentlemen
we're charged with living with the wives
married by them before the issuance OF
the manifesto. Neither Of them makes
any denial Of the charge. Yet these
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