The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-16
FOR PLURAL MARRIAGES
UTAH WOMEN FIRMLY ADHERE TO
THE MORMON TEACHINGS.
Believe that PoIygnmy Is the Only
Salvation for Women, and Want
TO Return to the Practice.


Utah voted when Utah was a Territory, and
they are voting now. They run for office
and they electioneer. They can tell you
more about politics in a minute than an av-
erage women will learn in a lifetime. The
Mormon religion teaches that woman can
not enter into everlasting peace alone. No
Mormon woman can be saved unless she is
sealed to some man. A Mormon woman is
like a Nilish woman. She has no soul I'M
less her husband gives her one, but she can
vote and she does vote and many Mormon
women voted for Brigham Roberts and
polygamy. For, say what they will, argue
as they can, l believe that the Mormon
Church put Brigham Roberts into nominal
ton purely and simply TO try the case of
polygamy in the open court of the United
States Congress.
1 believe that the women of Utah know
this as much as the men Of Utah did, and
they voted for him. Why? Because the av-
erage Mormon woman believes in polygamy
and uphoIds it and stands by it as a sacred
institution with all the fury which a woman
throws into religion and religious belief.
Mrs. Heber Grant, second wife of Apostle
Grant, leader in the church, said to friend
of mine not later than one year ago: Il
have six beautiful daughters, and / wish I
could find one good man who could marry
them all
Mrs Heber Grant is a charming woman,
an educated woman, devoted mother and
a leader in devotional work, but she is a
Mormon, and she delights in living her re-
ligion. Most Mormon women do believe in
living their religion, even if it breaks their
hearts to do it. talked with all grades and
kinds of Mormon women. The society wom-
an is different from the ordinary in Utah
as she is anywhere but society women
working women, home women, political
women, all of them believe in plural mar
riages.
Mrs. Amelia Young, favorite wife of
Brigham Young, believes in it. MRS. Young
is a handsome, buxom, well preserved wom-
an, with charming manners ana great deal
of positiYeness and genius. She lives in
handsome house in a handsome street, and
she gives every year a party TO which she
invites all the Brigham Young widows and
all the daughters. There is a goodly fam
lily of Brigham Young widows and daugh-
ters left, and a remarkably, good-look1ng,
vigorous prosperous, interesting FAMILY 1t
is. Mrs. Amelia Young told me that she
voted for Roberts, and she told me why she
did it.
''Vote for hm?" she said. "Of course /
voted for him, and he will take his seat, too
L believe Why did / vote for him? l want
ed to see what would happen if we elected
a man who lives our religion as his fathers
lived it, I wanted to see if the world had
grown any Undetermined, l wanted to
know whether the old prejudice lived Why
L remember as if it were yesterday when
we sat the table, the president Mrs. Young
always speaks of Brigham Young as the
presidenD and Brother George Q. Cannon
and I. The president spoke to Brother
Cannon about going to Washington TO rep
resent us. We We're a Territory then, and
| shall never forget Brother Cannon's face
He turned all colors. He begged and be-
seeched. j would rather go on any mission
in the world than that he said, Send me
anywhere to do anything but that DO
not believe | could live through it. But
he went and he lived through it. | remem-
Der all the trouble they made about him
then, and / just made up my mind that we
ought to try again and see what would hap
pen. l am finding out, and TINS Is what
voted for
Mrs. Young told me all about the old polyg-
amy before the gentiles came. She said:
1T seems like a lovely dream now We were
all so happy together. / had my doubts
used to rebel. You know l married the
president after he had many other wives,
and l felt at first as If ! were marrying
some other woman's husband and getting
found out but | soon learned to see how
selfish / could be and to see the beauty of
plural marriage as we all see it who have
DR.. Ellis Ship is a clever physician and
a most honorable woman. She has a bright,
Lake are after her when they are i'll. She's
a delicate little back-eyed woman with
sensitive face and genial manners.
I'VE believe in Roberts and in plural mar
riages / was a plural wife," she said, land
many of my patients are plural wives now.
l do not see why this plural marriage should
count against Mr. Roberts. He is a bright
man, and fine man. ! believe he Will take
his seat in Congress Yes. voted for him,
and I'm glad of it. Why should | condemn
a man for living his religion? What do they
want him to do, forsake his families?
Mrs. Engine b. Wells does not believe in
Roberts, but she believes in plural mar
riages Roberts is against w0m-n she
said, land / am AGAINST him. But l honor
him for standing hy his wives. What else
could he do? If women could vote on the
subject to-day / believe that Utah women
would vote for the re-estahlishment Of
polygamy. / believe they were happier in
polygamy than they. are in monogamy.
Every woman is happier when she
lives for others and for her religion than
when she lives for her own self happiness.
There's my friend, Aunt Ienia. Aunt Zenia
was one of President Youngs first wives.
I've known her since was girl My hus-
band had nine wives. and you know how
many President Young had. ASK her what
she thinks the women OF Utah feel about
plural marriage
LIVED IN THE BEEHIVE.
Aunt Zenia is an old woman with a pair
of twinkling eyes looking out of a sweet
kindly old face. Now. EN-" she said you
know / don't know a thing about what the
and that is thai plural marriage is the best
thing for women. ! believe they are happier
in ii and better off in it than they are in
monogamy / lived in the Beehive with all
the other wives, and never heard one cross
word between any of us We loved each
other like sisters, and we loved each others
children like our own. Why, there never
was anything but peace and good will be-
tween us. and when l see women fretting
an q things
spending all their time on dress and nom
sense wish could give them a few years
of pioneer life with a big family of your own
and two or three families of other wOmen's
children to lock after. That would do them
good. Yes, believe in plural marriage, and
always did, even though the laws are killing
it out"
Mrs Susan Gates lives down in Provo
She is the mother of ten children, and
cry one in Salt Lake calls her Aunt Susie.
She is the kind of woman who cares for the
sick and starts church aid societies and gets
choruses of young girls together for study;
a woman who is the heart and soul of the
quiet community where she lives. She is
daughter of Brigham Young, and as she
where the president first lived with his nine
teen wives, she showed me the galleries
where she and all the children used to play
She showed me the room where the family
met for prayer-nineteen wives. all their
chilren and Brigham Young. She told me
about her happy childhood in the old place,
and about the woman she called aunt,
her fathers other wives Mrs. Gates be-
ieves in Roberts and in polygamy.
/ am not a plural Wife she said. I've
often wished ! was. / think women miss q
great chance for glorying their lives when