The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-26

ceeds first to show that the Presidents
denial is based upon technicality, and
second, by quoting the practice and tbs
words, wretten and oral, of Mormon lead
ers that polygamy today still taught
as fundamental doctrine of he Mormon
Church.
when the Mormons deny that polyga-
my IS practiced in Utah. ne says, they
are simply hiding behind deceiving tech
general understand living with two or
more wives, which is the right mean
ing. But in Utah there is a peculiar legal
technicality which makes the ofense of
polygamy consist in marrying an addition
al wife of wives. So, although man may
be living with half dozen wives. yet if
he has not married an additional wife
since Presidents Woodruff's manifesto in
1890, recommending the suspension Of plur-
al marriages, these Mormon preparicators
Going more direct to the point Of Presi-
say ne is not practicing polygamy!'
dent Shows denial, Mr.. McNieee says:
l. 1t would seem impossible for the
church to give any greater encouragement
to polygamy than it is doing now by the
general example of the church officials
ton of law in all parts OF the state. Those
who have been for some years the near
neighbors of President Snow inform Us
that he is generally understood TO be him
self living in polygamy with at least four
wives, and that one of the FOUNDER of his
plural wives has a little child about two
years old. Now, we ask again. in what
way could the Mormon Church give great
er encouragement to polygamy than by
such example on the part Of the leading
officials of the church?
2. In reference to the teaching of Poly
gamy: 1t may be said that the church
is not just now, in formal way. giving
instructions in behalf of this doctrine.
But we know that official representatives
of the church are publicly teaching poly
gamy over the state. To be specific, at a
convention of Mormon young peoples So
cieties in the 18th of June, 1895, one of the
twelve apostles, IN an adress, as reported
in the two daily papers in Salt Lake City
the next morning, stated that belief in
polygamy is as much a part Of the Nor
mon faith today az it ever was" and that
the young people could not deny this part
of the Mormon faith without at the same
time denying the prophet. Joseph Smith. !"
At another young peoples conference in
Logan, Utah, on Nov. Is, another apostle
notorious polygamist, who did all that
he could to secure the election to Congress
of the polyganistS, Roberts, is reported in
the papers as saying in his address that
he felt ''to sustain the principles of the
gospel even to the extent of taking more
wives if necessary"
A magazine called the Improvement
Area, the organ of the Young Mems Mu-
tual Improvement Associations" is edited
by the polyganist B. H. Roberts, who has
just been elected to Congress. In the May
Number of that Magazine for 1898, Mr..
Roberts had an elaborate article, of nearly
eleven pages, advocating and defending
the rlghtfulness of polygamy. The article
closes with these words: And the fact of
Gods approval of plural marriage in an
Gent times is a complete defense of the
righteousness of the marriage system in
trodUced by revelation through the pro-
phet Joseph Smith"
In addition, we know that the church Of
ficials in the smaller towns over the state
are teaching and advocating polygamy in
the Mormon tabernacles at the Sunday
service.
Furthermore, we know that polygamy is
a fundamental doctrine of the Mormon
Church, just as much as baptism or any
other kind of doctrine. And the rejection
of it as a doctrine exposes one to the ter
rible penalty of damnation. The alleged
revelation on which plural marriages rest
declares to each one that he must and shall
abide the law or he shall be damned, saith
the Lord God. Doctrine and Covenants,
section 1&2, paragraph $50
The law referred to here is that uphold
in plurality of wives. And no church Off
Gals pretends that it has ever been set
aside as a doctrine of the church. Be
sides, general practice of polygamy since
statehood was secured is quite notorious
in Utah.
So quietly does the Mormon Church
carry on its work of PROSECUTING that few
people are aware of its present strength
Dr. of its enormous growth in the last few
years. The census of 1890 reports Loss
Mormon communicates in Nebraska, 1,1O6
n Kansas, 1885 in Wyoming, 1886 in Cali
'ornia, 1,540 in Michigan, 1,762 in Colorado,
1903 in Iowa, $500 in Arizona, 1872 in
idaho. In Utah the Mormons are about
5hree-ffths of the entire population, which
S SO,OOO.
At the beginning of 1897 the Mormons
we're one-half as numerous as the Congre-
During that year (the last
or which we have Mormon statistics the |
churches gained about r.
90, the Presbyterian about 1900 the
Methodist Episcopal about 1900. the Nor
non $1,000. With membership of one
fifteenth part as large as these three de |
the Mormon Church gained
some 1900 more than all Of them put TO-
sether.
This remarkable growth is to be account |
ID for largely by the fact that the Nor
mons have some LOO missionaries scat
cred over the country who are going from
loue to house TO make proselytes.
These missionaries have gone into nearly !
very Northwestern, Eastern, and Western |
ate. At the annual conference OF the
Mormon Church in Salt Lake City in April |
sos, the statement was made that in 1891
hose missionaries had secured over s., 900
AS a result of this work the
Mormon Church has congregations and
,enters of influence in many OF the east
,rn and Southern cities. In Chicago there /
: a church on North avenue near Western. /
Within two weeks a dispatch has been /
printed stating that two Mormon elders !
Ire making a house to house canvass % |
7reepOrt. II.
The methods in which these Mormon /
Missionaries work IS interesting.
when they are ready 20 work or 20 I
trace a community" says the Rev. WIli- /
am r Campbell. who has spent twelve 4