The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-17
IF LET ALONE, THE PRACTICE
WILL DIE OUT.
Discusses the Cannon and Roberts
Cases-Wou1d Be Against Their
Consciences to Give Up Their
Wives-Mormon Headquarters to
Be Located at Independence.
Chicago Inter OCEAN,

apostles of the Mormon church. He is
active in the work of his religion, and
competent to speak of conditions among
his people. He is a well-preserved
man, 62 years old, and he has seen the
Mormon colony grow from a handful
of people to SOC, 600 souls. When IL years
old he accompanied the emigration of
the Mormons to Utah, and walked from
the Missouri river to Salt Lake bare
footed and driving two oxen. He is
now on his way to Mexico, to view the
| Mormon possessions in Chihuahua pro-
! vince.
When seen yesterday he talked freely
and at length concerning polygamy and
| the intentions and the future of the
| MormonS, as well as the prosecution in
stituted against Angus NJ. Cannon,
president of the Salt Lake stake, for
polygamous cohabitation with State
Senator Matte Hughes-Cannon, his
polygamouS wife.
Polygamists Are Old Men.
Although no new polygamous mar
riages are being contracted, polygamy
still exists in Utah, as far as most OF
| the polygamous marriages contracted
prior to 1890 are concerned" said Mr..
Young. Most of the Mormons who are
| polygamists are old men, and they VIII
soon pass away. President Snow, head
of the church, is 81 years old; George
Q. Cannon is y years old; am 81, and
none of the young Mormons are po-
lygamists. Congressman Roberts is
among the younger polygamists. He is
So years old.
! .'Polygamy was abandoned in 1890,
when the late President Woodruff is
sued a manifesto advising that the
contracting of polygamous marriages
should cease, and that MormonS COM
ply as closely as possible with the laws
Mic hoy mn
| than one wife have tried to do, but we
| have not abandoned our plural wives,
and will not. The law requires that
polgamiSt shall abandon all wives put
| his first or legal wife. l would be
| recreant to every sense of honor If L
| did so. / entered into covenant with
those women in good faith. They have
given all that a woman holds dear to
me- There is nothing in the constitu-
ton of the United States which abro-
gates a contract and my covenant with
| those women is a contract which no one
can force me to break. You can jail
me if you please. 1 can stand that.
Most people who consider the matter
fully accept our views concerning our
! wives. 1 have talked with several sem
ators regarding the matter, and they
have said: If you should break your
covenant with those women, who nave
given you all their possess, l would
consider you a scoundrel.' And would
believe myself scoundrel, too. am
believer in polygamy. and l could
not abrogate the obligations l have IN
CURED without violating my convic-
tons, my conscience, and my religion.
Asks to Be Let Alone.
so it is with us all, and 1 think it is
but polite for Christians to let US alone
and allow us to die in peace. If that
is done, polygamy in Utah will die with.
us. II that is not done, polygamy may
be perpetuated. If a man is prosecuted
it is but human nature for him to cling
the more tenaciously to the convictions
for which he is prosecuted. Polygamy
does not exist to anything like the ex-
tent that is commonly believed. Sta
tistics gathered by those interested in
the subject show that only per cent
of the Mormons are polgamists.
THE prosecution against Angus Nj.
Cannon is merely a political move, and
is instituted by man practically UNI
heard of in Salt Lake City before he
preferred the charge. Even the Salt
Lake Tribune, which is opposed to
Mormonism, ridicules him on the
ground that he is seeking cheap noto-
riety We believe the prosecution is
instituted merely as a test case. and
may be followed by a similar charge
against Congressman Roberts. We are
willing a test should be made. We are
as able to meet it now as at any time,
and we want to know how we stand in
regard to the law.
Defense of Roberts.
Congressman Roberts is a man of
high honor and conscience according to
his belief. His three marriages were
contracted before the manifesto of 1890,
and he is a kind and considerable hus-
band and father. He is loyal to his |
wives and children, and nothing can
force him to do anything which will |
discredit them. Recently some one said: |
Your church has abandoned polygamy. |
Why do you not conform to the law
and live with your legal wife alone?' |
Congressman Roberts said: I have en-
tered into obligations with those wo- |
men which no state nor church can !
dissolve And he spoke his convic
lions. He is a man who will act on |
his convictions regardless of conse-
quences. and there will be a bee in a
bonnet If he gets into congress. He is
an able man. He is a good man, even |
if he has three wives We think he is /
entitled to his seat, but. unfortunately,
the government does not seem to take
the same view of il. OF course, they
can keep him out of congress if they
want to. It is merely a question of
votes.
The MOrmOnS nave not Deen accom-
plished politicians heretofore. Although
largely in the majority in Utah. the
Mormons have been continually defeat
ed at the polls. We are a slow, confid-
ing people. and believe what is told
us, so that the politicians, who are
smarter and quicker than we are, have
misled and tricked us to such an eX-
tent that they have been able to con-
troll elections. We are beginning, how
ever, and may show considerable i'm
provement before long"
Future of Mormon Church.
The plans and future of the Mormon
church was subject over which Brig
ham Young grew more enthusiastic.
His face assumed a cheerful expression
as he talked of the work of Mormon
and the plan of the Nor
mon people to build a magnificent city
at Independence. Mo-, from whence
they were driven in the early days
THE Mormon church was never so
as now" said Mr.. Young.
Persecution builds us up; it leads to
and investigation leads
to conversion. 1t also makes us self
reliant. The membership of the church
is now 10000. and since the abandon
ment of plural marriages, the immigra-
ton from outside the state has in
creased, although the immigration from
abroad has decreased. There are 1000
young Mormon missionaries scattered
all over the world, and doing effective
work. In the colony in Mexico. which
am going to visit, there are 5000
Mormons, and they own 20 900 acres of