Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-23
Advice rendered to AmiabIe Re-
IlgiOus Bigots.
CRUSADE ON THE M0RM0Ns.
Views Of the writer niercc. ~ Given
Ia the SAN rraneisco Examiner on
Pciygnny aud the Crusade.

tirfor In sn., Francisco Examlncr.l
Doubtless the ''crurndc" against
Mormon polygamy In sincere enough
In professors Of another faith than
Mormonlsm; there In usually no lack
OF conscicniiousness In the belief Of one
religious sect that another Is without
rightcousncas and light. am not NY
self particularly concerned about po-
lygamy. but II Il only fair TO recognize
In some OF Its antagoniata--ln this pa
per for cNnmnic--an honest motive az
the back 81 their antaFonism. But
when an honest motive finds expression
~ base method II mieht ns well be
absent The man who atnhH his ene-
my In tho back II not less disgusting
because ~ his honest conviction that
his enemy wero better dead. WhAtuv-
cr ncfariuua or other projects the Nor
mon politicians may have on foot for
restoration ~ polygamy to To old stat
Us II " not right and decent 10 why
the entire body OF the Mormon people.
They are no worse than We. u should
be enough TO say N them that they arr.
no better. our own religious faith IT,
! do not doubt, the right religion 10
produce goodness and charity. unfor-
tunnicly We are not the right people Ia
these centuries of Christianity Chris
tian nations are not a shade better
morally than M0hammcdanH. Brah-
mans and Budhlsta.
I have been rpoI deal among the
Mormonn ana had exceptional oppor-
tunltiea Tor observation. with at least
one exceptional qualification Tor judy
mcnt-an unrcllgioua mind. This cun-
tinent has no better people than tho
MprmunH. With frequent exceptions
they are frugal. irduHtrioun. peaceful.
contcnted, charitable and devoid "
rancnr ngalnnt those who In their early
day. before they had polypamy tnrrcd
and fcathered their missionaries. MUIR
defcd their prophet, burned their
DWELLINGS and drove them into the will
dcrncsa 10 atnrye. n history records
nasty. dcuplcnblc and rcaaonless re-
llgloug persecution that was ono. Nor
do believe that u has entirely ceased
that the revival % polyEamy or the
fear ~ IT, revival. or antngoniam 10 Il
u never abandoned, sufficiently &c.
count for tho fcrvor ana fcrocity % this
now crusade"
poiyEamy II n respectable inntitu.
tlon. OF all the human beings that
have lived and loved. and died. prob
ably not ono In a hundred ever no
much NJ heard OF any other system.
over the greater part Of the carth'n
surface. containing much the greater
part of the chrtha Inhabitants. n
Il today the rule. and nobody thinks
Scriptures are to be believed. I,
was recognized as tho natural.
right and diylncly approved thing
among Gods chosen people as long as
they Ind a country and voice In their
own governing. The anolntcd kings,
reverend figures Of the oidcn time with
whom God talked. whom lie guided and
guarded. were polygamintn. when did
nolygnmy become wicked. and WHY
What new character has II taken on In
these hitter days. How dld God and
out that 4 was bad. and whore has lie
recorded his change ~ heart toward ~
And n II n 30 dreadful an instrument
for dchnscment Of woman. why are
the women of the Mormon Church
strongly In favor ~ n. ana the
women ~ no poiyFamoun country OPP
posed 20 ~ My Christian frionda, you
nrU the wincat. best aud most nmlnblo
81 RELIGIOUS blgoia, but I pray you ~
membcr the Thirteenth Command
mcnti Thou shalt not b. ridiculous"
~ 10 the comparative sexual moraii-
ty OF the Mormona under p1lyrnmy and
ourselves under monogamy why, COM
pnfiron ~ Impossible; our immortality
nnda nothing with which 30 be- com.
pared. In the time ~ uudiHputcd Nor
mon dominion In Utah cunjugni inn.
deity and prostitution were unknown.
nor. despite the lyinH ~ GENTLE news
papers and nnti-Mormon propngandiHtn
who wrote sensational books. were
any practices Havofing ~ indoccnoy
part ~ the secret rites 81 the Church
do not know that the superior moral
| ity OF the Murmuna was due to pplyH-
amy. ! do not know that u was due 10
MnrmonlHm, I only note tho phcnom-
enon and testify that Il was no, and not
| otherwise. Among factors determln-
| Ing our attitude toward these people II
| should, I supporc, count for something
| that at one time they were better and
hnccnior nnnnle lhnn we. nnh Tint thelr