The San Francisco call., 1899-08-26
AUCTION SALES.
A SALT LAKE OPINION.

+
that it is The Organ of the Church OF Jesus
Christ OF Latter-day Saints, Lorenzo Snow,
Trustee-in-trus attacks The Call for the serious Of
lenses Of 'crimnality and folly" We come with all
humility TO plead to the charge in the presence of an
organ" OF such stupendous claims.
Our ofense consists in recent article in which we
stated the inconsistency OF policy within the urisdic
ton of the United States, which makes poygamy a
crime in Utah and gives it official recognition and pays
to its chief exponent salary in the Sulus.
The News, which is run by revelation, reminds US
that the Congress OF the United States is not the
interpreter OF the mind OF the Lord and that the
authority OF the Mormon church for polygamy is not
found in the Book OF Mormon but in the Bible, For
an inspired organ the News makes the odd mistake
OF insisting that we conceive polygamy to be pro-
hibited by the Declaration OF Independence For an
interpreter OF the mind OF the Lord Lorenzo Snow
shows a heat incompatible with his wintry name
Leaving out the tone OF badinage in which we
clothed the presentation Of what we conceive to be
nexcusable inconsistency of policy in Govern
ment, let us restate our position.
The object OF the organization of the Republican
party was to establish, maintain and enforce abso-
Lutte equality before the law OF all men within the
jurisdiction OF the constitution OF the United States
This statement OF its principles and purpose was an
tagonzed by the holders. That issue joined
and upon it they offered battle. The challenge was
accepted and the sangunary contest ragged for four
years. On many OF its batte-fields more men were
killed than the whole number enlisted in our present
military adventure The result established the Re-
publican contention for universal equality before the
law. $3.50.
We insist upon that equality now. We regard gov
ernment by OF the governed and equality OF
rights to be the essential germ and the vital prin-
ciple Of this republic SO believing we insist that If
this Government authorize and protect polygamy in
the Sulus because il is taught by the Mahometan
religion, it must authorize and protect polygamy in
Utah and wherever there is Stake OF Zion because
it is taught by the Mormon religion Mahometan-
ism accepts the Bible in both Testanents and puts
lssa ben Miriam in its catalogue Of ineffabe person
alities. Mormonsm does the same, and presents the
Book of Mormon, like the Koran, as a later revea-
ton Equality before the law requires that the be-
levers in either shall be treated alike 1t is useless
for the trustee-n-trs of the Mormon organ to mis-
represent position or to evade the issue which il
raises, We cited the case OF Mr. Angus Cannon
member OF the First Presidency of the Mormon
church, who is awaiting sentence for polygamy and
contrased the dolors of his position with the pleas
ant places in which cast the lines of the Sulu
Sultan. Mr.. Snow says that Mr.. Cannon has not been
married at all in the last year two and that he
was not accused OF polygamy plural marriage when
arrested Grant that He was in the verbiage of the
law, accused OF unlawful cohabitation" and his
ofense consisted in resuming conjugal relations with
number of wives to whom he had been married be-
fore There is difference in the oense in the eve
OF the law. The corpus deficit is the maintenance Of
the polygamous relation as taught by the Mormon
religion whether derived from the Bible or the Book
OF Mormon makes no difference.
The Government of the United States took high
ground under the impetus of the moral sense of the
people when it entered upon the extrpation OF poly
gamy in Utah. 1t is answer to that position fol-
Mr. Snow to say that there seraglios in San Fran
cisco. There are and their existence is deplored b,
morality IS wicked vice, and is frowned upon by the
law 1t has not the OF being the exercise of
practice enjoined by religion and is not countenanceC
by statutory recognition Mr.. Snow stands for tht
contention that Gentle vice is transmitted into :
Mormon virtue by a canon of the church We mereI,
demand that if this position is recognized by oul
Government in the Sulus, the principle of equaIit,
demands that it have equal recognition in Utah.
Finally. Mr.. Snow is careful not to deny that poly
gamy is again practced in Utah. We make the
charge that plural marriages are by sin
gular in that State Will he deny it?