Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-07-06

Curti,'. Reply.
In o. comments on my article In the
June Arena. the Salt Lake Tribune, tho
unti-"Mormon" organ, accuses me Of
being IN the pay of the Mormon
church and III fatherlng statements put
forward w the church paper, the
peaornt News. ~ says that I am
stranger t1 tho Mormon system ana
am stuffed and paid" Tor my arti-
Gle. Il also says that the author Of the
article " one ready 90 be solicited 20
furnish any sort Of character Tor a cpn-
alterations that he o. an individual Ed
ward Atkinson ought 90 envy, who be-
longs 60 breed N which liostun has
had % few ever since the Revolutions
that the chances ARE he ~ a member Of
the Boston Peace League and cheers
AFulnnido. but not Dewey. that u was
n mistake in giving such an individual
an education, which only added % his
facilities for worllng uut his sinister
incllnntionH
u trace Of sense or drnnltencHs In them,
are wholly and unqunlincdly false. No
one connected with the Mormon
Church suggested that article or knew
that ! had any such thing IN contcm-
pl1t0n. It was written without cone
uitiug any member NJ the Mormon
church or any Mormon paper lts
rule motive was the love of truth ana
of fair plny. without thought NJ re-
ward pccuniary or otherwise. ! regret
that did not have access 90 the
"Ncws" or the Herald, as believe
Thorn 10 be- faithful chronlclcrH ~ COM
ditlonE ana happenings In those re-
rl0uH: though like the very best Jour.
nails iu the land. they may have their
political or religious bias. ! regret that
] could not converse with officials ot
the Mormon" church when writing
q uH
right and stainless nH the dlgnltnries
of amy Womnn. Cnlylnlstlc or Liberal
section NJ tho Christian church the
world over. I have been dependent
on newspaper of the East for notes
on current nnaira in Utah, though my
general knowledge NJ the situation ont
there hna enabled me 60 separate truth
from fnHchond. fact from Notion.
The Aroma article was the result ot
study ~ "MorWonism." aided by
residence In Utah 90 tho most critical
period ~ H. history and by q study Of
the crccds and familiarity with the
conditions Of ChriHtendom. The theme
was dealt with from n railroads.&c.
standpoint which admits NJ sym
pathetic treatment especially when the
prevailing mode N discussion n Sec
tartan. one sided and microscopic. and
IN this case crued and savage, ~ well.
In dealing with the Mormon problem
In ita completely MS the article aimed
10 do. some Inaccuracies ON minor ana
technical points may occur though the
Tribune has failed 10 bring them 90
light The framework. the main posi-
lions. the material fncta ~ the argu-
ment. nre left untouched
The Tribune suya. the article states
that the beginning ~ tho trouble TINT
resulted In tho establishment 81 re- doti.
potlsm In this Republic was due %
unchrlatinn Christians. ana that tho
uprising against continuous pnlyrnmy
ln Utah was started Tor the purpose or
raising money by Hoctarlnn mlnlftDtt,
which was q falHehoud N course nrst
started hy tho News" The article
stated really that the instigntcd cause
N these troubles" from tho beginning
~ Mormon history, before polyEnmy
was heard uf, was political religious.
q combination between the plouH politi-
clan and the patriotic partisan. ana
that q was In the closing hours ~ the
late campaign when the Republicans
feared defeat that the cry N "pulyH.
amy" was heard: and that the Prcsby-
terinuH and MethOdists were the first
TO spread the alarm accompanied by an
appeal FOR funds This Information
was obtained. not from the News. hut
from newspaper dispatches here I'm the
East. and from tho organ OF the Rap
list Home Mission Society IN Boston In
which the alarm was sounded along
with an urgent appeal Tor the slnuea of
war.
The Tribune figuring on tho state.
mvut that two Der cent only Of the
Mormons ever pracuccd polygamy.
offers a sort % ndthmetloal puzzle a.
Il has some Hypothetical elements and
proves nothing. 10 begins 10y using the
estimate OF two per cont Of tho adult
population; but computes this 20 hc
ten per cent OF the adult population ~
both sexes, after making is own guess
D. A. q
and u, And there Il stops, Now sup
posing the average number OF wives
In polygnmnun family 10 be three.
n follows that the number Of male
adults pncticlng pOlygamy " one
fourth NJ this ton por cent But the
rial issue here IN not az 10 the exact
but as TO the high or low percentage.
For the common belief and representa-
tl1ns IN this matter are that tho bulk
or majority al least ~ the "Murmuns"
live in pOlygamous relations.
II does not nffect the argument
whether the percentage IL 2, 2A, Q or
8h. / adopted the two per cent aa nc
sording with my belief and obaervn-
ti1ns. First class statlsticinns diner
more widely than that on matters oven
more vital perhaps, But this ~ the sol
ltnry example Of error or "fraud' on
which the Tribune bases It's yitupcra-
tive dlalectlc. This ~ tho only flaw
IN nm hfllrlt OF hNtn lhlkt Scope anu
nultltudlnous Incident
Having assumed as an editorial that
was q total stranger TO Mormonism
and mere literary Hossinn, the Trih-
ine IN It's next sally assumes that am
4 "MdrmOn," and having discovered
that I have kindred In Utah. one OF
whom n implicated IN tho Roberts
Ease, Il says, Nov We all know how
he man was atutcd ana FOR what pur-
pose the article was written" In the
hrst place | may be less OF Mormon"
man my nccuscr, as / stand outside Of
Christianity ~ a system based ON the
lnfnllihlllty Of book or person. The
Christian. Catholic, Protestant, Nor
mon, Mahomedan ana Buddhist scrip
luroa ana creeds are all one 20 me as
iar as their special authority or sacred
ness goes Each may have ita relative
value In time aud place. but like all
other human institutions must pass
away by being merged Into the reign
n Reason, Brotherhood ana Righteous
ness And this ! am willing the world
Mould know, This belief has been won
ind held through many u struggle and