Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-19
Brigham Young's Grandson Presents
Arguments Against Him.
POLITICAL POWER OF M0RMONISM
Would Bring About a Union Of
Church and State.
A DANGEROUS SITUATION


| than Eugene Young, Brigham Youngs
grandson, young man of twenty-five, now
connected with one of the New York news
papers. Eugene Youngs father was the
great Mormon leaders first born, Joseph
| A Young He married an English girl
| named Stenhouse, daughter of T. B. H.
Stenhouse. He established in Utah the
| first newspaper devoted to Mormon doc
| trines ever published, and for years was
thoroughly in harmony with the church
But about 1870, in spite of his close re-
lauons with the Mormon leaders. Mr.. STEM
house became dissatisfied with the Latter
Day Church, and when the famous revolt
| OIL the liberal Mormons. known as the God
| Delte movement, took form, he Joined the
G9dbeites heart and soul, becoming in fact,
their chief leader.
The Importance of that movement can
hardly be over estimated. Though not
much understood outside Utah, it is there
recognized as marking an epoch in the an
In 1879 Joseph A. Young died, and soon
aaIterward his wife withdrew altogether
from the Mormon Church. tGNdgh,
continuing to reside in Utah. Eugene was
brought up among the Mormons, however
and. having spent most of his life in Utah.
PROBABLY understands the current situation
as thoroughly as any man living not ac-
tually member of the Latter Day Church
better, indeed than many Mormon.
Reason for His Opposition.
In a recent conversation with the writer,
MIR. Young explained that his opposition to
the seating of Mr.. Roberts and to the pres
ent program of the Mormon Church is not
based upon grounds quite similar to those
advanced generally by the anti-Roberts
crusaders. They hold to the view that the
Mormons are extremely lax in domestic
morals; Mr.. Young holds to the contrary
He is opposed to polygamy of course but
manly because 1t places women upon
much lower plane socially and intellectu-
ally, than that to which the women of
Anglo-SaXon countries generally attain
My chief objection to the present pro-
gram of the Mormons,'' said Mr.. Young,
is that 1t evidently includes their old pro-
gram of union between church and state.
My experience has been that in private
morals and ordinary business transactions
the Latter Day Saints do not maintain
lower standard than the rest of mankind.
But their basic idea Is the same as Brig
ham Youngs; they wish to maintain in the
Rocky mountain Businesses what he vrtu-
ally established, an Independent common
wealth, a virtual despotism within the re-
public, with its own laws, its own customs
| and its own peculiar institutions.
The Church in Politics.
'Polygamy is one of these institutions
and hateful one but no more hateful than
the domination of the church in all po-
htical affairs, such as was exercised when
Roberts was defeated for Congress the
first time. This is. indeed, the most danger
Gus feature of the present situation in
Utah, since it threatens the chief princi-
pies upon which the fabric of the republic
is founded.
I'm working for the supremacy of the
Latter Day Church, the Mormon hierarchy
is utterly Inscriptions. Its theory in this
matter is invariably that the end justiies
the means and it will go to any and all
lengths along that line. In this broad po-
litical sense the Mormon leaders are en-
Erxaly wit lie a,oI ra,,1r 4
nile of the church are ready, of course, to
follow btndly.
I'm other words, though prior to Utah's
obtaining statehood the rank and file was
by order divided into democrats, republic
cans and Independents, they are not demo-
Gratis they are not republicans, they are
not independents. They are Mormons first,
last and all the time. Their very division
along the lines l have indicated though
on the face of it like the division of voters
everywhere, facilitates the swinging of the
Utah vote to suit the church, for the indie
pendents numerous enough to carry any
election whichever way the hierarchy may
direct.
In National Elections.
Possibly no one not living in Utah need
be especially interested in the outcome of
a state election but how is it with regard
to a national election? If the outcome of
any election in Utah can be determined at
will by the church authorities they can
certainly determine the complexion of the
states electoral votes. These are three IN
number and soon will be four, and might
prove enough to decide who shall be Presi-
dent of the republic in an exceptionally
close election.
But the strength of the Latter Day
Church is not confined to Utah Its domi-
nation extends beyond state lines and as
far as the Mormon Church itself. There |
are Mormons in great numbers in Nevada,
Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico
and Arizona, and they are steadily invad-
ing Montana and Oregon. The colonizing |
bureaus of the Latter Day Church are
constantly at work. A stream of European
immigrants for Mormondom is steadily |
flowing into this country, and little Nor
mon colonies are being planted in every |
one of the states adjoining Utah. Already |
it is boosted by Mormons that they can
control three electoral votes and the sena-
torial elections in Idaho, and they talk |
among themselves about the near contin-
gency of their controlling the three votes |
of Nevada, the three Of Wyoming and the |
four of Colorado
IN time both New Mexico and Arizona |
will be admitted with three votes apiece. |
They will, without doubt be controlled by |
the Mormons and will bring the total up i
to twenty-three. Should the Mormons |
eventually control Montana's three and ore
CONS four, the aggregate will be thirty
enough to decide the presidential election |
in year that is not very close"
The Unseating of Roberts.
AS to the unseating Of Mr. Roberts, Mr.. |
Young is not over sanguine, for many rea-
sons which need not be gone into detail at
this time and place. That Mormon polyg-
amist senator will follow the seating of a
polygamist representative Mr.. Young con-
siders highly probable. Possibly 1t would
be as well for the ultimate triumph of the |
anti-Mormon idea, he thinks, If Roberts is
seated, since were he to be unseated the |
anti Mormon forces might consider the VIC
tory already won and the contest ell deJ, |
whereas the real battle would only be be-
gun. Mr.. Young expects to see Mormcnism
with its church and state feature eventually |
a vital point at issue in national politics.
Eugene Young obtained new facts upon |
which he bases his present lack of faith
in the sincerity Of the Mormons and his
opposition to the seating of Mr.. Roberts
while in Utah on mission of investigation |
undertaken in January last for the New
York Herald. He maintains that he has |
sufficient proofs to convince any one ac-
quainted with Mormon methods that |
polygamous marriages are now being COM
tracted with the approval and, in fact, at |
the instigation of the church.
These facts he reported duly to his paper |
and afterward embodied them in an arti |