The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-05
THE yTAH RERESY.
Elder Mcdowell, Of Reorganizsd Lat
ter Day Saints,
SCORES THE POLYGAaISTS
Who Seeded From the Original
Church Under Brigham xoung's
Leadership, In 1s44-The Elder
Shows Wherein the Mormons Are
Wrong, In His Lecture, at AEiOn
Haii, on Sunday AftsEnOon.


Hail, on Sunday Afternoon.
Elder .. F. mcdowell, of Pittsburgh
Of the Reorganized Church of the Lat
ter Day Saints. Iectured at Arton hall
yesterday afternoon before a small but
attentive audience. This church hes a
congregation at North Benwood, and It
is often confused with the MOrmons,
but 1t claims that Brigham Young and
his followers are the seceders from the
original Church Of the Latter Day
saints; hence 1.-THE Utah Heresy' Was
the title OF Elder McDpwell's lecture.
He begas by saying that there were
three text books Of the church-the
Bible, the Book Of Mormon, and the
Doctrine and Covenants, the latter con-
tanning rules Of discipline. The latter
book is only a nominal feature Of the
Mormon Church now, or else is ems
ployed by the Utah people in different
form. The church that both sections
claim adherence 70 was founded by 10.
aeph Smith and others on April 6. 1880,
ana Elder Mcdowell claimed that Brig
ham Young departed from the original
faith in 1874, since which time there
has existed the Reorganized Church,
which could not assent to the teachings
Of polygamy.
The Recognized Church numbers
about $4,000 members, and It has about
three congregations in Utah and one
church in Salt Lake City the cradle Of
Mormonlsln. Thenucleus Of its strength
was formed in southern Wisconsin and
northern Illinois. In Its three text
books the elder showed that the religion
of Jesus Christ was found expressed
and contained the following tenets of
the church: Faith in God and Jesus
Christ; repentance from sin; baptism;
laying on Of hands for the gift of the
Holy Spirit; doctrine Of the resurrec-
ton Of the dead, and eternal judgment
Each book advocates monogamy as the
true marital relationship Of the sexes,
and honesty, justice and uprlghtness in
all the social relations Of life. These
principles, he said, were advocated and
staunchly maintained us leading tenets
Of faith Of the Latter Day Saints
Church from 1880 to 1874. and he showed
that after the death Of the Smith
brothers that Brigham Young, by re-
sorting to unlawful methods, assumed
the leadership of the church in the win
ter OF 1s46-Y7 while in camp in western
Iowa, en- route to Utah.
A few years after their settlement in
Utah Brigham Young introduced the
heresIes Of Adam-God worship, blood
atonement and plural marriage, and
other things directly opposed to the
chuch's original doctrines. stating that
the people should give heed to the coun-
sci of the living authorities of the
church, and he established an endow-
ment, in which oaths were administered
and secret obligations imposed, by
which the people were bound to sup
port him and his successors for time
and eternity under penalty Of death.
The oaths administered in this en-
dowment, continued Elder Mcdowell,
were intended to fasten on the people
the practice Of poIygamy, since they
had sworn to obey the church authorI-
ties for all time to come Incidentally
the speaker scored Elder Whitaker. the
Mormon missionary who recently spoke
in Wheeling. and he said that had
Whitaker been searched an endowment
robe would have been found beneath
his clothing, and that this robe bore
certain symbollcal figures; also, that
there were secret signs, pass words and
grips among the Mormons, by which
they were able to recognize members
Of their faith.
Missionaries from the Reorganlzed
Church went to Utah in 1868, They
we're L. c. Briggs and A. Mccord.
Brigham Young warned them Of their
lives being IN danger and he gave them
forty eight hours to leave. But they
were given protection and remained,
and from that year to the present a
missionary force in Utah has been
maintained by the Reorganized Church
and has hpen instrumental in turning
away from the Utah heresy" several
thousand Of its adherents, not all Of
whom have. however. united with this
church, but yet have been freed from
the bondage Of Utahism,
AS to CongTessman-elect Roberts
claim that by virtue of his religious
belief he was Under moral obligation
to obey the law OF polygamy as against
technical Interpretation OF statutory
enactment, Elder Mcdowell pointed to
the Doctrines OF Covenant. book of
the Mormon Church. although now
dead letter, which said: "Let no man
break the laws Of the land. for he who
keeps the laws of God hath no need to
break the laws Of the land"
Al the conference Of the churches Of
the Recognized Church of the Latter
Day Saints in the Pittsburgh district,
held at North BenWoOd last summer,
Elder Mcdowell drew up the resolu-
tons protesting against the seating of
Roberts, which were adopted and for
warded to Washington. Last night he
preached at the North BenwoOd