Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-02-13
THE MINISTERIAL ADDRESS.

We publish IN this number OF the Des-
eret News On address issued by The
ministerial Association of Salt Lake
CITY" adopted on Monday, Feb II. 1900
"for the benefit Of Congress and the
people OF the country" II Is said to
have been accepted unanimously. but
neither the names of'the persons pres
ent nor those Of the committee that
prepared the paper are appended to
the document
We hope the address will be care
fully scanned by our readers, that us
sophistry. deliberate untruth and VIII
ful preyarications may be clearly per-
celved. and the spirit which prompted
It's fabrication may be understood
There Is no need to reply TO all its per-
versions and mlsstatements. To notice
few OF them will be sufficient to
place the appropriate stamp upon the
whole connection.
First we direct attention to an inter-
polatlon in an alleged quotation from
the Doctrine and Covenants, 1885, 4.
Reference TO II viii show that these
Reverend 90 gentlemen have inserted
the words plural marriage" in paren-
thesis, TO give their own color to the
sentence. The words cited refer TO the
eternity OF the marriage covenant then
revealed. TO suit their purpose they
lnterpose words OF their own not 20 be
found In the text. The honesty of
such procedure by professed ministers
Of religion will Of course elicit general
admiration.
Then follow some remarks said TO
have been made by Mormon" Apostles,
which have been by them denied and
repQdiated, and one Of them Is attrib-
uted 10 Il paper that did not publish
Il. In neither case are the words
taken from any authorized report, but
from alleged correspondence. anony-
nous and unauthenticated Next the ar.
ticle by Elder b. II. Roberts in the I'M
proyemSnt Era, answering the question
n some gentlemen In the East IN refer
ence to the sanction given by the Bible
20 polygamy, is made TO do duty again
by those Christian" special pleaders
as in defense and support Of polyga-
my II they did not understand the
purpose and intent Of the whole mat.
ter there might be some excuse for
their course. But they know all about
Il and cannot plead ignorance In pallia-
ton Of their turpltude.
The magnitude OF the offence Of DE.
Her by homogeneous Mormons" in an
unpopular doctrine Is amplhed by those
advocates OF American institutions, and
the features OF a former statute thar
provided disabilities for such belief are
praised and endorsed. The religious
liberty bresthed IN those sentiments 10
such as would be apropos to the most
despotic form OF barbarian government.
The specific condition" by which
Statehood was granted to Utah is once
more referred TO. and ayowed to be
that "the practice OF polygamy and po-
lygamous cohabitatlon should entirely
cease" The writer's Of that assertion
know very well that no such Specific
condition" was required or agreed TO.
The language Of the Enabling Act.
which contains the only specific con-
dltion" on which Statehood was grant
ed, is this and nothing more;
"Polygamous and plural marriages
shall be for ever prohibited" They are
and win be forever prohibited and the
Specific condition has been complied
with. In every sense Of the words inten-
tonally formulated as they appear.
Another piece OF deliberate and pre-
meditated falsehood on the part Of the
trainers Of the address Is thus present
ed. They say:
"ln the sworn testimony Of the Presi'
dent and leaders OF the Church, before
the Master In Chancery. Ia order TO re-
cover tie escheated property OF IN,
Church, they plghted their sacred hon
OF that pOlygamous relations already
contracted should absolutely cease
We have the full testimony before the
Master in Chancery on the escheatec
property case, ana 1t contains no prom
Use Of the kind mentioned. The ques'
lions propounded and the answers CIV
en-. were solely as to the scope anC
meaning OF the manifesto Of September
a. 1880 as understood by the witnesses
There was no "phghting Of sacre'
honor" about anything The paragraph
We have quoted from the address wai
manufactured FOR deceptive Purposes by
Its very pious authors
The assertion that those "solemT
pledges were ratified by two success
siye conferences Of the Mormon PEG
Die" is simply adding ialsehood 10 false
hood The minutes OF the Conference
have been published in full The mani
festo Of President Woodruff was rattle,
By the body Of The Church, Il was II
these exact words, which have beer
published over ana over again;
"Inasmuch as laws have been enacte,
By Congress forhddmg plural mar
riagcs, which laws have been pro
nounced constitutional hy the court q
last resort / hereby declare my lulen
ton 20 submit 90 those laws. and TO us
my influence with the members OF III
church over which 1 preside to hav
them do likewise
There Is nothing in my teachings 1
the church or in those OF ny associ
ates, during the time specified. whic
can be reasonably construed 10 ineul
cate OF encourage polygamy. and whe
any Elder q the Church has used Ian
guage which apnae~ef 10 o---.,r ~