Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-01

Such say is the stuff that is today
sold by the Mormon church as the true
doctrine on the subject of plural mar
riages. 1t is true that in 1891 the
church had fresh revelation of the
subject suspending the practice, not
in any way calling the eternal truth
of it into question. The purpose of
that revelation was not far tS seek.
At that time Utah was DESTROYS of
throwing dust in the eyes of the rest
of the country in order that it might
secure statehood, which it did secure.
The idea was doubtless that when
fully dignifed with statehood they
could carry on the practice at pleasure.
This they are doing.
IF anyone thinks that polygamy is
dead he needs to disabuse his mind
on that matter. had a long talk with
a gentleman who was member of the
last general assembly Of Utah and he
opened my eyes to a good manyNthings.
He called attention to law that was
passed by that assembly, every Nor
mon voting for it, every Gentle except
one voting against it, which made it
impossible for any but the injured par
ty to complain in the case of polygamy.
This law was vetoed by the governor.
although he was a Mormon, on tTe
ground that it would stir up the coun-
try at large to the extent that would
cause injury in the end. He was
doubtless right. This same gentle
man told me to go over to the Herald
Office and secure the issue of that pa.
i per for February II. This paper had
! the report of the committee appointed
by the ministerial alliance of Salt
Lake City on the subject of polygamy
This report declares that there is in
the hands of the committee evidence
to sustain the points.
J. 81. The continuance of polygamous
cohabitation IN cases where plural
marriages We're entered into previous
TO the manifesto of 1890.
SO. The pural marriages have been
contracted since the manifesto was is
sued is shown by the returns giving
names of the parties.
so. They teach polygamy today as
is manifest by the utterances of Apos-
tie Cowley Jan. %, 1901.
These revelations received by our
prophets and seers are all of God and
We cannot. We dare not repeal them
without making God liar" Joseph F.
Smith in dedicating meeting house
in Payson in 1896 said, "Take care of
you polygamous wives we do not care
for Uncle Sam now" Two years ago
Mrs. Susa Young Bates, a granddaugh.
ter of Brigham Young, speaking to lad
les in Monmoth, Utah. said, Girls, do
not forget polygamy. You cannot prac.
tice it now but keep it alive in your
hearts" The case of B. H. Roberts,
the rejected congressman, is fresh in
our minds. EIe admitted publicly
that there We're 1,543 cases in Utah at
the present time.
!, THE alarming increase of Mormon
4 ism is something to cause concern
among all thoughtful Americans. 1t
has thousands of missionaries making
a systematic visitation of the entire
country. not even passing our own city
by. These are especially active in
I the south where illiteracy more gener-
4 ally prevails The old countries fur
nish fruitful ground for the spread of
error. Their schemes of colonization
indicate that they intend to make their
power felt in the future. Sixty years
ago Joseph Smith, at Nauvoo III. when
the population of Mormondom was
less than 10000, held the balance of
power with the political parties in Hi
nois. Today there are 100000 Nor,
mons in the country. They control
the state of Utah. They practically
hold the balance of power in Wyom-
ing and Nevada. They hope soon to
do the same in ten states. That is to
say twenty United States senators will
be at the mercy of this hierarchy. The
hope for the present is to get consti-
1 tutional amendment forbidding poly
gamy. This must be secured soon if
it is gained at all. / might had the
4 time speak of the other denominations
of the system. Bishop Fowler says
'polygamy is the whitest bird in the
foul nest The eNtorr;on of their fin
ancial system, the terror of their CO.
venant of blood, which is nothing less
than systematized murder under the
I, sanciJy of the church of any who may
show signs of apostasizing, all these
form dark and dreadful features of
this un-Christian, un-American, debas-
ing system which calls itself a relig-
ion but is indeed most tyrannous of
hierarchies. What can be done to
break it up? We must educate and
enlighten. We must persist in send
ing our missionaries with the true Cos
pei. We must use the strong arm of
the law to blot out its vile polygam-
Gus practice. 1t is no small undertake
ing. But l have faith in the power of
truth and righteousness and believe
that eventually this monstrous bag of
hell sitting there on her throne among
the mountains will one day be driven
from her place of power"