The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-07
PUTS BLAME ON
BRIGHAM YOUNG
Dr. Mcmillan Speaks of Sanpete
in the Old Days.
POWDER BACKED GOSPEL
He WAS DETERMINED NOT TO
BITE THE DUST FIRST.

-
yesterday his statements about the
dangers of preaching among the Nor
mons in the early days He blamed
President Brigham Young for his prin-
cipaI perils
Twenty-eight years ago DR.. Mcmillan,
now Of New York City, was a mission
airy in Sanpete county. He told The
Herald some of his experiences yester-
day. He is the man who INDUCED in
the metaphor that he had to enter the
pulpit with a Bible in one hand and a
pistol in the other. DR.. Mcmillan is the
guest of his brother, H. C. Mcmillan,
for a few days on his return from the
Presbyterian general assembly.
He quoted the verse which suggested
the remark which has attracted so
much attention, and said:
That remark is a metaphor. I did
not go into the pulpit with a drawn pis-
tOl, but I went armed One Of the Off
Gals Of the Mormon church told me
that my life was in danger, and advised
me TO go armed I knew that was in
peril and at the time this friend spoke
to me I had already taken the precau-
ton to provide myself with a pistol
was determined I would not bite the
dust first. The officers Of the church
were incensed at my 1abOrs, and Brig
ham Young himself was the one who
threatened my life. I was not sent to
Saupete as q missionary. 1 had gone
there on account Of my health. I saw
the need Of schools and the people were
anxious to have me start one. Twenty
seven churches are the result of the
work I started there in 1875.
Blames Brigham Young.
Ny converts were all Mormons.
There was not Gentle in the country
that I am aware of. Brigham Young
learned of the work I was doing and at
Mt Pleasant delivered the address
which imperiIed my life and made me
carry arms. He did not make the
threat openly. He cleverly told the
story of the sheep in VOLTS clothing, to
which he likened me, and then, sending
the lesson home to his hearers, said:
among your fiOCks? He told the Saints
to do their duty. and denounced the
stake president for permitting me to go
on with my work.
It was frequently mOIested. At one
time the church was nearly broken up
and the school was scattered. One Sun
day the church was filled It had been
growing from Sunday to Sunday. Brig
ham Young and eight of his apostles
came down there. The next Sunday
preached to just three, and one Of these I
was an infant in arms. The school was
scattered, and it shows the influence /
that was used to break up the work at
that time.
Denies Attacking Mormons
TN the ten years that I preached in /
Utah ] never said one word against /
Mormons. They often tried to draw me /
out. but I stuck to the gospel. Brig /
ham Young maintained that was SOW |
ing the seed of discOrd and confusion. I
It was at this time that he denounced /
Orson Hyde, who was in charge of that I
stake"
A great deal Of attention has been !
attracted to the pamphlet on Mormon /
ism. of which DR.. Mcmillan is the au- 4
thor. and which was the occasion of an I
address in the tabernacle several Sun /
days ago. In this work DR.. Mcmillan {
calls attention to some OF the alleged /
Inconsistencies of the Mormon teach /
ings. He says that the doctrine /
preached in the east is much different /
from that preached in the west. Con-
verts who come here and immigrate to 4
the west discover this fact and are dis
enchanted He says that one of the OBJ
jectiOns to the church is its tendencies
as a political OrganiZat ton The church
Is aware that II is losing power and IS
trying to retain its hold by striving for
political power. ..
It is this testimony. he said, to which
DR.. Thompson referred at Los Angeles
when he Iikened the church 10 an OCtO-
pus His idea was gained from a Con-
gregational map of the United States
in which Utah is represented by a body
Of one of the great sea monsters with
its tentacIes reaching out over the
country. 1t was not to crush MormOns
nor their doctrines, but the political or
ga nizatiOn-the propaganda.
Urges Gentle College.
In one address DR.. Mcmillan took the
position that the Mormon ana Christian
faiths are antagOnistic. and in the other
he made strong plea in favor of a
Gentle college which can take care Of
the graduates prepared at the four
academies in this state. He held that
1IOrmOnism lacks the essential clements
Of Christianity In his interview he
took the position that the church denies
its und esirable features, such as pOlyg-
amy and the blood atOnement until it
is overwhelmed with proof. and then IL
tries to defend its position John Tay-
Tor did this in France with regard to
At that time, said Dr. Nc
MILAN. he had four wives living here
and the revelations favOring pOIygamy
had been uttered in the church only
three months before
Last Wednesday DR.. Mcmillan adj
dressed the graduating class at Wa
satch academy in Mt. Pleasant anI he
gave out the diplomas he was warm
~ received by LOCO people there. many
Of whom were OLD friends and MormOns
among whom he had preached. This
evening he win preach in the West
minister Presbyterian church