Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-27
TRAFFIC IN PLURAL WIVES.

What is construed as a menace to
the schoolgirls OF New York city has
just been revealed through Informal
ton which has reached a prominent
educator In a letter from Salt Lake
city The revelation Is that the Nor
mon missionaries whose work has late
ly caused so much protest are paid for
their work after their return TO Utah
II is stated that s. is paid for every
Girl over sixteen who becomes a con-
vert ana II the missionary succeeds
In placing her-lurlng her to I'LL an
order for plural wlfe-she Is worth
from $40 to $50 to him.
THE letter, which comes from man
who was formerly Mormon and one
who Il closely allied In friendship with
the heads Of the Mormon Church, Il In
reply to questions on existing conditions
among the sect, which the New York
educator. In the interests Of the schools
Is now investigating. The letter says,
Every missionary gets 10 much per
convcrt--if he gets them to Utah. The
missionary makes from $500 to $500
for his term. / can point out at least 300
Mormons In Salt Lake City who have
from two 70 five wives Plural wives
are az much In vogue az they We're
twenty-five years ago.
:" Il hope most sincerely that your
work will be the salvation OF the lgno-
rant women of your state and nation.
In the name OF common sense and hui
mainly do what you can for the ig-
norant.'
"The statements regarding the fate
awaiting young girls who listen TO the
Elders were startling.
Commenting on the letter, the Rev.
DR.. Duncan j. Mcmillan. Of the New
York Presbyterian church, al Seventh
avenue and One Hundred and twenty
eighth street, protested that there was
no doubt as Ia the accuracy Of the
writer's information, He said that here
In the east the bare truth would be
regarded as unbelievable
The foregoing tissue Of amazing
falsehoods WAS actually published In
the New York World, Of Jan, 10, and
has appeared In other Gotham papers.
II IL astonishing that any public Jour
nal with ambition to be considered re-
liable would print such palpable abb
surdItes If the Archhend, scriptural-
Iy called the Father Of Hes" had been
melted to furnish something peculiar
~ in his line, nothing worse than that
letter from Salt Lake could have ema'
mated from the "bottomless pit" There
is not a single truth or u shadow of
excuse for the lbels in the entire COM
muncaton,
The fact that the missionaries Of the
mormon" Church not only pay their
own way to the helds Of labor assigned
10 them, but travel without purse or
scrip" and without any pay for their
services. or pccunIary reward for
their time, talents, success or failure,
~ too well known by all classes Of peo-
pie I'm this state to be matter Of doubt
Their self.sacrhcc Is proyerblal. APP
probation Of their faithful work is not
gagged by the number Of their converts
nor are they specially engaged In bring
ing or inducing people to come to Utah.
Neither IL It particularly desirable that
women rather than men shall embrace
the gospel they preach or emlgrate TO
these wales,
There are hosts OF unmarried girls
and women In Utah, as fair and at
tractiVe and as sui,cd'to be wives and
mothers as amy IN Europe or America.
They form Il social problem very AIM
cult of solution They are ready for
matrlmony hut lack the opportunity
There Ia no need to swell their ranks
by immigration, The young men are
urged to enter the matrimonial state,
that these splendid specimens Of bud
ding womanhood may not waste their
lives insngle loneliness. The oppon-
cnts OF the "Mormon's who, without
proof charge that there have been
plural marriages here since statehood
was obtained, admit that such cases
have been very rare indeed and that
even they are OF doubtful reality.
The notion that the Mormon
Church is engaged IN gathering people
OF either sex to Utah or that the Elders
urge converts to leave their native
lands or offcr inducements Of any kind
for this purpose, Is utterly fallaclous,
Influence Is actually used to persuade
them to stay where they are, for some
time at least, to aid in the work In
those Localities. Instructions are given
to the Elders to this end. We find the
following advice to the members OF the
Church In Europe IN the Millennal
Star Of January Z 1904 published In
Liverpool, England Il is IN the fare
well address OF President T., NJ, Lyman
OF the Twelve Apostles at the close OF