Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-20
WHAT THE pledges" WERE

" 80
The chief local anu."Mormon'
spokesman enumerates six pledges
OF tho Mormon" leaders upon
which" It says, Utah received her
Statehood
on careful examination, they are mar
rowed down 10 three propositions
I. That plural marriages We're to
cease
2. That "the Church would not ate
tempt to dominate In affairs of ihe
state"
g. That "the church leaders would
no longer artagoul2e the sentiment Of
the United states
For the sake Of the argument ~e
viii accept this statement OF the al-
legged pledges as correct and m do
ing SO. we repeat. with the greatest pos
slble emphasis that neither the Church.
nor the Church leaders have at any
time violated any pledge
In the frat place the church leaders
have never "antagoni2ed the sentiment
of the United States whatever that
may mean So they have not broken
that pledge. The Church leaders have
never had any quarrel with the coun.
try. or the government The enemies
of the church have, at times almost
succeeded, by misrepresentation In
arraying the entire country against
the Church but the Church and its
leaders remained loyal well knowing
that the day Of ylndlcatIon would
surely come. There s mo- better proof
OF this statement than the history OF
the Mormon people That history
viii stand as an irrefutabe testimony
10 the integrity and loyalty and patri-
otlsm OF the "Mormons,' when The bl-
za,qe tales Of apostates about 'oaths
Of vengeance are forgotten. together
win the orginators Of them, He who
ever saw Mormon missionary
abroad. and noticed the thrill Of JOY
with which he looked upon the Amerl-
ran Tag. or heard an American tune.
viii never again speak Of Mormon
ontaeonlsm to the sentiment Of the
United states. But the trouble Is That
some of the local prosecutors assume
that they are the American people and
mat they control the American govern
ment. II they dld not strike that false
attitude. their little war upon the
Church would appear less grotesque.
In the second place. the church has
never attempted "to dominate in the az
fairs OF the state" The church AFFAIRS
are handled IN the proper conferences
and church meetings and the affairs OF
the state are settled I'm the political
meetings as In every other state The
inslnuatlon that the onahs Of the
church and state are mixed IN Utah or
that Church leaders have endeavored
10 claim any other kind OF political in-
nuence than that which belongs to eve
IN American citizen is utterly false. lt
has no foundation Do fact Especially
has President Joseph r smith been go
careful I'M the exercise Of his political
preroeatIyes as am American citizen.
that A isa well established conviction
among non. "Mormons' and 'Mormons'
alike chat his sole desire is TO avoid
oven the appearance OF o1ense m this
matter. So much for that alleged
pledge.
put the vnIfyers OF tine Church De-
pend more especially upon the Mani
festo. forblddng plural marriages.
rhey have searched ths houses of the
living. and overturned Che tomostones
or the dead So their frantic efforts 10
find. n only one ease that would serve
their purpose But In vain
As has been shown In these columns
several times the general understand
ing was that mo- more plural marriages
we're 10 be solomni2ed The entire
church, ln solemn conference. agreed
to that by accepting The Manifesto az
Am expression of tine Divine WILL
through President Wuioid woodruff
The country at large accepted that
opledgc" as made On good faith ana &C.
was generally understood that the pIur-
al marriage problem would solve ITSELF
as tho older generation passed away
and no new marriages OF that nature
were contracted This was the pledge
And II has been unscrupuousIy kept
and VIII be kept
We do NOT now defend the practice of
plural marriage, but we would ask
those set-rlghieous persons who hay
nothing but condemnation for their fcl
lowmen who differ with them ON any
subject TO consider that the doctrine
Of plural marriage was accepted by the
church leaders and members, al a time
when there was no law against Il here.
as am efficient remedy against the In
desorbahle evils that are almost con.
Stunning the world. God" It was said
"desires to build up IN the midst N
these mountains the healthlest purest
and moit powerful people In the world"