Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-21

foot OF great granite mountain Is IT.
self living tribute to the character
of the people. II Is the town of Farm
ington the county seat Of Davis coun-
~, and It has a population of 1000. This
is It's boast: II has within its bounds
no saloon, billiard hall, drug store,
doctor or lawyer, 1t needs none OF
them.
"A Jail has stood in its midst for six
months with open doors.
THE DAYS OF POLYGAMY.
when polygamy was In flower, II
was not praotised for the qualification
Of immortality. No one who has asso-
ciated with the Mormons and given any
thought to their character can believe
this.
"A band Of the faith went TO the vast
desert TO build their temple. They fol-
lowed biblical injunction of taking
unto themselves more wives that they
might increase their population with
greater rapidity. Polygamy was by
no means fundamental principle OF
their faith any more than slavery was
principle Of any religion taught IN the
south. They gave II up when u be-
came dIstasteful to their neighbours
and they are now themselves glad OF
its eradication. II is now q dead issue,
as dead a one as slavery, and there Is
no more desire OF Mormons to return
10 Il than there Is Of the south so back
to the days Of bondage.
HON. REED sMooT.
"There Is no name that stands higher
with the Mormon people today than
that OF Reed Smoot. He Is TO his
people the personIficatlon OF all that
Is grand, mentally and morally.
"He is not polygamist, never was,
and never advocated II. There Is not a
brighter mind In America, nor man
that IS his peer In moral character.
He has one wife. no more nor mas
he ever had or wanted others,
"He Is traduced and maligned and
the humiliation he has been subjected
to at Washington is nought but con-
temptible farce. The truth will prevail
and Reed Smoot will rise above his
caluminators.
MORMON" CHARACTERISTICS.
His word IL as good as his bond,
IL nowhere, so far as | know, as APP |
plIcable as with the Mormons. Any |
merchant or business man OF that Sec |
ton requires no other guarantee for |
credit than that Of being n good
Mormon
Mr. Wilson has PERSONAL reasons TO
know the truth of the above. In |
dealing with dozens OF Mormon" men, |
where verbal contracts only existed, |
he never found one to devlate the |
slightest no matter hows great his
temptation TO have done 80 may have
been.
There are many practises IN the
private life OF the Mormon that |
might be emulated, Mr.. Wilson thinks,
by the rest OF mankind with great pro-
III TO the world.
The families of children are exceed
ingly large, and II Is not unusual 10 |
find dozen healthy youngsters In one
househOld--not the products OF polyg-
amy either one good old Mormon
woman who passed TO the great be-
yond, and whose funeral he attended,
was borne to her grave by eight OF her
sons as pallbearers. They were great,
broad. shouldered, honest faced boys
and no more loving hands ever laid the
remains OF a mother to rest
A custom that once strikes the
stranger as peculiar Is that OF paying
tlthes to the Church, Every Mormon
gives one-tenth of his production. II
may be one-tenth of the yield OF his
farm, one-tenth OF his wage In a fac
tory or one-tenth OF the income OF bis
store.
The children OF Brigham Young are
numerous and are everywhere leaders,
Tho name of Young stands highest In |