Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-20
"rHE SUN" OUT OF IT'S ORBIT


The New York Sun INDUCES In some
mixed remarks on the announcement
at the late Conference, concerning the
attitude Of the Mormon Church as TO
plural marriages, The Sun attempts to
be humorous and succeeds In being Sill
~. II affects to be unable TO see any
sincerity In the renuncation OF THE
practice Of polygamy," unless II Is fol-
lowed by the abandonment OF Keeping
up several establishments, We are
sorry TO see the Sun under such
cloud OF Misunderstanding and obscure
~ OF dlscernment. Is It possible that It
is unable to see any difference between
entering into new plural family rela'
tlons and maintaining the old?
We do not suppose the sun means that
It's objections are really TO the keeping
up of several establishments and that
It would be better pleased II the several
families It speaks of were housed In
one establishment. II would In such
case no doubt revive the old cry about
.harems" But what would please the
New York lumlnary that says 1t SHINES
for all?" Should the husbands Of plural
wives married "before the manifesto
repudIate them ali but one? Would So
oIety be any better for the changer 10
anybody In New York hurt very much
because few much-marrled Nor
mons" do not sever their family rela-
tions, and follow the example OF large
numbers of men In various parts OF the
country, by rcpudating women with
whom they have lived and dlsownlng
their children?
II the sun would examine the En-
abllng act by which Utah became
State Of the Union, II would see that
the only condition exacted as to this
question was that the constitution
should declare that 'polygamous or
plural marriages are forever prohibit"
ed" That provision is in the state
constitution and Is fortified by leg
islation against such marriages the
requirement stopped there, intention
ally, because the men who framed
those instruments saw that by compile
once herewith, polygamy would be
effectualy barred for the future, ana
the families already in that status
world gradually pass off without any
needlessly oppressive measures for It's
extinction. These are the facts, and
the institution now s OF such small
dimensions that there Is no need for
any fuss about II, except as an expedi'
ent by which needy pulpiteers can
raise money among the uniformed,
and over-pious people may have a
hobby ON which to ride to notorlety
The sun wants to know whether It
was possible that "the Church has
been hoodwinked bv vlolotors OF the
Woodruff manifesto" 1t seems to think
that the Church must know Of such
cases and be very Flax and careless
in not cooperating with the federal
prosecutor" The "Mormons' are too
busy to be prying into other peoples
affairs, and have no relish for spot
ters." Does the sun know the moral
status and personal doings OF It's neigh
bcrs In New York and even Of It's own
stan and employees 10 the churches
IN Gotham Cooperate with the fed.
eral prosecutor In hunting ont and
Furnishing nfractIons Of the law I'm
that wonderfully holy city? And by
the by, what would the federal prose-
cutor' have to do with such cases,
anyhow, either In the State OF New
York or the state Of Utah?
We fear the sun Is under az much
obscurity on that point az on the other
that we have mentioned. And, candid.
IT, are there not evils Of much greater
magnitude right under rs full beams,
than those that exist away out here
IN Utah, even taking for facts its own
exaggerated and magnIned notion
about Mormon family affairs? The
rays Of the sun should be- turned on
"the beam close to it's face instead
OF upon "the mote In distant Utah.