Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-01
MoRMoNS FIGHT FOR FAITH
Determined to Prevent Passage of
Laws Prohibiting Practice of
It's Church Customs.

Where Morponism prevails the women
favor womans suffrage, for, as you may
know, the Mormon wife is at the complete
subjugation of her husband" asserted Miss
Edith Hughes in her address at the First
Presbyterian church yesterday afternoon
in the presence of large number Of club
and women interested in missions. Miss
Hughes is lecturing on the influences of
Mormonism, her work being done under
the auspices of the Woman's Home Mis-
sionary Society of the Presbyterian church.
For three and half years she was a
teacher in the Presbyterian mission schools
in Utah. There she devoted particular
study to the Mormon question and now
is recognized as an authority on the sub
ject and the most valuable lecturer the
board has at this work.
There are 1000 Mormon missionaries
scattered about through the prominent
cities of the United States and we must
begin to look at the whole land as a bat
tie ground rather than UTAH" continued
Miss Hughes. 1.-The Mormon church is
CARRIED in the habiliments OF Christianity
and Christian vocabulary. stranger to
hear them in Utah would not know but
that he was in a Christian church. But
their adaptations of Christian phraseology
have a different meaning to the Nor
mon mind. Most of their converts do not
know what Mormonism IS or means II
is secret, oath-bound society, a religion
of licentious and obscene thoughts and
expressions which are spoken with I'M
punity in their own church. Bad as poly
gamy is it is the whitest bird in the flock
of Mormon evils. AS a rule the minds of
the Mormon women are debauched and de-
graded. They uphold their priesthood as
their best conception of a moral duty 1t
is little better in Salt Lake City, where
Mormonism is on dress parade. There It
keeps up a beautiful exterior in order to
make a good impression. 1t is persistent
and insidious in its work. Disloyalty to
| the Mormon church in Utah is punished by
the boycott They. have begun to recog-
nize the advantage of education, and at the
same time control the public schools OF
| Utah. They send their brightest young
men to the eastern colleges and univer-
! stiles, especially favoring Ann Arbor, and
| when they return these young men Inn
mediately crowd out the Gentle teachers
| of the schools and the seeds of Mormonsm
are propagated throughout the entire pub
| lie school system.
"The Mormon church is a great political
machine organized for making money out
of religion Mormon civil officials con.
troll Utah. The anti-polygamy laws are
not enforced A conviction cannot be had
under them. If a Mormon is indicted fol-
polygamy, he is sent away as a foreign
missionary. The anti-polygamy law was
| made to permit Utah to become a state
| 1t is a dead letter. The Mormons are alb
! solute in obscure places of the extreme
! western states. The Mormon's aim Is e
obtain control OF twelve of the states IL
order to defeat the anti-polygamy amend
ment 10 the constitution of the United
states when such a measure is presented
They know they cannot obtain control II
congress, so they will. by securing twelv,
states defeat the thTee-fourths Requirement
of states to insure the adoption of tn,
amendment They are determined tina
the amendment shall not be ratified. The,
will say polygamy is dying out, but It Il
not. They are seeking to become stronJ
enough 10 tie the hand OF congress and
will succeed unless public sentiment Il
awakened to the danger"