The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-21
THE MANIFESTO.

0 | ChurCh as having Salos Do YOU no'
? understand that the manifesto was onl,
. a trick devised to beat the devil at his
: own game?'
No matter what any apostle may
have said. no matter what may have
, been the mental reservations by a few
no matter what may have been the
evasiols Of the manifesto which inhib-
ited further plural marriage. The Trib-
| une believes that President Wilford
Woodruff and the chief men of the
church, in promulgating that docu-
ment, and the mass OF the Mormon
people. in accepting it. were entirely
sincere
| The circumstances under which that
notable revelation" was produced all
demonstrate that good faith was in
tended In the beginning and that a vio-
lation of covenant was without the
poor excuse that the manifesto had
been issued 10 beat the devil at his
own game"
In 1890 the Mormon people were about
TO be disfranchIsed en- masse. Presi-
dent Wilford Woodruff and other lead
ers of the church authorized a pledge
to James G. Blaine, OrYille II. Platt,
Isaac S. Struble. Shelby NJ. Cullom and
other prominent men in this country
/ that If the Struble-Cullom antlMor-
mon bill could he stayed there would
be, at an early time, an official pro-
nounCement by the church inhibiting
| further violations of the laws against
! polygamous marriages and poygamous
| relations. The statement was made
(and the language of the manifesto
proves this) that for some time pre-
vioUs the president OF the church had
practically suspended the permission or
authorization to enter plural marriage
and. that to prevent any violation of
the order. the endowment house, where
such ceremonies were supposed to take
place, had been torn down. In fact. II
was current understanding. among
those who were entrusted with a pre-
sentation of this matter at Washing
ton, that the long fasting and prayer Of
President Woodruff had brought him
into communion with the Most High.
and that he WAS acting under the inspi- |
ration OF the Almighty in suspending |
plural marriage ceremonies-even be-
fore the manifesto was crystallized into |
words. Charles w. Penrose himself ut
tered this idea as far back as 1883, when |
he was I'm Washington TO get amnesty |
for himself and to secure a mitigation
OF the rigorous prosecutions against
polygamiSts generally.
The matter of the manifesto was dis
cussed frequently previous to the issu-
ance of the formal document There
seemed 10 be a fear that II it were
made too direct, too severely manda-
tory in its language. the mass OF the
Mormon people might be disinclined to
accept It, The opponents, Of whom
there were some high in authority In
the church, believed or pretended to
believe, that every woman who was I'm
plural marriage would rebel and that,
In fact, polygamy was the keystone TO
the arch and If withdrawn the struc-
ture would topple. Hence the peculiar
and somewhat equivocal language OF
the document. To re-enforce it. how
-NNi, W 'iidhe us tlletl SlIOT1R Mnc1e ltS |
own language was weak, Lorenzo
Snow, then president of the quorum of |
the apostles-under instructlon-moyed |
before the conference that the mani
festo be accepted as the word of God. |
thereby constituting the document as a
revelation from the Almighty To the :
surprise of some. il was accepted with I
lnanlmi;y, and from that time forward
I was used as a plain, direct, positive
from God Of further plural
marriage and Of further polygamous
living. The proofs of this statement
ire countless. Joseph f Smith and
'thers swore that the manifesto meant
'efore the master In chancery on a !
matter All the people OF c
Jtah. Gentlles and Mormons. accepted [
in this light The Mormon church +
eaders stocd upon this construction g
nd this acceptance when they ap- b
ealed to President Harrison for gem
raj amnesty. based upon a solemn p
ovenant to obey the law OF the land n
gainst plural marriage and polyea- Y
nous living. n
1t may be that Joseph F. Smith and p
ONE others had but a brief hour OF u
lncerity. 1t may be that they felt that
heir promises were axtortc1 from t
hem: but President Wilford Woodruff s
nd others lived that manifesto, as IL e
'as construed. In letter and In spirit I,
here are living today many witnesses [!
'ho heard President Wilford Woodruff d
cstify In social assemblage that the o
lanifesto was the law of God to the o
lormon people and must be obeyed. G
Now, as to those who had a mental W
eseTvation or whose time OF sincerity CT
as extremely brief. or who afterward d
'ok shelter under the plea that their n
lbmisson to the manifesto had been ii
storted by their enemies what shall ir
e said Of them? They accepted all the In
enefits which came from supposed G
oedience; they and their families were
D longer In fear of the law: they catno a,