The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-15
OBSERVING THEIR WIVES

Angry at the exposure by The Trib-
une of it's libelous arraignment of civ
iliZatlon IN It's pretended citation Of
criminal statistics, the Deseret News
returns to its effort to explain what ia
inexplicable except to those who know
the holy joy with which the Mormon
church organ finds and recites any
thing which tends TO reflect upon the
Christian world outside Of Mornondom
Once more the News insists that II
quoted from other papers; and once
more The Tribuse insists that in the
particularly offensive text as shown by
former quotation in these columns
from the Deseret News, tho matter was
made to appear as an original ed
itorial in the church organ Once more
the News says that 1t made no &C
cusation against all Christianity: and
once more The Tribune relterates that
the News scoffed at the Idea that the
world was growing better, thereby in
dicating its disbelief in the uplifting
power of the Christly example to man
kind.
But the Deseret News reaches It's
usual depth most definitely when 1t
charges that Tho Tribune is an "as-
sailant of Mormons who will not de-
sert the wives whom they married In
the old times OF Utah." and implies
that the anger Of this paper on that
account is the reason for Tho Trlb-
une's attention to the diabolical charge
Of the News against the womanhood
of the United States.
Primarily The Tribune has never as
sailed MormonS for not "deSerting the
wives they took In the old times OF
Utah"-nor does The Tribune desire to
see any man desert any wife" who
has given unto his keeping the hopes
and happiness OF her life. The Trib-
une would be glad II the elite of the
Mormon community did not have more
wives than could receive the conjugal
attention and respect which every gen.
uine man has pledged to woman, to
God, and to unborn generations to pay
TO the woman who bears his name and
his children. Inasmuch az some of the
Mormons, who are prominent In Utah,
still have as a part of their households
''the wives whom they married In the
old times of Utah. The Tribune would
be the last to ask that these devoted
women should be deserted. But. to
quote again the sentiment lnterroga-
lively expressed by Senator Burrows
60
essary for even q Mormon apostle or
elder TO continue to have children by
a plural wife in order to prove that
he has not deserted her. He can be I'm
all respects her supporter. her friend
her love. her trusted and eternal mate
according to their faith-without re-
quiring that she shall bring babes into
the world outside OF the pale of law
and sentimentality, and In explicit de-
flance OF his covenant to the country
and In arrogant and selfish disregard
OF the law, to which he assented. that
leaves thom without Legitimacy.
1t has been a favorite expression with
the Mormon preachers and writer's
this word desert" How horribly It
has been misused by them is shown
/ by a plain recital of the situation be-
fore and after the manifesto. Before
tho manifesto every Mormon who had
moro than one wife was sworn to God
] not TO desert his plural consorts; and
yet. In that period when his own lib
erty was threatened Of he were not
| IN PRISON. as u rule he fled 10 foreign
shores or into retirement where neither
the officers OF the law nor any but the
! favored wife could find him. Then came
the manifesto and the explicit COW
enants made by every polygamist of the
Mormon church that he would no
longer live with his plural Wives; and
| thereupon the most of them began to
live with their plural wives. no matter
how neglectful they had been pre-
viously. And even to this day they
shrek out In pretended horror that The
Tribune and the civilized world desire
that they shall desert the sacred beings
whom they took 10 themselves i'm tho
old times OF Utah. All OF which shows