The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-07-18
A Polygamous Wife.
NV dear Laura:

A Polygamous Wife.
My dear Laura:
I am sitting in the lovely cham
Der which Lula has prepared for
me during my stay with her: land
as I look from it's windows, a
beautiful panorama is spread out
before me. Over yonder is the
great Mormon temple, beautiful
for situation, even as the Temple
of old, and, like it, sheltering so
much of evil that we long for a
Master in this day to come in
and purge it Of it's deflement.
The more I see of this Nor
manism, the more I recognize
the transcendent cunning of it's
Infamous founders. Keen to read
poor, simple human nature, they
have built up a system, of kingly
oppression in the name of a bo-
gus and man-made religion which
like huge cancer, is eating into
the very life Of our fair republic.
The revenues of this ruling
czar of Mormonism must be i'm
mense, as he exacts a tenth of
the earnings Of every Mormon
subject-be they civil, industrial,
or educational, a continual.stream
quite apart from the support Of
the church at, large. It is no
wonder that Brigham Young and
his successors could live in orr
7ental luxury and die rich when a
gullible people could be so easily
and successfully heeced.
Not only is polygamy (the un-
speakable degradation of women)
a menace and corruption, but the
entire system also, and clarion
call should ring throughout our
country until the powers at
Washington are fully aroused to
the need of immediate and dras
tic measures. ] can see that the
cloud Of oppression is rising
over this beautiful home in
which am a guest. and Lula look
ed up anxiously when Mr.. Tuck
er came in to lunch. He had a
worried, perplexed look which I
was sorry to see on his frank,
genial face.
'sWill is so outspoken," Lula
said to me after lunch was over
and the children gone back to
school. 'sSince this senatorial
matter has been under consider
alton he has come under the ban
of the church more fully than
ever before. It has seemed so
dreadful to him that our fair
state should be represented in
the national councils by a man
who is sworn, and doubly sworn,
to obeyand uphold the church,
first, last, and all the time in
preference to his country, that
be has expressed himself more
forcibly than is safe.''
"Then you do not consider a
Mormon apostle a fit subject for
senatorial honors?" l asked.
How can he be?" Lula inquir-
ed warmly. ''The very nature
of the terrible oath which an
apostle takes disqualifes him for
a good citizen even. to say moth
ing of making the laws of the
nation. The apostles are pledged
to bend every influence to the
building up of the Mormon re-
ligion; to oppose unalterably
every law which would lessen or
curtail it's power; to hang like a
dead weight on every effort to
reform it's abuses. Is such a man
the one we want to make the
laws for all the people?"
cit was a cunning move to get
such a representative elected, .
I said. ''I do not pretend to un-
derstand Mormon politics, but I
can readily see where such a
power at headquarters could
make himself useful, with his
unspoken allegiance to h is
church overriding his patri-
otism."
ssJust so, Mabel. 1t is what
we fear-the wheel within a
wheel, to strengthen the already
dangerous power of this wicked
hierarchy. You can see the
meaning of polygamy, Mabel:
Not alone indulgence but rapid
increase in power, as unlimited
numbers Of children are born to
be reared up in the church. This
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