The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-17
IS SMOoT A FOE TO PoLYGAMY7

a virulept-SSmoot mouthpieCe makes
and continues Hhelous assaults upon
Mr.. Sleater, an American nominee for
| the Legislature, charging that he is
| polygamist. We do not know why
these attacks are made upon Mr.. Sleat'
er, nor why they are persisted in, since
the one making them must be fully
aware that they are misdirected and
false. NJ. Sleater, whatever may have
| been his domestic relations a great
many years ago, has ever since the
manifesto, and before it for that mat
ter, been in complete accord with the
law, living moral life and having no
marital relations which the strictest
law could condemn.
This long and Yiruleut assault upon
Mr.. SleaFer evidently is remnant of
the cid spirit here which ostracised,
boycotted, and excommunicated mem
bers of the Mormon church who, hav-
ing been found guilty Of unlawful CO.
habitation, promised to the judge OF
the court before whom they were con-
victed, that heuceforth. they would
obey the law. The case of Bishop
John Sharp illustrates that ostracism,
aud will be well remembered. Mr..
Sharp had been polygamist, but hav-
ing been convicted of his offense, made
the promise to the Judge that thence.
forth lie would obey the Law and adjust
his. domestic relations in accord there
with, For this he was assailed as a
traitor by the Deseret News, the
church took away from him his ecclcs-
iastical position, and he was under the
cloud of church condemnation from
thenceforth until the day of his death.
This fierce resentment at any one who
would agree to abide by the law and
come within its provisions in his do,
mestic life was so severely, SO notori-
ously and so traltorously and certainly
applied to every one who would give in
his adherence to the law, that reign
of terror was established, and very
few OF those found guilty of unlawful
cohabltatlon had the nerve to face the
anathemas Of the church and agree to
conform to the law. It is a remnant OF
citation and hate towards those who are
willing TO conform to the law and
abandon their former defiance of it,
which now actuates those who are pur.
suing Mr.. Sleater.
By the way, how does it come that
polYgamy is so odious to this mouth.
piece of Smootisn? Why is it that
man, even though polygamist, has to
be put under the harrow and lashed
with the whip of scoru as is now done
in the case of Mr.. Sleater2 Is poly
gamy SO odious to Smoot that anyone
living IN it must be boycotted at the
polls and held up to public scorn and
obloquyl Is polygamy, in his view, an
unforgiveable offense, to be publicly
pilloried? 1t must be so or else there
would not be these attacks upon Mr
Sleater. The only other alternative is
as suggested above, the visitation of
vengeance and hatred upon him be-
cause many years ago he abandoned
the polygamous relation and squared
his life according to law, If he is to
be scornfully berated for being poly. |
gamist, and held up to the public as
worthy Of abuse and defeat, what will
the Smoot mouthpiece have to say of
those who have not quit their poly !
gamous lswlessness, but who continue
1t, and counsel others also to defy the
law7