The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-01-21


That Mormonlsm constitutes a real
- danger to the republic and that 1t
is a growing rather than a decreasing
peril is shown In this sermon, the text for
which the preacher takes from Isaiah iii,
70. They declare their sin as Sodom; they
hide it not
The study of the lives Of great men has
always been with me a great passion.
Next to reading the works Of the great
authors and the speeches Of the great
orators I have always had longing to
know how these leaders Of thought looked
and lived and acted in their public and
private lives. Thus as young man when
[ had the opportunity of entertaining in
our home DR.. Bydon Sunderland, who
was to preach in the Brooklyn tabernacle
a couple of Sundays l literally pumped
the old man dry of all his "reminiscences.
Great was his well of information and
personal experiences.
DR.. Byron Sunderland for nearly half
century had been a resident of Wash
ngton He was not only known as the
pastor of presidents, but for years he had
been chaplain of the United States SEN
ate. Webster and Clay and Benton and
Pierce anu Lincoln and Conkling and
Blaine, ali the mighty political giants
north, south. east and west, had been his
intimate friends or acquaintances Hour
after hour would speed by as the old man
talked to me- l remember well the last
night we were together. 1t was nearly l
o'clock in the morning when l SAID. Lr.
Sunderland, you have Deen describing to
me many men. Tell me the strongest
personality you have ever known" Then
the old man said
The scene was not in Washington; 1t
was In Salt Lake City; he was Brigham
Young Many years ago the Mormon
church challenged the gentiles to de-
bate and some of the leading ministers
of the east took up the challenge. Bishop
John p. Newman of the Methodist church
and myself were delegated to meet the
Mormon representatives. The debate took
place In the Mormon tabernacle, which
holds some 10000 auditors The debate
had been going on for some days, and we
had come to the closing night. Bishop
Newman was summing up and making his
peroration. With the skill of an accom-
plished orator he was wheeling his facts
into line, and he said substantially:
Therefore, II this is 80 and If that is so
and II the other thing Is so, then we are
forced to the conclusion that Mormonism
libertinism and wholesale fraud! Ten
thousand angry men and women instantly
leaped to their feet and began TO press
down toward the platform. The cry was
taken up everywhere: Lynch him! Lynch
him. Kill him. Stab the heretic's heart!
Kin himl Lynch him now!
II sat beside Newman at the time"
continued Dr.. Sunderland. Il did not
see one avenue of escape. Suddenly
E.,.,r l,aY nd cfo To ia
front of the platform He swung his
arm out over that cursing swearing, an
cry mob and uttered just two words,
sit DOWN. They dropped into their seats
as the grain falls before the hiss of the
scythe. That was to me the most mar
velous scene l ever witnessed AS / came
under the leaders spell 1 realized that he
was one of the greatest of men and one
of the most dangerous, II not the most
dangerous, to American liberties who had
ever trodden American soil"
What Byron Sunderland said to me over
fifteen years ago was absolutely true.
Brigham Young was one of the greatest
and one of the most corrupt men who ever
lived on American soil. His evil influence
is bringing forth its baleful harvest today.
l have been to Salt Lake City. 1 have
carefully read many of the books written
both for the advocacy and for the con-
demnation of Mormonism, and from the
mass of conglomerate testimony into
which l have delved l can come but to
one conclusion-that Joseph Smith was a
crack Drained eplleptic, who, with his fits
of hysteria. was just the man for little
while to appeal to the ignorant and SUI
perstltious people with whom he came In
contact. But Joseph Smith could never
have created the Mormon church 1t
needed more than an epileptc visionary
to do that. No sooner was Joseph Smith
dead (and he died some fifteen years after
he had begun to proclaim himself
prophet than this monster manipulation,
this modern Blue Beard this leprous
Frankenstein, this robber of mems gold
and OF womens morals. Brigham Young
stepped forward and gathered together
Smiths crazed followers and nodded them
together into social organism of which
he was to be the chief blood-letting vam-
pire. And all that Brigham Young stood
for fifty years ago the present head of the
Mormon church stands for today, though
the claw may have temporarily sunk out
of sight in the soft flesh of the tigers
paw.
Stands the Same Today.
To show that the Mormon church today
stands exactly where 1t did in Brigham
Youngs time I would quote part of the
interview which Irving Sayford had
few months ago with one Of the chief
men of the hierarchy. Mariner W. Mer-
rill is one of the twelve apostles.
Question: Mr. Merrill, have any Of the
doctrines or covenants in the Mormon
faith been altered or modified in any re-
spect in recent years, or do the principles,
doctrines and covenants stand today pre-
cisely where they have always stood?'
Answer: There have been no changes
made"
Question: "If that is so, why has the
Mormon church repudiated the principle
of polygamy as witnessed in the manifes-
to of 1902
Answer: you are under misapprehen-
sion. The Mormon church has not repu-
dated the principle of polygamy. Under
the manifesto the Mormon church merely
set aside temporarily the practice or plu-
raj marin ge-laid Il on the shelf for the