The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-01
PREVARICATION CROWD.

The Seattle Posi-Gntelligcnccr, in an
article reprinted in Tie Tribune this
morning under the title, "Apostle
Smith, the Unmartyred, " takes very
clear view of Mormon polygamy in gem
eral and the recent judicial proceedings
| against Smith in particular.
With one expression of the editorial
article of the Intelligencer the majority
of Mormons will be angered and will
take violent issue, IT is that "prevari
cation, deception or the lie direct con-
stitutes a virtue and proof of doc
trinal faith. -
Every time this accusation is made
against the hierarchy or their initiative
| followers they become very indignant.
Some of them speak OF the incubation
of the principle Of truth in all their
teachings to the youth of Zion and I'M
| all their missionary work abroad. But
one has merely to consider events which
are part of recent history to be as
sured that the Intelligcncer has not c1
aggeratcd the awful situation.
The pledge TO the Government is
treated as sanciti6ed lie by the hier-
archy and their favorites, Ten thousand
times the excuse has been made that the
covenant was given under duress: that
Abraham had lied and he was the friend
of God; that the prophets of the church
had right to mislcad their enemies in
order to escape traps.
The church organs and the hierarchs
lied when they said poIygamy was not
permitted by tho sanction of the
church; and they denounced as traitors
and apostates those men within the
church and as prosecutors and enemies
those men without the church who said
that polygamy had been restored. II
was virtue to cover by falsehood the
resucitation Of the crime; it was an as
sault upon truth to denounce it. When
1t was announced that two apostles were
to be dropped from their quorum be-
cause they had been found out in new
polygamy Apostle Reed Smoot was per-
| mitted to use that fact at Washington
TO prove that the church was opposed
TO polygamy; but here at home in Utah
| il was publicly announced in the church
organs and from the church pulpits that
these men were removed because they
were out of harmony with their council
Not one word was uttered through the
| church organs or from the pulpits of the
Mormon church to the effect that these
individuals had offended in any way
against the teachings and the principles
Of the church.
When Smith appears before the court
for sentence he delivers a carefully pre-
pared statement which is falsehood
from beginning to end. He says that
he did not give the Interpretation TO
the manifesto which declared it to in
hibit plural marriage living; and yet
this same man has twice sworn on the
witness stand to the precise fact that
the manifesto did prohibit polygamous
living and that he is bound by it if he
would obey a revelation said to have
been received from his God.
The Post-Intelligencer is not exagger-
ating. Fraud, deception and prevari-
cation arc the foundation stones Of the
present Mormon government. Reed
Smoot, apostle and Senator, is tainted
by the same thing-more than tainted,
he walows in it, The Gentle support
ciatcs of the hierarchy. are well aware
that they eyade the facts constantly:
that they gloss over the community
crime; and that either from self.interest
or desire not TO become informers,
they are acting as protectors Of poly
gamy, political domination by the
church and the most blasphemous graft
ing of the poor by rich priests that has
been known since the dark ages
Nor is the Post tIntelligencer arguing
unrcasonably when it refers to the iu-
diclal proceedings in the Smith case
The judge who administered the sen,
tence, making the punishment fine of
three hundred dollars, said that "the
defendant was arraigned for the first
time, and that Gin case Of repeti
ton Of the offense he would impose
much greater penalty And this by
Gentle Judge TO, n man who has
taught and practiced polygamy for
forty years and who, since he gave his
solemn covenant to the Government.
has lived continuously with five wives
and has brought thirteen children into
the world as result of his polyga.
nous cohabitation. And this os the
man whose example teaches polygamy
TO three hundred and fifty thousand
followersl
No wonder the Post-Intelligencer
uses the word "connlvingl
GREENWATERI