Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-08-13
SLEEP
in HAY
COCKS
Marion County Farmers Not
HoSpitable to Mormon
Elders


not take very kindly to the band Of
six young Mormon elders, who are
travelling without purse or script,
teaching the doctrine of Joseph
Smith, to the Gentle in these parts.
Although the young elders are not
destitute, and have money to pay
for food and lodging, they do not al
ways get these commodities when
they ask for them, and last week,
while carrying the gospel out in the
county, they also carried the banner
on several occasions.
"Skiddo," said the farmer, when
they asked for accommodations.
Six young men from Utah, south
ern Idaho and Wyoming are in Mar
ion county now defending the faith
OF their fathers. They are Harry
Bitton, w. H. Anderson, Daniel
Kicks, W. H. Huntington, Earl Balls
and James L. Lindsey. All of them
are college men, and are we'll edu-
Gated, well behaved, we'll appearing
! and intelligent young men.
The belong to what is termed the
| Northwest mission and report to
headquarters in Seattle and Port
| land.
There are a great many Mormons
in Oregon, most of them in Baker,
Wasco and Union counties, where a
division of the church called Stake
is maintained. For the Stake of
Union splendid tabernacle has been
built in LaGrande, and in each of a
number of subdivisions of this Stake
are commodious meeting houses
, Union and Baker counties are no
longer under the auspices of the mis-
sion, but are organized as integral
parts of the church. and are self
sustaining. With two or three mil
lionaries in the fold they should be.
The Mormon church maintains
about 1000 missionaries in the field
all the time. Any intelligent young
Mormon of good moral character, is
| liable to mission duty. and when
called, he generally goes and fur
thermore, he pays his own expense,
or the family pays it for him. The
church will stand for the price of a
return ticket and a free copy of the
'Descret News" and that's about all.
The young Mormon missionaries
are aggressive. They are all the time
telling of the restoration of the true
gospel by the prophet, Joseph Smith,
who found a book of golden plates
under a rock. somewhere in New
York state. which he translated by
means of a seer stone. This was
the book Of Mormon. Joseph did
not stop at that but continued to |
have relations from the Almighty. !
He was succeeded by Brigham |
Young, who also had revelations. 1t |
is part of the faith that the presi-
dent of the church gets direct reve-
lations from on high at any and all
times when needed. A good Mormon
must believe that Joseph Smith gets
revelations from God, and he teaches
it. Joseph f. in his testimony in the
Smoot case in Washington, admitted
that he had never had any direct con-
with the Lord. but a good
Mormon must believe that he did all
right anyway.
The mission system Is the strong
est thing in the Mormon church, and
ii is today. the one thing that is
holding 1t together. They make
but comparatively few converts
in the United States. but the fact
that 1000 of their best and brightest
young men are thrown on the world
10 defend the faith, every year, and
then come back to Desedet, bigger.
better and broader men. is the one :
hing that solidifies Zion.
The young elders preach a pretty
theology that is lived uD to by its
adherents In all things, except in the
matter of polygamy. The laws of the
and and a very convenient revela-
ion from God to the prophet has
stopped that. And now young 7
Mormon manages to skirmisn along
IS best he can. with only one partner
or his joys and sorrows.
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