The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-08-22

incongruitieS Of Morm0nism lies In the
startling discrepancy between the
| character of the majority of the peo-
ple-simple minded, kind, industrious.
| hospitable--and the character of their
beliefs. This incongrulty Is explained
by the fact that the simple minded folk
who constitute the mass of the mem
bership of the Mormon church know
very little and care less about the
startling things they are supposed to
believe. They are still babes. and
their ecclesiastical superiors feed them
only milk.
"rhe Menace of Mormonism" as a
| social and political organization lies
in this very fact Of the subordination
of the mass of the people to the super
Tor knowledge and will of their lead
ers. Mormonism as n religion Is HARM
less to all but it's dupes, but Mormon
ism as social and political organiza-
ton constitutes tremendous and
ever-increaslng power in the hands of
a plotting, scheming coterie Of individ-
uals who are both cunning and ambi-
tious and have both the ability and the
will to use that power to the utmost
in political and business ways.
Mormonism as a religion is incon-
sistent. What Is held as an essential
part of its religious faith at one time
Is cast aside when 1t has served it's
purpose or has become too heavy a
load to carry any longer. and so 1t be-
comes obsolete. One of the commonest
professions in the mouths Of present
day Mormon missionaries and speak
ers at home and abroad, Is: ooh, we
don't believe in those doctrines any
more: we don't practice those things
now" A convenient later revelation
has made corrections in their religion
to suit the opinions of present-day
DIRECTORS. This cannot be said, how
ever. of political aims and policy Of
Mormonisn. They change their re-
ligion If it is good politics, but they
will not modify their political aims for
any mans religion, even their own.
Mormon religion has always been a
subservient handmade to Mormon poll
tics. The early missionaries sent out
by Joseph Smith were colonization
agents. 1t was foremost among the
shrcwd plans of the Mormon prophet
to gather the people together and or
ganize them into Il social and political
body that should be directly and COM
plctcly under the control of the priest
hood of which he was the creator and
moving spirit. How well his plans
worked the history of Mormonism re-
cords with remarkable fidelity. There
has never been an ecclesiastical or
ganizltion or secret society of mod
ern times that has held for so long a
period such an unquestioning. blind
| obedience as has been accorded to the
Mormon priesthood.
| 1t speaks we'll for the persistence OF
purpose that the moving spirits of the
| Mormon church have held tenaciously
to their political aims and purposes in
| spite of every sort of obstacle and all
| forms of opposition. They have been
| derided and treated with contempt, as
| sailed and prosecuted, suffered loss of
property and life, and yet they have
| not modified one whit their claims and
pretensions to being the chosen in
| struments of the Lord OF Hosts to die
tate laws and ordain governments for
all nations of the earth.
| AS president, John Taylor declared:
(, zion is to be the headquarters Of the
| Son of Man at his second coming, and
| the time will come when the Lord our
God will so manifest his power that
every soul upon the face of this west
ern continent that will not believe in
| the Book of Mormon shall be cut off,"
| Those who are left will gladly ac-
| knowledge Zion ana will acknowledge
| the laws that will be literally sent
| forth from Zion to the nations of the