The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-11-27
THE NEWS ON VANCE.

entirely misrepresents that writer. The
News is too cowardly to print
| the article and permit its readers to
| Judge of the merit of the argument ad-
| duced by Vance and to weigh. in con-
| junction with the argument, the reply
| of the church organ. Following its
almost invariabie practice. 1t places its
own construction upon the writer s
language and ideas, and then demolishes
its own misrepresentation.
Gilbert Vance, born of Mormon
parentage, baptized in the church,
| reared in the church, married in the
church, has withdrawn from the COM
munion because neither In precept nor
practice did the church satisfy the
wants Of his soul. In character he is
irreproachabIe; in mentality and cul-
ture he is far beyond the chief prophet.
He is an idealst; and, in writing to
The Tribune, be gave a demonstration
of the tendency within the Mormon
church for return to polygamy. He
speaks without prejudice, and solely
with desire to establish truth for
social guidance. His letter was warn
ing; its statements of facts are IN
disputable; its conclusions are ire
fragable in their logic.
To reinforce ITS absurd claim that
the church has not returned to
polygamy, and that it will not 80 re-
turn, the News ignores all the facts
of current history. 1t does not explain
why the latest edition of the Doctrine
and Covenants of the Mormon church,
the chief standard work of that orga-
nization, published in this year, CON
tains the mandatory revelation on
polygamy and does not contain the
manifesto inhibiting that practice. The
News does not explain away the various
polygamous marriages which have
been entered into by apostles of the
Mormon church, and which have been
amply proved by the testimony of
leading Mormons themselves. 1t does
not explain why no one Of these men
has been excommunicatcd because of
such misconduct it does not explain
why none of these men has been pun
ished by the law of the land or by the
ecclesiastical courts. Instead of do
ing this, the Deseret News quotes
part of paragraph from the
speech of Senator Dubois of Idaho. be-
fore the United States Senate in 1903
The miserable and cowardly character
of the Descret News is shown by It's
manner of treating Senator Dubois aud
the general subject. 1t prints the fol
lowing language, which the Senator
uttered in reply 10 the inquiry of Sena-
tor Hale:
There is question about it. and l will
say 10 the Senator owing 20 The active part
which we took in that iercc contest in Idaho
l. with others who had made the fight
thought we were justified in making this
promise 90 the Mormon people. We had no
authority Of law. bur we took il upon our.
selves 20 assure them that those older men
VINO were living IN polyganous relation. who
mad growing families which they had reared
and were rearing before the manifesto
issued, and at time when they thought
they had right under the Constitution to
enter into polygImous relation-that those
older men and women and their children
should not be disturbed;
The Deseret News ends that matter
with period, as if that wer, the CON
clusion; but in the speech as printed in
the official record a semicolon appears,
and these words followed:
that the polygomous man should be allowed
10 support his numerous wives and their
children. The polys0mous relations, Of
course. should not continue, but would
not compel man 10 turn his families adrift.
We promised that the Older ones who had
contracted those relations before the mani
fosio was issued. would not be prosecuted by
the Gentiles; that time would be given for
them 10 pass away, but thar the law would
be sirenuously enforced against any polyg
amous marriage which might be contracted
in the future.
If there is anything more depraved
than the Deseret News 1T has scarcely
come to human knowledge. To delib-
erately leave out the salient point Of
the Dubois speech and TO make him ap-
pear as an apologist for and defender
and protector Of polygarnous marriage
relations, is an infamy that only the
Deseret News-in its self-assumed sane.
tity as God s own mouthpiece to the
world-could commit
The statement of Senator Dubois is
directly opposed TO the argument of the
Deseret News; but if for any reason
Of generosity or lack of knowledge of
the restored polygamous saturnalia, he
had paused at the point where the Des-
eret News ceased to quote him, that
would have nothing to do with the ir-
| REPUTABLE logic Of Gilbert Vance let.
ter That writer demonstrated that the
private teaching within the church was
calculated to encourage the return to
| plural marriage and the maintenance of
| the polygamous relation, and that the
| idea continues TO be inculcated among
| the young people of the church that
| plural marriage is the only door through
which men and women may enter the
celestial glory within the kingdom of
God-that there is an inevitable, i'm
mutable community tendency toward a
general recrudescence of polygamy.
That writer also asserts of his own
knowlcdg dge-and the entire Mormon peo-
pie know that the assertion is true
that after composition of the old diff
| 6culties was secured with the Govern.
ment, the teaching was general that
| polygamy was only temporarily sus-
4 1,l III 4 q.