Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-05

long and loud because some Nor
mons had considered Il their duty 10
keep the plural wives they had mar
ricd when they were fully convinced
they were not violating the law by SO
doing, lie replies:
Congress knew these men were liv-
ing In this manner when 1t admitted
Utah; It knew that any honest man
who had vowed before God ana man
that he would love. cherish, live With,
and provide for his plural wife and her
children, would keep his promise 70 her
whether Utah became state or not.
Arthur l.. Thomas. as governor Of the
territory OF Utah, In his report 10 the
secretary Of the interior, dated Oct. l.
1892 two years before the enabling
act), refers 20 the subject and on page
sc he says 1T will probably be some
time, II may be years, before the prac-
tice Of unlawful cohabitaton viii hnal-
Nv cease You see Congress knew a
few OF those people were living In this
way and admitted Utah under those
conditions"
Mr.. Peet points out that the principle
OF tolerance in such matters has been
sustained by societies interested In for
oign missions. and that Congress In ad-
hitting Utah without requiring a sud-
den. radical change IN some family re-
lations acted in full accordance with
the views expressed by foreign mission
aries on that delicate subject. In the
year 1894 the conference OF missionaries
OF the various denominations. including
those of the Baptist, the London ana
the church missionary societies OF Scot
land and the American Presbyterian
board unanimously passed the following
resolution.
III convert before becoming a
Christian has married more wives than
one, he shall be permitted 10 keep them
all'--Brown's History OF Missions Vol.
3. page 1885,
Such converts were not 10 be consld-
cred eligible to any ecclesiastical office,
but the point is they were not to be
treated as transgressors and immoral
persons because they were true to their
families Mr.. Peet continues:
This rule has been generally adopted
BY nearly all Christian missions since
1884 down to the present time. In 1893
DIR. Colenso In South Africa adopted II,
and IN 1875 II was again adopted by tho
South African missions. See Marshalls
History OF Missions. IL was also adopt
ed IN 1896 AT Ludhiana, India, by vote
of rs to 10. at regular meeting OF the
Presbyterian synod there. See Presby-
pat "a T.
1926. The Rev. John p, Jones, ID. D., OF
South India, 4. b., G. +. NJ, published
'Krishna or Christ In 1908 On page 2so,
speaking OF convert who had olu-
rality of wives: 1 would not allow such
people to become officers OF the church,
but | cannot see why there may not be
a humble place In the church for such
and their families The Interior. a
Presbyterian paper published In Chtca-
go, says In tho March 49, 1905. number
that Or. s. $. Laws OF Virginia, who
has charge Of the Presbyterian mission
at Luebo Africa, reports that his mis-
sionaries are receiving into the church
converts who have plural wives DIR.
Laws presented the matter TO his own
synod, which voted TO sustain the mis-
sionaries who received polygamists into
the church by vote OF 70 to II.
We have on former occasions en-
planned the position OF our Christian
friends Oh this subject, but refer TO II
again, because It proves the inconsist-
eney of the anti-"Mormon' crusaders.
According to reports, Christian churches
In countries where polygamy Is lawful
as In India. for instance are frequent
~ receiving members living IN plural
marriage. while that family relation
is rapidly ceesing to exist IN Utah, and
ia view OF the fact that II IL dying out
here, there ~ absolutely no reason In
the anti. mormon" crusade