The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-03
CELESTIAL AND PLURAL.

lost in a labyrinth Of difficulty concern
ing "poIygamy," scaling, 'ceIes-
tial marriage etc; some OF them
are unable to comprehend the impos-
sibility of proving and Furnishing polyg-
amy when polygamous living IS so ram
pant; and others Of them do not see
wherein plural marriage sealing, IN
which ceremony some one stands proxy
for a dead principle, is any demonstra-
ton of the continued existence of prac-
teal earthly poiygamy.
At the request of many, The Tribune
sets some Of the facts squarcly before
the world
The so.called revelation, under which
polygamy has been and is practiced III
the Mormon church, is called a rcvela-
tion on the plurality and eternity of
marriage. Throughout the so-called rcve"
lation, and in all the commentaries
thereon by competent church authori-
ties, the TWO terms, plural marriage and
eternal marriage, are INTERCHANGEABLE
used; and to these arc added patriarchal
marriage and celestial marriage. Broad
ly speaking, all of them mean the same
thing The doctrine is founded upon
the claim that God Almighty is a polyg-
amist; that Jesus Christ was, while on
earth, and is now n polygamist; that
only through the sealing of man to
woman in the order of plural and ce
lestial marriage can either husband or
wife attain an exaltation in the Eter-
nal Kingdom of God; that without plu-
rality, the man cannot hold even one
wife in the Hereafter; that without
the acceptance of plurality the woman
is TO be damned. It makes no
practical difference. then, what term is
used, The decision of the Supreme
Court of Utah, after a long and eX-
haustive investigation, sets at rest for.
ever any differentiation
Polygamous living is easily known;
the date of The marriage under which
such polygamous living began and is
continued may not be known. The cere
mony of the marriage it is almost i'm
possible to prove, because such mar
riages are in secret. If the witnesses
TO such polygamous unions were known,
they would probably either refuse to
answer or commit perjury. The two
most recent evidences of this absolute
statement are in line with the general
experience, Recorder Nicholson of the
temple was subpoenaed before the Sen
ate Committee on Privileges and Elec-
tions to bring the books which, presum-
ably, would carry record Of the seal
ings or marriages in the temple. He
went to Washington, took the witness
stand and brazenly declared that he
would not produce the books except un-
der the direction of the president of
the church. In effect that was re-
fusal to answer A woman took the
witness stand, who is known in Utah
to live in a polygamous relation with
a prominent man. She testified that she
had child, She testified that she was
not a plural wife. That was perjury.
The entire Mormon neighborhood in
which the woman lives respects her as
plural wife and calls her by the namo
of the man, who has two other wives
With such a situation, the plea Of Reed
Smoot is easily understood. He does
not want polygamous living punished,
because, as he claims. its practisers are
old people, but in reality because the
offense can be proved He denies that
there is any polygamy, and as this is
an offense which it is most difficult to
prove, as is shown by the experience
of the United States Government dur
ing twenty years of administration of
the law in Utah, the offenders escape
entirely. He denies the crime which
cannot be proved, although polygamous
living is the evidence Of polygamous
marriage ceremony; and he pleads for
n suspension Of the law against the
offenses which can be proved. That is
a most happy relation and a defense
that is worthy of the apostle who has
been sent to the Senate by the Nor
mon church to protect and advance its
interests.
A man may have but one living wife
and yet be sealed additionally to
woman who is dead-or to many women
who have passed into the Beyond. This
is one way of fulfilling the mandate of
the church without offending against
an earthly law, 1t is believed in Utah
that every apostle of the Mormon
church who has not two or more liv-
ing wives has been sealed to two or
more women, one living and the 9th
ers dead. The Tribune uses the ex.
preston advisedly. This is the gen
cral belief in Utah concerning every
apostle of the Mormon church. The
man who is thus sealed to a living and
a dead woman must of necessity believe
in polygamy. He does not marry two
living women, because that would of
fend against the statute, and if he were
IN politics. might injure his advance
ment; but by having one earthly wife
and being sealed TO several women who
are dead he is sure that he need only
wait a few years of this mundane ex-
istence, and in Eternity he will be like