The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-04

statutes "Gentiles' will bear willing
testimony to the fact that the Mormon
people. as body, are by no means
naturally disposed 10 contest civil or.
dinanccs. But il must be clear to all
that there is much in their surround
ings to contravene their obedience To
civil government. We may pass by
tho history of the church g conflict with
the Federal government, which If yet
well remembered, and may mention
these facts as bearing upon the point
now under consideration. No apology
can whitewasb the outlawry of Jo-
seph +. That the most honored leaders
OF the church In the past have made an
issue between the civil power on the
one hand and church authority on the
other; that the president of the church
today, rcverenccd by his people as God s
deputy in the earth, is living in out
lawry; that number of his chosen
associates in the governing body of the
church are lawbreakers; that many Of
the most responsible officers of the
church, next to those just referred to,
are prescribed by the law; that honors
are consplcuously accorded by the high
est authority in the church, to persons
who have the faint of this lawlessncss
upon them; that these offenders against
civil government are not called to ac~
cpuuJ ny any cuuICH JulnOTlIy lot IDclT
offences Such conduct on the part of
the leaders cannot be said to stimulate
respect for civil authority: but it must
be held to be strong deterrent to obe-
dience to the laws of society. So that
whatever credit the Mormon people
may have as law-abiding people, can
scarcely be shared by the governing
body of the church, since the weight of
their precepts and example is wholly
against the validity of any claim to
such credit
Condemned by Their Own Publications
This review is issued that the real
doctrines. practices and general spirit
OF the Mormon church may be known.
Whatever the intent of the "address'
may have been, the effect of il will
certainly be to deceive all readers who
arc not intimately acquainted with the
teachings and practices of the Mormon
church We arc not unmiudful OF the
fact that we shall be charged with
persecution and Misrepresentation in
issuing this review. But the publica-
tion of the truth can hardly be called
persecution; and if there be any charge
of misrepresentation, it must lie against
the leaders Of the Mormon church, whose
own utterances we have quoted as sus-
tanning what has herein been said
about their teachings.
Leaders Must Reform Their Conduct
and Their Creed
That there may be no misunderstand-
ing of our contention in this paper,
we therefore frankly declare: That not
only is the "Address TO the World'
misleading TO the general public, but
also that the teachings of the Mormon
church in gentle communities and
through its missionaries, are deceptive;
that the policy of the Mormon lead
ers is tc keep the people in entire sub
lection to the priesthood. and that so
these leaders seek to control political,
commercial and educational conditions
in Utah; that their moral influence
where such control is maintained is
neither complimentary TO or commen-
surate with their power; that their in
f1uence is not only subvcrsive of civil
authority, but also Of reverence for
God; that these leaders associate Jo-
seph Smith IN dignity and honor with
the most eminent OF rnortals, if not IN
deed with Christ Himself: that they
claim for Brigham Young and Joseph
F. Smith and other Giving oracles"
the same obedience that Is claimed for
the very word of God; that whatever
spirituality is found in the lives of in
diyidual members of the Mormon church
exists in spite of the examples and pre-
cepts of their leaders; that the dificul-
ty in the enforcement Of The civil law,
wherever 1t affects the practice of
polygamous living, Is we'll nigh insur-
mountablc; that the practice of polyg
amous living was never held in higher
esteem by the governing body of the
church than now; that until the prac-
tices of the present leaders OF the Nor
mon church are radically changed, there
can be no peace between them and pure
Christianity; and that unit! the doc
trincs of the church arc radically mod
flied. 1T can never establish a claim TO
be even part Of the church of Jesus
Christ,
Unanimously adopted by the Minis
terial association of Salt Lake City,
Monday, June g. 1907.
SOL. A. HAYWORTH,
President.
j. S. PARKER Secretary.