The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1907-11-16


1t will be noted by the attentive reader that Pres
dent Hyde is composed of the usual ecclesiastical
stuff of his church He directly evades the issue and
seeks to transfer the discussion to some other
ground.
The Scimtar did not make this issue; it was made
by President William A. Hyde, chief Mormon au-
thoriy in this State; who insulted the intelligence
and outraged the moral sensibtes of the law-abid-
ing people of Idaho, by his defense of the po1yga-
nous hierarchy. In the very sentence which the
Scmitar quoted from Mr.. Hyde's original article
that apoogist for polygamy practically admits the ex
istence of polygamy in the church, for he says that
all members who violate" the regulations of the
church with regard to polygamy) will be subject
to the severest penalties that the church can nfict
In making this brazen admission President Hyde
was only following in the footsteps of his file lead
ers At the April conference 1907, of the Mormon
church, document was issued by the poygamous
hierarchy, in which confession was made that in
some instances the practice of poygamy had been re-
newed by members of the church; and in that same
document all decency was defied by the plea on the
part of the polygamous hierarchy, that the wonder
was that there not more of such cases
The common practice of the Mormon church is
to transfer discussion from the question at issue
to some other which is not involved In this wav
It's theoogians and diplomats and hypocrtes grad
ualy draw public attention from the vulnerable spot
and, to quote some of President Hyde's language.
these evaders surround the matter with "such a
haze of misrepresentation" that the crux of the
question is lost In this instance President HYDE
will not succeed in his characteristic endeavor of
tasehood He rushes into print to defend his poIyg-
amous church. He made authoritatively bald dec
laratlon The Scmitar did not misquote him in any
way, but gave his exact language upon the main
point involved lie was challenged to cite case
where the church had visited its severest penalties
upon any practicer of polygamy; and he replies
with the usual Mormon evasion
1t is manifest that President HYDE and his adj
vsers do not known how to meet the issue If it
had been possible for him to defend his polygamous
brethren against the challenge he would have given
chapter and verse in reply
The Scimitar reiterates its statement of Novem
Der I'd:
The church inlicts penalties for po1ygamy either
lew or old. On the contrary, it advances and main
ans IN the highest stations the who guilty
II poygamy The church has never disfellowshipped
my man for polygamy or polygamous living 1t
las never caused the prosecution of any man by the
wi law for either of these ofenses 1t guards all
ractlcerS OF poygamy from both ecclesiastical and
wi suffering. 1t establishes places of refuge for
IS polygamists, and it visits its heaviest penalties
Officially, commercially and socially upon all who
are to antagonlze the practice or to crticise the
racticers.
To that statement The Scimitar adds From the
ate of the PRONUNCIATION of the so-called poygamous
by Brigham Young until today, there :
as never been sermon preached in the Mormon I
lurch against poygamy; there have been tens of 2
ousands preached for it. The leaders live in $
'lygamy; the books of commandment still contain Z
mandatory provision for the practice of polyg-
n.y." {
The Scimitars challenge to President Hyde, apollo