The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-07
ADMITS NEW POLYGAMY.

polygamy within the Mormon church.
For years he has blatantly denied the
existence of these infractions Of the
law, and he has been ably seconded in
the falsehood by his associates in the
hierarchy and by the Deseret News, Mr..
Smith S confession in this matter could
not have been made except in posses
sion of knowledge to that effect; and in
this rcpect it is interesting to note an
assertion which he made to the Senate
committee in March, 1904. as follows;
! wish to say again, Mr. Chairman.
that there have been no plural marriages
solemniZed by and with the consent OR
BY THE KNOWLEDGE OF the Church
OF Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by
any man, do not care who he Is.
In his declaration, presented to the
present conference, Joseph f. Smith
now admits for the church that there is
knowledge of this class Of lawbreaking;
and he attempts to excuse the offences
by declaring that the wonder is that
there are not more of them!
Now, if it be true that the church
as body desires TO stop the practice
of plural marriage by its members, why
does it continue to teach that doctrine?
The Doctrine and Covenants, the Off
cial law book of the Mormon church,
contains an alleged revelation which
commands that practice under penalty
Of eternal damnation. When his at
tention was called TO this fact at Wash
ington, Joseph T.. Smith promised Sen
ators of the United States that he
would see to 1t that the manifesto of
Wilford Woodruff, which inhibits plural
marriage, would be printed in the very
next edition of the Doctrine and Cove
nants. But has that been done7 On
the contrary, when new edition Of the
book was printed, the date was omitted
from the title page, In the silly hope
that Foutsidcrs would be deceived.
II ought not to be an improper ques-
tion for member of the church to ask
why this pledge, made TO the country
under affirmation, should not be kept.
But it is very likely that the rank and
file of the church realize that the teach
ing of the ecclesiasts is that to do or
say anything to ''fool the Gentiles' is
lustlfable in the sight Of God and
therefore they do not concern them
selves in even this grave matter.
To show the utter disregard in which
the hierarcbs hold the views and SEN
timents of the civilized world with ref
erence to Mormon teaching and prac-
tlce, the following lines in the latest
Smith pronounccment are sharply sig
nificant:
We refuse to be bound by the interpre-
tations which others place upon our
beliefs; or by what they allege must be
the practical consequences of our doc
trines, Men have no right to impute TO
us what they think may be the logical
deduction from our beliefs.
That is exactly the proposition. The
church has always set itself up as a law
unto itself It's leaders have never
yielded TO logic. The whole governing
body has been guided by nothing but a
violent determination TO oppose the rest
of mankind, While hypocriticalIy ex-
pressing sniveling desire for peace,
they have made constant war upon
other religions, upon political parties
which they could not dominate, and
upon every man who has opposed their
unlawful practices. AS TO continued
teaching of polygamy, read this, from
the supposed revelation commanding
plural marriage, which is now constant
ly circulated among the saints:
For behold I reveal unto you a new
and an everlasting covenant: and if We
abide not that covenant, then are we
damned; for no man can reject this cove
nant. and be permitted 10 enter into my
glory.
What is the "logical deduction +"
from that statement of belief and COM
mand of practiccl 1t is that there is
no alternative course for the Mormon
to pursue. 1t is that the practice of
polygamy is mpulsory-provided the
member is ambitious to achieve the
highest salvation guaranteed by the
church. If no such ambition existed,
there would be no desire to be mem
Der of that organization at all. But
this kind Of deduction Will not be per-
mitted to apply, The hierarchs have
n peculiar logic of their own, under
which they can declare truth TO be
falschood, and vice versa. But that
particular Smith trait is not going 10
prevent civilized people from enter
tanning their own opinions IN these mat
ters. No such sophistry as is prac-
ticed by the ecclesiasts can blind the
eyes of intelligence TO the fact that
the revelation quoted means precisely
what it says, else what would he the
use Of giving words established mean
ingl
The whole statement from Joseph F.
Smith is the whine of the pharisee; and
particularly is that true of the portion
OF it which pertains to pclygamy.
And fancy a man who has pleaded
guilty to crime assuming TO prescribe
what is the duty of the United States
toward such as he! Such an attitude
can come only from the insulting gall
which prompts the same individual to
pretend that he is the only living au-
thorized representative of God Al