Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-23

to the appeal Of reason, Il simply runs
It's course like q case OF typhoid
fever"
Briefly reviewing some OF the famous
religious delusions Of the past, such
as the Crusades, Spanish inquisition
witchcraft and others, the speaker
said that from the beginning the
melancholy fact runs through all his
tory that nothing has been too absurd
and nothing too cruel to be believed,
taught and done in the name of re-
llgion.
"The fact that polysamy was there
fore opposed to the united thought of
the American people and to that of
the Christian world" he continued,
"was no argument that 1t was believed
by the Mormon people who practiced 1t
in the past.
with the manifesto of the church
forhidding future polygamous mar
riages the general opinion among Gem
tiles of Utah had been that the end
of the contest had come. AT that
time there were over 2000 polygamous
marriages. or households. That some
of these people had resumed their for
mer associations was beyond doubt.
Should Bear with PoIygamy
"As a general thing it had been
thought that so long as these rela-
tions were not flagrant-not haunted
i'm the face of the community-that
while they were not approved, but
were depored. II was II hard situation
TO meet. and all things considered, 1t
was better for the state to bear with
If i'm patience until the people who
occupied these relations In the process
of time should pass away" He quoted
the testimony of numerous witnesses
upon both sides to this effect.
AS to the charge that there nave peeh
polvgamous marriages since the mani
fesio. he said that he had no means oil
knowing how many such cases there
might have been. but that there had
been some he had no doubt. Ihese
mon occupied a wholly different posi-
tion from the old polygamists; Tor
them no word of excuse or toleratloh
could be uttered by any honest man
zone of them" he declared, VINO
thus arrogantly deties legislative en-
actment and violates religious COM
mand. and by his conduct brings shame
and reproach upon all the people. de-
serves to be searched out and to receive
in punishment the extreme penalty or
the law The vast majority OF the
Mormon people are opposed to these
new marriages.
Traces Church History
ence of the church in political matters
he traced the church history, showing
that when the Mormons went to Utah
in 1S4T their movement possessed all
the characteristics of a religious exo-
dus In the beginning they probably
felt no need of a civil government at
all.
Their religion to them was every
thing. and other matters were of SUD-
fNx-nr NJ
ty years they were isolated from the
world. There were no telegraphs, no
railroads, no newspapers except their
own. When civil government was
formed the religious leaders became
their civil officers. Eventually the rule
of the church became more and more,
until the government in Utah was Vir-
tually & theocracy.
THE Gentiles, who organized under
the name of the Liberal party, fought
to overthrow polygamy and church con-
troll in government matters, while the
Mormon people in opposition organized
the Peoples party. For twenty years
the fight was altogether pro-church
and anti-church in character.
I'm 1891. after the polygamy manifes-
to, the Peoples party was abandoned
and organization effected along national
lines. Since then, while charges OF
CnurCh interference nave DeeIl Illdue
from time to time, and while there may
have been instances of interference by
leading church officials in political cam
paigns, on the whole there has been
marvellous advance"
In electing officers the Gentiles had
not been, on the ground that they were
Gentiles, unfairly treated by Mormon
voters, said Mr.. Sutherland. He
thought that there was at least no more
disposition on the part of Mormons to
vote against Gentiles than there was on
the part of the Gentiles to vote against
Mormons.
Conditions lmmeasurably Better
"I do not say that conditions are per-
fest in Utah-they are not perfect any
where; but do say that conditions are
immeasurab bly, better today than they
have ever been before, and they will be
better in the future than they are today.
Il do not claim there are no evils
among the people; some remnants IF
the old Objectionable conditions still
exist, but do claim that these evils are
fewer than they have ever been before,
and in my judgment it is only matter