The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-01
ADVANTAGE IN LAWLESSNESS

has purchased between 1000 and 5000 acres
OF land In the state OF S!naloa; Mexico
industry. He wi viii % raise see the e. tropical
fruits, such as oranges, pincapples and
bananas,-Payson Globe Header, January
IS, 1908.
This is the Henry S. Tanner who is
known to have taken to himself at
least one plural wife since the issuance
Of the Woodruff manifesto in 1890. At
one time he was ambitious to become
an attorney in Salt Lake City, but was
never conspicuous for the extent Of his
practice. In fact, it was common
knowledge among his friends that for"
tune did not smile upon him in any
large degree, and that the nature of his
ability was such that they could enter
tain no hopes of his achieving even a
decent livelihood through his legal
learning. But it appears that what he
lacked in this respect was fully counter
balanced by the favor that he achieved
with the church leaders when he de-
liberately broke the law. He was pub"
licly charged in the tabernacle, by
young man whom he had grievously
"iOAEtu, WIN udH Hihe tphhltbNN
breach of the law and of the rule of the
church. Immediately, Tanner was in
vited to q scat among the higher of the
high priesthood in the great Mormon
tabernacle. Soon he was pampered by
the church authorities to such an extent
that his law practice was by no means
necessary to his existence. Later on he
was found TO be in comfortable cir
cumstances, Notwithstanding his lack
Of ability to earn a living; aud then
came the news, through the Payson
Globe Header that he was great land
owner in Mexico. ....
II is thus that the law-defying, God.
disappearing polygamist is rewarded
and out Of funds collected from honest
monogamists in the Mormon church os-
tensibly for religious purposes. lt Is
capable of undeniable proof, by Nor
mon authority, that no polygamous
marriage can he performed (rightfully
under the law of the church, except by
and with the consent of the president
of the church, therefore it is not uecos
sary TO look away from Joseph T. Smith
10 find the responsible party. Among
his most intimate friends, the president
of the church is known to not only ia
vor the practice of new polygamy. but
to devote himself 20 the inducement of
Young men in the church to take plural
wives. His secret teaching is to that
end, and his use of church funds is
largely devoted to the protection of
such as may find ii agreeable TO devote
themselves to the perpetuation Of his
favorite practice. Even if people
choose TO disheleve the numerous
charges of new polygamy made by The
Tribune against elders of the church,
they must admit that the acknowledges
ment made by the first presidency Of
the occurrence of plural marriages since
1890 is not to be gainsaid. Accepting
this evidence, it should be of interest
TO them 10 know who is responsible for
these; and it is with a view 20 right
fully fixing the responsibility that we
reproduce the following:
As there Is but one man at a time on
the earth who holds the keys OF the seal
Ing power In celestial marriage, when
that one man declines 10 exercise the
authority vested In him. there Is no way
70 obtain the privileges Of the law that
governs that matter. The revelation is
very plain concerning It, all may sec
from Doctrine and Covenants, section one
hundred Jhirty-two.-DCsCrct News ediv
torIaL. July Is, 1899.
Under the knowledge OF facts as they
are continually disclosed, it would seem
to DC impossible for any man to be
lieve that the head OF the church can
be innocent of connivance in new po.
lygamy. The investigator must either
admit that Smith authorizes these new
plural marriages, or he must confess the
less desirable thing-whicb is that not
even the president of the Mormon
church can exercise any control over
the matter at all, and that any official
promise 10 abandon the barharous prac.
tice amounts 10 nothing. allowing all
manner of opportunity to the vicious
to introduce into the family circle that
which it has been the
Christian effort Of centuries TO avoid.