The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-31
MIR, HAYS TESTIMONY.


brought in by the Dcserct News respect
ing events at Nauvoo, namely, Mr.. John
Hay. whose article appeared in the At.
lantic Monthly for December, 1869, we
viii present another bit of his testl-
mony which the church organ failed to
reproduce. After dealing with the in
ception of the Nauvoo Expositor, Mr..
Hay reviews the contents of that short.
lived exponent of the rccalcitrant Nor.
mons at Nauvoo, describing some Of the
miscellaneous matters presented, and
goes on to say;
These lighter matters disposed Of. the
lGXposltor girds on its armor and gives
half-dozen dreadful columns TO the pre-
amele, resolutions. and affidavits OF the
scceders from the church at Nauyoo. This
document, though intensely rellshed at
that day. would be very dun reading now.
There are only two things worth noting
in it--one. the bold and distinct allega-
lions of the open and cynical ncentious-
ness OF Smith and his apostles; the other,
the eayncstness with which. even amidst
the wreck Of their personal Illusions. tne
seceders still hold TO their faith in the
original impoSturc. 1t Is touching to see
how desperately they fight against their
own doubts and suspicious OF the utter
ances that proceed from so foul source.
They say: LAS for our acquaintance with
the Church OF Jesus Christ OF Latter-day
Saints, we know no man nor set OF men
can be more thoroughly acquainted with
its rise, It's organization, and It's history.
than we have every reason to believe we
are. We all verify believe, and many OF
US know OF q. surety. that the religion OF
the Latter-day Saints, as originally
taught by Joseph Smith which is con-
tanned in the Old and New Testaments.
mon. is verify true; and that the pure
principles set forth in those books are
the Immediate and eternal principles OF
heaven. and speaks tsicl language
which when spoken in truth and virtue
sinks deep into the heart Of every honest
man
Nj HepwoTth Dixon, who has the con, on.
Ethat Is picturesque. and rejecting uuman-
ageable evidence with an airy tant pls
pour les fats. represents the system OF
nolvgaTny as an cm9nation OF the pollu-
cal genius of Brigham Young. invented as
a means OF government and accepted
with blind faith by the pure -InInaed eiders hS
are insincere? Young told me that in the
early days OF this strange Institution ne
was much opposed 10 plural householaS'
Among the Mormon { presidents ana
apostles. we have not seen one face on
which liar and hypocrite were written,
Though we daily meet with ianatlcs. We
have not seen single man whom we
can cali a rogue" 1t is inconsistent with
Mr.. Dlxon's theory OF Smiths mystic
n.
robust profligacy. So he. simply denies
them. But no fact is more notorious than
that Smiths daily life had cstabiised
polvEany in Nauvoo long before Rlgdon
had Invented his iargon Of spiritual wives.
or Hiram received his revelation TO JUS
,ify IT, The elders OF the church; BriS-
ham and others eiamorsG r,,s,we TeoeIcnsty Wconsn
and together they began cautiously 70 lay
the foundation Of the new doctrine. which.
properly arranged. should prove
| -. I,,ef FaE 1f
| church. Begging Mr.. Dixons pardon
| they were liars and hypocrites' In the
great hierarchy AT NauNoo there were no
| fanatics; the focks We're sheep, but the
| kncpers were wolves This doctrine OF
spiritual wives was the result not the
cause. of the Iewd lives Of smith loung
and their follow -bIa cIguards. and was in
| vented 10 Justify the morality which the
icnorance and credulity OF their female
worshipcrs rendered SO easy. 10 serve ih
] tho future rs a bait for the rascal few
I and 10 blind the eyes OF the honest and
/ stupid mass.
Out Of the mouth Of the church
organ's own witness The Tribune rs
again enabled to establish still another
poipt of its contention. We have fire.
ouently stated that it has always been
the Mormon leaders who have plunged
their innocent people into fatal trouble,
and that especially was this the case at
Nauvoo. The Tribune has said that
they there lived dissolute and corrupt
lives; that tho virtue of woman was to
them nothing but a plnything for the
qualification of their own lust; that
not even the wife of a brother in the
church was secure from their lecherous
insults; that there was so much sexual
| 81 ,oh pf
the inner circle that it became neces-
sary for Joseph Smith to "receive a
revelation justifying the whole out
4 ft Mr.. Hay agrees with The Tribune
upon this latter matter. And the church
organ, calling Mr.. Hay as its witness
in the case, is bound by his testi-
! mony. And the polygamous command
ment in the Doctrine and Covenants
. confirms the united opinion of both
/ Mr. Hay and The Tribune, Paragraph
[ 50 Of that supposed revelation says
, in part, "Let mine handmaid, Emmi
Smith, receive all those that have beer
] given unto my servant Joseph Which
L goes to show that Joseph had be
0 come polygamous before the "revcla
a tion' was given date. And again, il
t paragraph go, "Let no one, therefore
set on my servant Joseph; for ! viii
e Justify him - The doctrine Of polyg
{ amy was, as Mr.. Hay says, "the nc
o suit, not the cause, Of the lewd live
j. of Smith, Young, and their fellow'black
t guards"
Q 1t has been asserted by some tina
y these adulterous rascalities began wit
d a series of obscene and lecherous orgie
c held in the Kirkland temple, years be
|. | Gnrn NanNnn Ii is said That In TIM