The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-04
WHY NOT ADMIT THE FACTS?

up. or kept as much as possible IRON
public notice, and especially if large
force of liars can be employed TO de
ny that there is anything Of the kind
il is Just as good as if there were nj
such offcnse. nuisance. or public evil
This seems to be the idea on whicr
the Smoot "Mouth'' proceeded III its
denial Yesterday of some things re
ported in the East as having been said
by Mr.. Frank |. Sefrt of this city
In one part OF its confession and
avoidance it asks, ''Wbat effect can
it have Oh the minds of Eastern read
ers to be assured on the authority OF
ono coming from Salt Lake City that
the courts are dominated by the Nor.
mon church or any other church.? -
| To which the conclusive reply IS that
| it is not a question of effect, but of
fact, The courts being so dominated,
what is the sense or honesty In trying
10 lie out of II. aud to say they are
not' The district courts Of Utah dare
not make active inquiry into the cases
OF the offenders against the laws for
bidding polygamy and unlawful cohabi-
| tation. The reason is that the courts
or the court officials would by such
inquiry bring down upon themselves
weight of vicious, raging, intoler.
ant abuse and ostracism that would
retire from office any judicial officer
so put under the church ban. This is so
thoroughly understood all through this
State, that no move III the direction Of
enforcing these statutes is ever made.
Some of the courts dare not. others,
being officered exclusively by Nor
mons. could not on any consideration
he brought to do it, These facts are
on the surface, every one knows them;
what possible point is to be made IN
denying them' Why not be honest and
admit the truth7
But, it is replied, why not keep still
about this, and let the condition die
out. as it must do after while9 The
reply is, that it ism t dying out; it is
getting worse than il was. The
polygamous propaganda is more active
now. by far. than it was at tho time
Statehood was applied for. Then 1t
was the hope of most Of the people of
Utah that the old conditions would
be dropped, and that polygamous mar
riages would absolutely cease. And
so they did during the life of Presl-
dent Woodruff, There were fen under
the presidency of Lorenzo Snow, and
those few showed how easy it was
to 'fool the Gentilesp through the
deep secrecy attending this unholy and
lecherous practice. When President 10
seph Smith came into the leadership
of the church, he set the example of
defying the manifesto and his pledges
on this question. and his path has
been followed TO much greater eS-
tent than those not keeping alert on
this question could possibly imagine.
President Smith said in his testimony
in the Smoot case that he "took the
risk himself Of violating the law and
defying the manifesto. If he took
that risk. others could do The same, and
were quick 10 do so. Some yiolators
plead that they had no hand in adopt
ing the manifesto, and are not bound
by it. and these care nothing at all for
the statutes, these being mere fman-
made law of no binding force against
the "highcr law'' as put forth in the
revelation enjoining polygamy. Others
openly repudiate the manifesto, and say
that II was merely trick to get the
Gentiles TO agree TO Statehood for
Utah, and TO be repudiated when con-
vcnient And so there are so many
polygamous marriages since the mani.
festo forbidding them, that that docu
ment has fallen into practical dis.
use, and there is not the least prospect
that the lygamous conditions will
pass away. When President Joseph F.
Smith, head Of the church, sustained as
prophet, seer. and revelator, is openly
living with FIVE wives in this city, un-
molested, and is by his followers re-
garded as man Of picty and holiness,
the highest type of man, and worthy of
all honor and following what is more
natural than that his example should
be emulateds When we see in tine Sun
day.school lessons Of the church classes
for children that he is in fact held up
as the great man for veneration and
emulation, pattern Of good and holy
conduct, man altogether pleasing to
God. and the especial exeniplar for all
mankind. how can il be otherwise than
that the children will think him
worthy of following in all things!
When we see, further, that three
polygamists, President Joseph +. Smith,
President 2. III. Roberts of the Seven
ties. and Apostle Hebcr j, Grant, are
the heads of the great young peoples
societies of the church. the Young
Mems Mutual Improvement Associa-
ton, and the Young Women g Mutual
Improvement Association, numbering
their membership by tens Of thousands,
what chance is there for the young
people of the Mormon church to escape
the polygamous contamination? Is it
not, rather, a marvel that any Of these
escape it7 In all this matter if must