Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-08-02
BURDEN or ROOF.

The anti-.M Mormon organ says the
~ News''s does not prove the falsity of
the assertions concerning polyganous
ma rriageg, that have appeared IN the
,ribune columns lately. This Is but an
y other evidence OF the dense ignorance
sof the paper, since the burden of proof
IS upon the affirmative, ana not the
negative. side tS n
The anti Mormon, sheet asserted
that hundreds OF Illegal marriages had
been performed since the Manifesto
and that such marriages are taught,
practtced, and protected by the Church.
That Is the broad, malicious PROPOSE
Rtion the paper is under moral obliga-
ton to prove, on else stand convicted
as u slanderer of an entire community
! a. prosecutor of a religious denomina-3
ton. without any rights under the
American flag since that emblem of lib
serty! never was meant to give protec-
tion to persecntor We deny the charge.
Upon tho Tribune rests the burden OF
proof. II the sheet were not as ignor-
ant of logic and the rules of contro-t
aveEsy as 1t Is malicious. 1t would not
try to escape its plain obligation by
the silly unaneuver of asking for proof
from the negative side. You give us
the proof for your assertions, or hold
your peace for ever.
But the sheet is not only ignorant.
1t IS dishonest to the last degree. Its
dishonesty is shown in the fact that It
"a
true, that the number Of families living
in plural marriage relations has de-
creased since the Manifesto from over,
two thousand to considerably less than
five hundred. II that does not prov,,
that the Church has kept faith, what
does it prove? If it does not prove that
the Church leaders neither teach, en-
courage or protect illegal marriages.
how can anything ever be proved?
7 Mould there have been decrease in
the number of plural families IL that
number had constantly been augmented
by new accessions? Would 1t have de-
creased Ii it were true that the doc
trine OF plural marriage is still taught
Impractical as before the Manifesto?
1nView of the statistics, is there Il sane
man or woman who will accept the
Tribune statement on the question as
3 true, or who Will not readily admit that
it is a falsehood?
But the paper enumeratcs ten al
legged cases OF polygamy that, ii says,
+ have occurred since the Manifesto it
is a good many years since that docu-
nlent was issued, and ten cases do not
constitute a very formidable showing.
Is there a state in the Union that has
IL record of fewer Illegal marriages dur
ing a period of almost 90 years?
4, We know absolutely nothing about
the cases referred TO, except what
vague runors, generally circulated Tor
political purposes, have had to say
about them. Nor does the Tribune know
anything more, But we have never
denied that a few cases may have
occurred. as they will occur every
where. We have never denied, nor az
hrined, anything as to that. But we
have denied, and do now deny, that
hundreds, Or any other number, of IL
legal marriages have been performed in
Utah with the knowledge or consent
of the Church Authorities We deny
that the Church leaders have broken
y oaith with the Nation in any respect
We assert that they have faithfully OBJ.
g;e5 served the Manifesto. and the proof 81
mat Is the constantly decreasing num-