The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-05


February 2Sth. 1888
, -. F. j: nergold, Esq. Comas, Idaho: Deai
sir:-Will say in answer to yours OF O
as n teacher In this place as the Nor
mons refuse to send TO n Gentle schoo
teacher. Yours truly,
Clerk OF Board.
The remarks or President Joseph i
Smith during tho conference on the foly
J and wickedness of somo so called Latter
day Saints I'm sending their children &c
be taught by those whose object and in.
tent arc 10 lead them from the faith of
| their parents. were timely and indisput-
able God VIII hold us responsible
) for our course In this thing, and We trust
that the words Of warning uttered dur
ing this conference win not go unregard-
ed nor without PERMANENT effect
From Deseret News editorial, April S,
1881,
This is the same Deseret News that
is now crying out that the chief teach
ers and preceptors among the higher
priesthood Of the Mormon church should
be treated in 4 spirit Of tolerance. And
this is the same organ that is making
complaint that wrch trouble and un-
rest have been produced in this com
munity because Christian people have
declined to allow their Mormon neigh
bors to enjoy in peace and quietude all
the rights and privileges due to them
As citizens Of this country.
Now, We have no doubt that there
are thousands OF men and women in
this community who remember the time
| bere-and the condition obtains TO a
large degree at the present time In the
outer settlemcnts-when to be anything
but a Mormon was to be summed by
one s ncighbors. Even the children
were so trained TO ostracism that their
| ordinarily innocent faces were darkcned
| with a look of desire to avoid, as II
one carried about with him some viru.
| lent and contagious disease. In every
manner possible the Gentle or the Nor
mon apostatc was obstructed and per
secuted. In some instances Of which
| The Tribune has iudisputable record,
the cattle of the undesirable ''out
sider' were pestered and driven to
death; and il was common thing for
a Gentle or a renegade Mormon to find
that the water had been shut off from
his growing crops when they most need
ed it; or that his chickens were killed
in his own back yard. This latter en-.
tcrprisc was always left to the boys
of the "anointcd ones 1T was con.
sidcrcd to be of so little consequence
in the eyes of the law that the children
were trained 10 II as n harmless pas
time, if only 1t were engaged in ex.
clusivcly against 'encmics of the king
dom of God. -
When, eventually. the Federal Gov
ernmcut began TO look INTO the law
breaking of the Mormon priesthood |
there was howl sent up TO the very
heavens that the Mormon people were |
being prosecuted; that the church was |
being attacked; that there was a fight |
being wagcd upon religion, contrary I
10 the provisions of tho Constitution !
The Mormon priesthood. aided and !
abettcd by the Dcseret News. set them
selves squarely against the law by en-
gaging in criminal practices: aud then
they complained that the Government
refused TO exercise any degree of toler-
ance toward them because IL insisted
that its laws be observed. They placed
themselves in an attitude as opposing
the law, and when the courts issued
judgments in rcprisal, the high priests
walled that they were being persccutcd;
and. determining in their fanaticism
that they would not come under the
civil rule, they went TO prison or fled
10 secret places and then claimed they
were "martyrs' Hero is a sample OF
thc claims in this respect, AS set out
by Joseph f. Smith in the Dcscret
News, July 2S, 1887;
President John Taylor has been killed
by the cruelty Of officials who have, in
this Territory, misroprescntcd the Gov
crnment of the United States.
smith. and the others was that they
obey the laws of the land This they
refused TO do, preferring to 90 to prison
pr into exile. And yet they claimed
hat they were martyrs. and were so
1onored by the rank and file of the
church, at the urging Of minor Off
'ials who acted under instruction from
be criminals themselves. Indeed. The
Tribune is able to recall the time when
| polygamist just emerging from the
was usually met bv ad-
nirlng crowds of sympathiZing Nor.
mons, and in some instances even by
'rass bands; and when parties were
gwen in their honor and time of
general rejoicing had when one of the
Lord anointcd servants escaped
rom the clutches of The ungodly Gov.
,rnment officials.
And this is the height and the
'''auth anu aePlh OF All the pretended
Intolerance that has ever been exhibited
cre. Christian people were merely de.
ermincd that there should be no law
,rcaking in this community; aud for
his they were most cordially hated and
strac,zcd at the instigation Of the law
breakers themselves, The fact is that
70 people ON earth have been treated
nth so much consideration. when their
aiings and offenses are reckoncd up
S have the Mormon people. They have d
othing TO complain Of. and everything
o be thankful for: and undoubtedlY
eey would now show their appreciation
f tie consideration which has becn OK.
ended toward them were il not for tbe
icious feudal chieftaius. whose com. d
lands they are obliged TO heed and
xccute under pain of eXcommunica.
on and consequent damnaton