Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-09-02

| emotional movements. Sharon car
| nave no remembrance Of Joseph Smith
| III any good traits were ever manifest.
| cd In that neighborhood by him ol
MS FAMILY thcv are nll forgotten
Thcy were n disreputable lot Wher
Smith md his confederate, Sigdon
| produced tho so-callcd Book ~ Nor.
mon he was onty 25 year. old. ont
was not living In sharon. His church
was organized Mt Manchester. n. Y.
| In 1890. lie was killed by n furious
~ moral mob NJ Carthage, Ohio. four.
| teen years late-. In tho meantime hc
| had been n swindling banker as vel
m false prophet, md had always
In his religious pursuits. kept a clear
| eye on pecuniary profit. Tho pre-
tended spiritual revelation touching
polygamv was announced NJ Nnuvoo
the city Smith had built in Hancock
county, III. His attempt ia put his
new doctrine into practice led indi-
rcctlv TO hts death. though in the
practice Of polvgamv. doubtless. lay
all tho future strength of Mormonism
smith had energy and courage
lie helped. somewhat. 70 blaz" tho
trail westward, but he was nn enemy
Of this country. and n moral repro
bate. The monument to HIS memory
Is m Insult to tho intelligence Of the
people IN It's neighborhood, md II MY
Rccd Smoot comes eastward to culo-
Eize its subject he will certainly NOT
increase tho measure ~ respect he
may have secured In mi. part OF tho
country. Az for tho Vermont state
officers che manifold duties Of tAe
harvest season will surely help them
from meddlirg with such deplorahlc
ceremony
THE Albany Argus. in tocular
mood. declares that me Eiori7cation
Of Mormon'sm In Vermont would be
;ust and ann-orriate. Vermont IS
the banner republican state. Tho
preservation Of the Republican party
IS the solo political aim OF It's best
citizens" Utah Is in tho republican
ranks. Col. Roosevelt honored Nor
monism by delivering an address In
the Mormon Temple Mt Salt Lake
city. Mark Hanna made n compact
with Normonism which has been lived
up to on both sides. PolltlcS makes
strange bcdfcllows. Hut this Is all
testing Vermont /. stalwartly re-
publican. but ne strongly anti-Mor-
mon, and II has no business to even
seem to pay tribute 70 the memory OF
the founder Of Mormonism."
we do not know how much GROUND
there may be for the statement that
the dedication Of the monument &c
Joseph Smith at sharon is to be made
state occasion. tho government Off
cials lending the dignity OF their
presence to the ceremonial We have
not heard that Governor Prouty OF
any other state officer had accepted
an invitation to participate In the
ceremonies In question. and we woulc
be sadly surprised to hear the report
II question confirmed.
In View OF the experiences "suf-
fered" by our state as n result of tins
nativity OF Smith and Young 1t IS
Indignation would sweep over tho
state from Lake Champlair to the
Connecticut and from the Candiar
loundar; to famous Bennington. II
any state official were 70 so far for
get himself to say nothing OF the
consideration due the people of Yer
mont, as TO assume to give that APP
provai to the Mormon propaganda
such as tho presence Of Vermont
State official at the dedication Of the
Smith memorial would inevitably
and with reason be interpreted by the
press OF other State.
Tho only way In which the people
Of Vermont could purge themselves
of the contempt in which they would
rightly he held by the citizens Of
other states under such circumstances
would be to demonstrate their dis
approval Of such a course on the par,
Of an offending Representative OF
the government Of the commonwealth
by insisting upon his immediate res
iCnatiOn from his Once
Vermont has no patience with Nor
monism. and our people Will leave
nothing undone to make this mani
fest throughout the country