The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-13
TOO RECKLESS OF SPEECH.

| Presiding Bishop Charles w Nibley
has Just returned from a tour of the
Mormon missions in Europe, and or
Sunday he spoke in the big tabernacle
concerning that trip, which he made in
company with President Joseph +
Smith, Here is one of the things that
he is reported to have said:
There is no enmity, no opposition tc
the laws in Germany or here at home.
individuals, OF course, here and there.
may break the law. but the church does
all 1t can In Germany or anywhere else,
TO stop any breaking OF the law, or en-
couraging the breaking Of the law.
But the good bishop is guilty of
what might at least be termed inaccur-
acy in statement. There is, and always
has been, enmity and opposition against
law in Utah. among the Mormon chiefs
in particular. From the first settle
ment of this Territory spirit of re-
bellion against law has been exhibited,
Brigham Young defied the Government
and its laws, calling out his military
forces in resistance John Taylor, who
succeeded Brigham, showed his an
tagonism toward the anti"polygamy
laws by issuing an edict that all men
holding official priestly positions with
in the church would be deprived of
their authority if they did not practice
seph f. Smith, the present head of the
church. has called Government officials
damned scoundrcls,' and has desig.
mated the Government itself corrupt
institution which was doomed to
destruction. By his own confession he
is still living in defiance of law, coup"
ling that admission TO an announce
ment that he has no intention of doing
otherwise. The church upholds him in
this, and therefore encourages enmity
and opposition to the laws. Bishop
Nibley himself sustains Mr.. Smith in
his lawlcss attitude, and encourages
him IN its maintenance. On Monday
we printed the names of one
hundred and seventy new polygamists
In the Mormon church. some Of whom
have been guilty of crime several
separate times since 1890, when the
church agreed to stop the practice and
obey the law. Not one of these has
been prosecuted by the church, which is
the only agency having the power so
to do. In this treatment of the crimi-
nails the church encourages them in
their crimes Some of them are apos-
ties, and many of them are stake
presidents or bishops in the church,
and they are maintained in these posi-
tons Of authority, Notwithstanding
their lawbreaking,
With reference to Germany, it is
we'll known that the German authorities
have ordered Mormon missionaries to
stop preaching what they considered
TO be doctrines that were in njurious to
citizens of the empire, or to leave the
country. In order TO evade that man
date of the law, the church has insti
tuted a system of sending in young
Mormon elders as ostcnsible students, |
meantime instructing them to promote
the Mormon propaganda in secret at
every opportunity. Evasion Of the law
ls opposition to law, and opposition to !
law is displaying enmity against law.
Besides. we remember a time when
Bishop Nibley himself was so bent I'D.
Oh defeating the law that he outwitted
The marshals in the courtroom that was
in the old Wasatcb block (now the
Kenyon hoteD and gave them the slip.
nc mad been arrested on charge of
cohabitation, but he wanted
no law applied to his case, 80 he did |
his best to show his resentment against |
II by giving the officers the slip mt |
the first opportunity. He was ap- |
plauded for his act by the church; he
WAS thereby encouraged by the church |
IN hIs opposition to law; and his own
act furnished encouragement to others
TO similarly array themselves against
the law.
Under the history and the present