Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-03-09
WHAT ARE TIE FNcrss


There is gathering of Christian
aymcn 90 this CITY. Interested Goo mise
slons. and "a morning paper faithful Co
Its peculiar mission. is trying 90 im-
press upon them that the church has
not kept IFS pledges regarding plural
marriage The paper must know that
its position on this question ls utterly
absurd but 30 continues. for purposes
NJ It's own. o. play the farce of fight
ing am institution " the past that does
uo longer exist 900 Utah.
ON Tuesday morning the assertion
was again made that "at the April con-
ference of 1907 the church officially.
upon official motion of the FIRST presi-
dcncy confessed that the pledges made
.n the manifesto had been broken. in
that there had been new iufractions 81
the law and VT the church document
issued ln 1890"
This is nothing Jess than an audaci-
GUS mistatomeut of the fact The
statement adopted at tho April confer
cuce. 1907. as au Address TO- the world.
conveys the very opposite meaning We
quote the paragraphs relating to this
matter in cxtenso. Boo order that the
reader may judge for himself as Co
whether the anti" Mormon sheet told
the truth This is from that Address.
"Thc Mormon people have bowed
iu respectful submission COB the law
enacted against plural marriage While
10 ls true. that for many years they
contested the D0ustituti0uality of the
law Of Congress. ana during that tmg
acted lu harmony with their religious
convictions in UNFOLDING by practice,
as well as hN spoken and written word.
principle committed from God STILL
when every means Of constitutional
defense had been exhausted. thn
Church abandoned tho controversy and
announced its intention Co be- ohcdlcut
10 the laws OF the land Subsequent
lys when statehood for Utah became
possibility ou the condition that her
constitution provide. by ordinance. tr-
rcvocable without the consent NJ the
United States. that plural marriages
should be forever prohibited the Nor
mon people accepted the condition bN
voting Tor the adoption Of the Cousti-
tuition. From that time until now,
THE CHURCH HAS BEEN TRUE To
IT'S PLEDGE respecting the abandon
mcnt of the practice Of plural mar
riage n IL be- urged that there have
been instances of the violation of the
-p0lygamy laws,and that some per-
sons within tnc Church have sought 90
cvade the rule adopted by her. prohib-
ting plural marriages, the plain answer
Is that Boz every state and nation there
are individuals who violate the law in
spite OF AN the vigilance that can be
exercised; but II does not follow that
the integrity OF community or "a state
is destroyed, because OF such iudiVi-
dual trausgress All We ask ls the
same common-sense judgment To be
exercised i'm relation 90 our COM
munIty that is accorded 20 other COM
munitios when AN the circumstances
are weighed, the wonder b.. not that
| there have been sporadic cases Of
plural marriage. but that such cases
| have been so few II should be re-
mcmbered that religious conviction
| existed among the people holding this
order of marriage To be divinely sane
| toned. Little wonder then that there
/ should appear IN a community as large
as ours. and as sincere few over
| Jealous individuals who refuse 20 sub
| NIT even TO the action OF the Church
| In such matters. or that these few
| should find others who sympathized
/ with their views. the number. how
/ ever. o. small
| Those who refer To Mormon poly
! gamy' as a menace 90 the American
| home. or as a serious factor In Ameri-
! can problems, make themselves ridi-
! culous. SO FAR as plural marriage ls
| concerned, THE QUESTION IS SET.
| tiled. The problem OF polygamous
| living among our people Is rapidly solv.
| ing Itself 10 BE- a matter Of record
that IN 1890 when the manifesto was
issued, there were 2,45i plural families
In nine years this number had been re-
duced 10 S,543. Four years later IN,
| number was S97. and many Of thes,
have since passed away"
This is the document the paper re-
fers to for proof that "The church hal
not kept its pledges made I'm the Wood
run manifesto" As viii be seen. IN,
very contrary is here asserted. Il q
freely admitted in the Address quote,
that there may have been sporadic IN
fractions 81 the law. but the great fac
that the Church has kept the pledge
made In the Manifesto IS made a.
emphatic as language can make f. An,
/ that ig tho truth