The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-04
SUPPORTED BY POLITICS.


treatment to the whole matter, we re,
print in full the following article from
The Woman s Magazine for December,
1909;
Editor Alice Stone Blackwell Of Bos-
ton, answers. with an argument as
trtonted TO Bishop Spading, OF Utah,
that 80 long as woman suffrage pre-
vailed in Utah, Il would be Impossible to
establish laws that would result in the
abolition OF polygamy."
This is doubtless another inaccurate
press dispatch. Bishop Spaldng must
strictly forbidden by law, and that any
po!ygamy which exists. exists contrary to
the law.
In the San Francisco papers. Bishop
Spalding is not reported as making this
remark. but he is reported as making
much worse one. viz, that it Is women
my Everybody knows that the doctrine
OF Mormon polygamy was not invented
by woman, but by Joseph Smith. Cen
tile testimony is unanimous that It was
forced upon the women In the beginning
only by the strongest ecclesiastical bull
doing. and exceedingly against the
grain. II the Mormon women now up
hold IT, they do so merely because 1t is
tnculCated upon them rs a duty by the
hierarchy of the Mormon church, n hle-
rarchy made up wholly Of men. The
in twenty-four hours, If they really
wished.
LAS Josiah Aliens wife says. Mormon
polyGamy is q monument not to the de-
pravity OF women hut 10 the wicliedness
and smartness of mcn-or, to speak more
accurately OF some men, There are mon
who like to have half dozen wives, but
thero is no normal woman who really
likes TO share her husbands affections
with half dozen other women
We feel confident that there has been
some error in reporting the utterauees
of Bishop Spalding, both as to the cf-
feet of suffrage upon the prevalence of
polygamy and the other supposition that
women are responsible for the practice,
In considering the matter, however, The
give the truth. as that truth is shown
by the record of the past and the con
ditions of the present.
When Joseph Smith, at Nauvoo, per.
mitted his wife, Emma, TO see a copy
of the pretended revelation command
ing the practice of polygamy, Emma is
said TO have torn the paper into bits,
This is the first recorded evidence of
the Mormon woman's opposition to and
hatred of the abhorrent doctrine. When
Brigham Young and other prominent
leaders Of the church entered into po-
lygamous relations at Nauvoo, they did
it without the knowledge of their wives.
When these wives found out the lecher-
Gus evil indulged by their husbands
they rebelled against 1T, Immediately
Ia.
obedience to the priesthood was brought
into play. Only the men held that
priesthood, and those of the wronged
women who were fanatical in their ad-
herence to the creed were not only thus
forced into acquiesence Of the first of
fense, but the offenders becoming bold
er on account Of their success forced
further and repeated impositions upon
their first wives and succeeding con-
iugal accessions. There were others,
though, who rebelled and left their hus-
bands; but in either case there was no
acquiescence by the women. AS mat
ter of fact, the bogus revelation COM
manding the practice gives the man the
privilege Of proceeding without the
wife s consent, for the very reason that
previous to it's publication it was found
by the polygamous wretches that tho
consent of no good wife could be OBJ
tanned. The construction of this portion
of the spurious revelation plainly indi-
Gates that as first concoted it prescribed
that the consent of the woman must be
had, bat that the provision for gratifica'
tion of the filthy lust Of the polygamous.
minded scoundrels, whether the women
consented or did not consent, was an
addition calculated to give the man the
advantage in any event, Besides, there
is another provision which absolutely
Ties the hands of the woman.slave of
the Mormon priesthood, and it goes TO
prove the utter cowardice of the entire
cult. 1t is that provision that promises
damnation and destruction to the object.
ing wife. The whole arrangement is
the most cowardly and the most ma.
unclean attempt to fasten sla.
very and concubinage upon womankind
that has ever been perpetrnted upon
humanity since the world began, The
order of the Turkish harem is n cloanly
credit to the world in comparison. We
know of no woman in Utah who is in
favor Of the devilish practice except
Mrs. Susa Young Gates, who has pub.
licly announced her favor. But if the
neighbour in which she has been ac
tive-(and we regret to have to say
this)-have correct advice in the mat
ter. there is a selfish motive behind her
effort to seek some sort Of justification
As to the present, we shall give an
illustration of recent occurrence. A
Mormon young man in Salt Lake City
(and we can give his nancy was keep.
ing company with young lady. She
died before they were married. He aft
erwards sought out second sweetheart
to whom he made love. They became
engaged and were married in the Salt
Lnke temple. During the course of the
marriage ceremony the young woman