The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-16

Editor Tribune: ] find the FOLLOWING
In Mormon publication for which reason
1 presume it is an official utterance:
Origin OF the Marriage System of the
Church: This great and glorious primer,
pie OF plural marriage was first revealed
10 Joseph Smith in 1881. but being for
hidden to make ii public. or TO teach 1t
as doctrine OF the Gospel. at that time.
he conaded tho facts to only a few OF his
Oliver Cowdery and Lyman E. Johnson,
the latter conhdIng the fact TO his tray
cling companion, Elder Orson Pratt In
the year 1882. And this great principle
remained concealed in the bosom of the
Prophet Joseph Smith and the few TO
whom he revealed 1t: until he was com
manded, about 1912. to instruct the lead
ing members OF the priesthood. and those
who were most faithful and Intelligent,
and best prepared TO receive it.-Joseph
Il. Smith. Deseret News OF May 20, 1856
The Book OF Mormon was issued the he
previous year and ono searched IL IN
vain for any sanction OF polygamy. on
the contrary, there arc three very clear
and pointed passages where the doctrine
Is forbidden. one OF which / quote:
Behold. David and Solomon truly had
many wives and concublnes which thing
was abominablc before me. saith the Lord
Wherefore my brethren. hear me and
hearkon to the word OF the Lord; for
there shall not any man among you have,
save IL be one wife; and concubincs he
shall have none." Jacob 2, verses "a
and 81.
This is so completely at variance with
the doctrine OF polygamy that even a
child would see the incongruity In inc
doctrine Of plural marriage TO the prophet:
February 9. 1880, he is made to say:
Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy
heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none
else."-Doctrine and Covenants, section
~
Also in section 10. (March, lSSp !:
Wherefore it is lawful that he should
have one wife and they twan sham r,p pp
might answer the end of It's creation
Thus in the same year the LORD EorS
plainly contradicts himself; and When we
read further in section 3;
For God doth not walk in crooked
paths. neither doth he turn TO the rlSht
hand nor TO the left, neither doth he vary
from that which he hath said.
/ have sought In vain among my Nor
mon acuUaintances for some plausible eN-
planation OF this incongrulty. The only
possible solution OF 1t is that Joseph Smlth
was a fraud and ] viii venture the as
sertion that no devotee of the church. in
the columns OF the News or elsewhere,
dares TO give us any other explanation
One other inconGrulty. not so glaring,
but equally plain. concerns the origin of
the Book OF Mormon During the spring
OF 1928 Martin Harris was engaged In as
sisting the Prophet in translating the
plates and was very anxious 10 SHOW
some OF the manuscript TO some or his
! friends. The prophet says lie began
carry the writings home and show Them:
and desired OF me that ! would inquire oi
| the Lord through the Trim and Thum-
| MIN if he might not do so,
~ aid inquire and the answer was that
! he must not However nc WAS not salts
led with this answer, ana desWed thaI
should inquire again i dlo 50. ana the
| answer was as before.
still he could not be contented but
insisted that ] should Inquire once more;
| After much solicitation l again inquired
|
| him TO have the writings on certain con
djtIons. which were, that he should sho"
them only to his brother. his own wife
his father and his mother and MIS-
| cobb. a sister TO his wife.
He did show them TO others, and by
stratagcm they got them away from him
and they have never been recovered tc
this day. .'-Roberts's History OF th'
! Church, Vol. l.. paragraphs 20-2l.
Then the Lord took Joseph 10 task;
! And when thou dcliveredst mp that
which God had given thee sight and pow,
| or To- translate, thou dclivcredst up that
| which was sacred. into the hands OF 2
wicked man--Doctrine and Covenants
| section J. 8,
| And in section 10 he upbraid3 him agar
In similar language ana further SAYS
And you also lost your gilt az tn'
| same time, and your mind became dark
| eneG."
The Lord seems TO have been thor.
4 ouchly vcXcd and apparently WAS anN'
. iDES 10 blame tilc prophet t't WV 1''S
for i'm the same section hc again says:
''BehoId, they have sought TO destroy
YOU; yea even the man in whom yol
have trusted (Martn llarris) has souSh
10 destroy you. And for this cause
said ne is n wicked man. for he sought tt
take away tho things whercwith you have
been entrusted, and he has also souSh
TO destroy your SirI
And because you have delivered rh'
writings into his hands, behold wicked
Il men have taken them from you.
| In section doctrine and Cove
| nants) the Lord calls this ''wiCEc,
man" "My servant, Martin Har
ris" and e is incOnceivablc tina
lie should not have known his char1cte
and thc danger in allowing him TO carr;
away tho manuscript; and after sue!
stupidity he might we'll have kept silen
and not have blamed the prophet 10
doing as he had given him permission
to do.
The whole thing looks very human anc
childish.
With another scribe the prophet begaT
the translation anew, which after som'
delays, was ready FOR tho printer.
Should any onn. st this time claim Il
| huVg found s0mD golden I1latoS llduGI