The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-08
DEFENSE OF NEW PoLYGAMY.

OF IN x w Od SkAI'l
In our issue of Monday morning W.
took occasion to pay some attention tt
an editorial that was printed in the Des
eret News on the evening of the preced
ing Saturday, That article was so cyi
dently A defense of new polygamy BY
the News that we offer further com
mcnt upon it's contents. We reproduce
a few more lines from the church organ
as follows;
We take the opportunity to say agar
that the church has faithfully kept tho
pledges made In the manifesto regarding
plural marriage No such marriages
and none can be entered Into. with tht
sanction OF the church authorities. Nc
matter what Tho Tribune says OF
secret" marriages. or Secret records
there are mono such--a proposition tina,
Is self-evldent TO all who reflect that II
they were secret The Tribune could not
know anything about them,
And The Tribune takes this opportu-
nifty to say that the Mormon church has
not kept it's pledges made in the Wood
ruff manifesto. nor any other pledges
made concerning the matter of polyga'
my. At tho April conference Of 1907
tho church officially, upon official mo-
ton of the first presidency, confessed
that the pledges made in the manifesto
had been broken, in that there had been
new infractions Of the law and Of the
church document issued in 1890. Presi-
dent Joseph Il. Smith Of that organiza~
ton, while tsetifying in Washington
in the year 1904 confessed for himself
personally, and in the most distinct
manner, that he had not kept these
pledges He is the highest authority
in the church-the chief of the higher
cccleSiastics who are in reality the
church. and by whose conduct the or.
ganization must be Judged. The mere
name "church'' means nothing at all,
except as the acts of its officers and
members are brought forward for ludg-
ment. II there were but one infraction
of the pledge, with the offender left
unmolested of proper punishment, the
church would be pledge breaker; be-
cause ii is the church, and the church
only, that is competent under the cir
cumstances to bring about discipline or
fHHiSh'hCuk dS "'uIl NC liJl uulCl luN
recognized moral standard.
Since the year 1890 no less than. six
apostles, positively, have offended the
law, Their names are Abraham II. Can
non, John w. Taylor, Matthias L. Cow
ley, Brigham Young, Jr.. Owen Wood.
ruff and George Teasdale. Then there
have been several presidents of stakes
and stake counselors who have become
new polygamists. Eight or ten bishops,
several high priests, some seventies, and
elders are known to have de.
he'd the laws of God and man. These
are all high officials in the Mormon
church. and in fact the higher priest
hood TO which they belong absolutely
dominates the organization. and there.
fore their acts must be considered as
the attitude of the church
wherein consideration of that attitude
is to be had at all These men retain !
their good standing, and most of them
still hold their official positions. Did |
the church discountenance the crimes
committed by them it would have de- |
posed them, communicated them and |
delivered them over to the law for
rial. But no such thing has occurred, |
rs everybody here knows, and in all |
reason this is evidence that the church |
has broken It's pledges concerning plu.
-al marriage, And the absence Of in.
'estlgation of polygamous charges thus
liking responsibility upon the church, it
naturally follows that the church con.
'ents to and approves the pledge break.
ng.
The News attempts to show that if
here were secret marriages and secret
'ecords, The Tribune could not posi-
by know anything about them, and
'ndeavors by means of that bit of fine
lumor to show that this paper falsifes
when 1t makes assertion that secret GER
monies are performed and that secret
marriage records do exist As To the
marriage ceremony we shall illustrate
'rief1y in one well known case. Apos.
lie Owen Woodruff was a new polypa.
mist, and had lived in that relation a
ew years prior to his demise. But the
ubhc generally knew nothing of il,
or did the Mormon people. until after
DIR. Woodruff S death. The facts in
nc case so plainly constitute thut to
e secret marriage that it is alto
ether useless for the News to attempt
o evade the showing As TO secret
,arriage records. it is only necessary
0 call attention to the fact shat when
he Senate committee desired to have
hese brought before it at Washington
he church, through its officials. hid
hem away-secreted them. and there.
ore rendered them secret. If one
esired to look up marriage ceremonies
5 recorded by other churches, one wonld
ereIy be required to apply to the prop
r custodians and he would have no
in gaining access TO them.
hese records are open; but as distin.
nishing those Of the Mormon church is
II