The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-20

treatment of the polvgamous doctrine
respect TO il as il does with respect
to baptism? Certainly the Mormon
church teaches and advocates the prac-
ticc OF polygamy, and Elder Roberts
did so on last Sunday in the Salt Lake
tabernacle in all plainness. BY law,
and under the terms of the evidence
given before the master in chancery
in the church property escheat cases,
whose outcome and conditions were ex-
pressed in the joint resolution Of Con
gress restoring that property, it should
again revert TO the ownership OF the
cause in that joint resolution il was
expressly stipulated that the property
was returned and was To be held on
condition that no part of IT should be
utilized for the purpose OF promoting
polygamy,
Now. as 10 the matter Of salvation
in celibacy, with one wife OF with sew
eral wives The revelation upon mar
riage as contained in the Doctrine and
Covenants, the Mormon law book, saws
"If ye abide not that covenant, then
are We damned" There is not even
glimmer of glory or salvation outside
of plural marriage; because if one is
TO he damned in refusal to take more
than one wife. then one certainly can
not be saved in any degree whatever.
Again, President Joseph F. Smith has
made official Interpretation of the law
of celestial marriage " It is con-
tended (when suitable 10 the ever.
changing and hYpocritical needs of the
hlerarchs) that Celestial marriage
docs not necessarily mean polvCamy, for
the reason that the title of the poIvg.
amous revelation dcsignatcs it AS the
law of celestial marriage, including
a plurality of wives meaning that
there are two phases. But in the Off
cial Interpretation given by President
Joseph f. Smith we find that the ono
is not without the other. Mr. Smith |
gave it at the Tabernacle 'ou July Z,
1879, and il was reported in the is
sue of the Deseret News of September
-th following. 1t reads:
| understand the law Of celestial mar
'iage TO mean that every man in this |
'hurch, who has the ability To obey and
practice II In righteousness and Will not.
hall be damned. | say I understand 1t |
o mean this and nothing loss, and / tes-
ily In the name OF Jesus that ii does
mean that.
Turning again to the plain teaching
nd advocacy of polygamy by Mr. Rob,
rts in the tabernacle last Sunday, let
IS make brief inquiry as to its prob.
bic effect We can do no better than
o go to the testimony of Mr. Roberts
5 he delivered it before the Senate
ommittee in the Smoot case. He was
skcd why it was that he, knowing
lural marriage TO be against the law,
till persisted in marrying plural wives
lis reply was as follows:
In explanation OF that conduct | wish
D say that from my boyhood ! had been
lught the rightlulneSS OF plural mar .
aGe. | believed that doctrine and be-
eyed II to be a commandment Of God
knew that the law of God was I'm con-
let with the statutes enacted by Con-
ress. ! regarded II as binding upon my
onsciencc TO obey God rather than man.
nd hence ! accepted that doctrine and
racticcd 1t. that Is all.-Official record |
olume ]. page III.
Has not Mr.. Roberts done for today's
lormon young man what others did for ;
lc young man Roberts?