The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-23
A POINTED INQUIRY.

The Tribune has letter from a gon
tlemap in tho East who is identified
with Christian and patriotic work, aus
who takes considerable interest in the
situation in Utah. In that letter the
question is asked, "What is your opin-
ION of President Smith S rec mt public
declaration that the Mormon church
would give up polygamyf'
or course tho answer had to be that
there has been no such declaration,
either by President Smith or any other
church authority, or from the Mormon
church. II was expected that the recent
October conference would give forth a
declaration on this question. There is
reason TO believe that such q declaration
was prepared, II was evidently in type
in tho Doserct News office as part of
President Smith S opening address at
the Deserot News S head lines made spe-
ciic reference to polygBmy, as part of
President Smith S address; that heading
read, ''Prcsideut Joseph h. Smith Al
ludcs III Upmistakabe Terms 10 tho Pol
icy of tho Church in Reference TO the
Matter of Recent Plural Marriages. ~
Everybody naturally searched the re-
port, TO SEQ what that allusiou was.
Nothing camo of it, however. Nothing
was said; no declaration was made by
President Smith or anybody else, and
the conference was entirely silent.
But what blessing it would have
bccu 20 Utah if there had been dcclar-
alton of this kind made by President
Smith and sustained by the conference,
that The church would deal with such
would turn them over to Justice! What
II load OF iniQuity, crime, and rascality
it, would have lifted from the nccks Of
Mormondom AS it is, the leaders of
the church arc guilty of the wicked
ness. the pcr6dy, the pledge breaking,
and Scandalous breach Of honor. They
are the ones who received and availed
themselves OF the amnesty proclaimed
by the President without in the least
either meeting or intending TO meet the
dent Smith testified in the Smoot case,
he preferred TO 'take his chances
against the law which is the attitude
of tho criminal everywhere.
What a load also declaration such
as ought to have been made at the re-
cent conference would have lifted from
the minds of tho church leaders them
selVcsi AS IL is now. they arc dishon
ored, they are outlaws on their OWN
confessions. Outlaws both under the
laws OF God and Of man President 10.
seph +. Smith in his testimony in that
case expressly said that nc had admit
ted this guilt ga great many times
here. - President Lyman expressly an
swered "Yes' 10 the question whether
or not be had been living in defiance
of the laws of God and man, and meant
to continue so to live. Senator Hoar,
who put the question, was horror struck
with the answer
There has been such revival of
polvgamy that The Tribune has been
able TO print over two hundred cases Of
OF the Jaw, OF the amnesty, |
and of the express compact with the
Nation and Of the conditions of the
proclamations Of amnesty.
1t is shocking record, and the ques
ton is, how long is this vicious. false,
aud repudiating condition to continue?
How long will the church leaders remain |
in the position OF violators of their |
pledged word Of honor? How long will |
they continue 10 set themselves up as
of the law of their own church,
adopted in the October general |
conference of ls90' How long will they |
repudiate their obligations to God and |
man, to say nothing Of their obligations
as men of God, trusted with The welfare |
II their church aud as exemplars TO their |
people?