The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-10
THE EVASION IN PoLYGAMY.

present the following extract from an
editorial article which appeared in the
Deseret News of Saturday, March ,,
1910. for the reason that il is impor-
family enhghtening in respect of Ger
tain question::
We have no desire 10 defend OF con-
done any infraction OF the laws or the
rule OF the church by anyone But those
who remember that the practice tot
polygamy] has been long in vogue. un-
der TIE silent consent of the Govern
ment, and that families had grown up
under il: that the belief was held that
II founded on divine command. and
that the saints are very strong and con-
scientio,is' In their beliefs will admit that
IL cannot be considered strange II they.
| at the time OF the Issuance OF the mani
festo, had different opinions regarding Its
real force and p9rport, and that i took ooh
new rule, But this has been done, and
plural marriage is a practice OF the past.
as far as the church is concerned.
First let MS say that the Dcseret
News is the official newspaper organ
of the Mormon church officials. When
ever a matter of great public impor-
tance is To be treated edtorially in
that paper, the article dealing there.
with is officially censored and corrected
if necessary. before publication is had.
Under this rule (Which The Tribune
knows TO exist beyond any matter Of
doubt the particular matter thus CEN
sorcd and approved becomes the out
giving of the Mormon hierarchy.
| Now. therefore, we have no doubt
that the foregoing matter from the
News contains the official uttcrance of
the chiefs of the polygamous cult-be-
cause the supreme head of the church
and the other controlling spirits in the
hierarchy are polyGamous. SO we find
that they do not wish to condone -
| polygamy, "but -
The presentations made upon this
subject are, as usual, false in the main
The church, through The acts Of COM
mission and omission of its leaders.
condoncs and approves the practice of
polygamy, new and old. They arc
themselves polygamous and are there
fore breaking the law and the pre-
tended rule Of the church in their own
lives every day. No action has been
taken against them on this account.
because they are in reality the church
and absolutely control its every move
mcnt and statement. The Tribune has
printed list of names Of over fifty
new polygamists, and the guilt of these
men has never been denied. If the
church officials so desired they could
procure the punishment of these men.
They have not done so and are conse
quently accessory to their crimes.
The Government of the United States
did not give "silent consent to the
practice of polygamy; because as soon
as it became convinced Of the fact hat
there was here a settled determination
to thus oppose the law and Christian
sentiment. il began TO move officially
against the evil. In those DAYS com
munication between Utah and the cast
was difficult and news Travelled slowly.
Besides, although polygamy was Sc
cretly practiced in Nauvoo and up to
the time Of public announcement of the
doctrine in Utah. it was pcrsistently
and most earnestly denied. privately,
publicly, and officially. The first an
nouncement Of official adoption of the
doctrine and practice by the Mormon
church was made on August 20. 1852,
by Apostle Orson Pratt. who had been
assigned that duty by the reigning &C.
cesiastical dynasty. a report Of this
sermon, as it was preached in the old
tabernacle IN this city on the date
named. may be found in the Journal Of
=, 1
When the news carrying the purport
Of this open declaration reached the
East through the slow means of com
munication then existing, the sentiment
of the people was aroused. Necessarily
the agitation against polygamy was
slow in forming toward definite action
because of the (then) rcmotcDess of
Utah from thc Eastern ccnters of pop
ulation. AS soon. however, under this
tedious process as the citizenship of
the country became convinced that out
here there was n movement on foot TO
establish the concubinage Of Oriental.
ism within this Republic, definite meas.
ures were taken to suppress the out
rage OF course, there had always been
laws in this country prohibiting and
Furnishing bigamy and kindred offenses:
but with the cunning that almost in
variably characterizes criminals, the
Mormon hierarchs had conceived the
plan Of calling their practice "celes-
tial marriage and claimed the right
to indulge it under the Constitutional
guarantee of religious liberty. In pur-
suanee of this scheme the Mormon
leaders proposed TO continue the prac
tice as in exercise Of the rights of di.
vine worship. They were absolute mas
tiers of the situation here; they con
trolled the people, the law, the officers
of the law, and the courts which were
supposed to administer the law, or they
would raise an outcrY against the
Judges and put up jobs on them to get
them removed, Under all these COM
bined circumstances il took time TO in.
augurate any effective movement
aoainet tho ruIt 60 that n woe nof