The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-29
ITS MORAL TEACHINGS

Stahe sald that Its moral teachings
| are unexcelled,'
In the Doctrine and Covenants,
which is the law book of the Mormon
church. and which is the authority upon
which all doctrinal teaching of that
body is founded, is printed the "Reve-
latlon on the eternity of the marriage
covenant. including plurality of wives. -
That alleged revelation fixes the fam
| lily status of all the elders in Israel.
IT describes certain conjugal privileges
which may be enjoyed by the faithful
holder of the Mechisedek priesthood.
Paragraph 62 reads as follows:
| And If he have ten virgins given unto
MN ny This law. he cannot commit adul-
| terry for they belong to him, and they arc
given unto him. therefore is he justified.
That is the authoritative "moral'
teaching of the Mormon religion-the
teaching that President Cannon de
clares to be unexcelled' - 1t must be
admitted that it is not even with an
equal in the civilized and Christian
world, and that it is e1colled only
among the barbarians. II is true that
recently (and very recently, and very
inconspicuously) the manifesto of Presi-
dent Wilford Woodruff was inserted in
the book of Doctrine and Covenants.
This document forbids plural marriage
and the living in plural marriage. But
on account of the fact that the authori-
tative teaching by Joseph Smith is still
given as the law unto Israel there has
been hundreds of new polygamous mar
riages in the churcb---contrary to its
own pretended rule and in defiance of
the law of The land. II is a fact, too,
that in this day no man is accepted
for responsible position in the church
| If he shall refuse to express al least
belief in the ''princlple' of polyga-
nous marriage, notwithstanding the in
hibition of its practice.
80 Moral teachings of any sect may
best be Judged by practices Hereunder.
The president of the Mormon church,
and the highest excmplar in its reli-
glous practice, has been convicted in
the courts of this State Of living an
unlawful and immoral life, What can
who considers himself to be inconse-
quential, anyway, in so far as his exam
pie may affect the body7 If the chief
exponent of Mormon morality has
the effrontery to tell the world that he
regards it as his personal privilege to
disregard the commands of God if nc
chooses to do so, what is to prevent
the whole membership from going to
the devi7
Besides, it is an unfortunate fact THAT
President Hugh !. Cannon happened to
be personally iDdiscrcet in selecting this
subject as part of his sermon theme.
The Tribune has printed, and Will print
again, an extended list of new polyga-
nous pledge breakers. iQ which his
name appeared and shall appear.
We have been given to understand,
however, that in this particular case
Of offending series of circumstances
have entered that may affect the view.
IT will be recalled that. it was in
January of 1896 that Utah achieved
her Statehood. That sovereignty was
secured through the delivery of certain
pledges and covenants to this Nation
Prominent among those who made
those contracts, and who received
amnesty for past offenses, was 10
seph f. Smith, now president of the
church. 1t was feared at the time that
he was insipcere. His viciousncss was
so we'll known, both to church officials
and to Gentiles, that little confidence
Was placed in his professions at that
time. There was a prospect (siuco real
ized) that be would one day become
the king of the "kingdom Of God -
It was apprehended that when that
power came into his hands, Joseph +.
Smith would follow in the footsteps
of his immediate progenitors and prove
TO be as dishonest rs they always proved
to be when free to work their iniqui.
tous reputation. That suspicion was
well founded; for no sooner did the
4 opportunity come to Joseph F.. Smith
than he began his career Of pledge
breaking. Six months after statehood
had been granted TO Utah he performed
his first new polygamous marriage cere-
mony, uniting illegally Abraham II.
Cannon to Lillian Hamlin. His object
at that time was to So involve another
prominent family of the church as to
render it impossible for the head OF
that family to proceed against him with
out inflicting intense injury to his own
flesh and blood.
Joseph +. Smith, in bringing about his
polygamous recrudesconce, and especial
ly so since he became president of the
church, has pursued that very course.
lie has entanglcd SO many prominent
families Of the Mormon church in hit
poly ygamous mcshes that none of then
dares to rise against him. And ST
polygamy still fourishes. And So w
are reliably Informed, President Hugl
!. Cannon was made TO fall into the
trap.
~ - H., L ,;,.oJ