The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-28
REVEALED, GROWTH IN GREED


David Whitmcr in his pamphlet, 81 An
I Address TO All Believers in Christ, -
pages - and JS. calls attention TO Que
certain change that has been made by
the 'rcviscrs of tho Lord in an al.
legged revelation printed both in the
old Book Of Commandments and the
later book of Doctrine and Covenants
Mr. Whitmcr says:
This part Of this revelation in the Book
| OF Commandments reads thus: And Inc
| lJOsgphl has GIN TO translate the Book.
and have commanded him tha, he shall
! pretend To no other Gitt. for | will grant
| nim no other gii."
| But in the Doctrine and Covenants il
I has been changed and roads thus: And
| YOU have u gItt To translate the plates.
and this Is the iirst gift that | bestowed
uuon YOU. and I have commanded you
| That you should pretend TO no utiicr gift.
until my purpose IS fuhllod i'm this for
| ! Will grant unto you no other sift until
| II IS finished"
! Mr.. Whitmcr. ii must he remembered,
was ono Of the first three witnesses TO
the "divinity' of he Book of Nor.
mon. His signature stands iu the book
today as such. Therefore, il his word
IS to bc accepted IN that matter most
| important to the church, il ought 10
carry equal weight rs concerning other
things David Whitmcr, in the pamph-
lei named, makes complaint That for
selfish purposes Joseph Smith and 9th
crs deliberately and without right add,
! ed TO and took from what was originally
proclaimed to be The word of God lie
saws that in this particular case the
sions and ambitions of Joseph, who
went from claiming only the gift Of
translation to assuming that he also
was gifted as a prophet, seer, and
revclator. The contention of Mr.. Whit
mer is that when the church was or
ganlzed, April Il, 1880, there was no
such person or Office mentioned as
"prophet, seer and revclator,' and that
this title was later assumed by Joseph
for his personal agggrandi2ement. This
was one of the reasons put forth by
David for leaving the church-one of
the very many reasons. His claim was
that the original word of the Lord was
changed, departed from, and subverted;
that after the founders of the Mormon
church began TO feel the power over
men resulting from successful enforce
ment Of their supposed divine author
ity, they began impositions in the name
Of the Lord that the original ''word -
had not contemplated.
The truth is, although David Whit
mer does not say as much (yet we firm
Iy believe that late in his jfe be rec
ognized the fact), that Sidney Rigdon
was the 'Egod - from whom Joseph
Smith received his revelations Not
withstanding the circumstances that
Rigdon is not supposed to have met
Joseph Smith until the latter had his
religious project well under way, we
have direct evidence going to show
that Rigdon and Smith were fellow
conspirators in the Book of Mormon
fraud, If the other evidence which We
have in our possession did not exist,
we could point with some effect to the
fact that the Mormon church leaders
have taken more than ordinary pains to
attempt to convince the world that
Sidney Riedon was unknown to .Io
seph Smith until some years after the
''plates' had been discovered.
Our claim is that Sidney Rigdon had
more to do with the production of the
Book of Mormon than had Joseph Smith
Except as the latter was a mere figure
head), and that the "god' from whom
Joseph Smith received his pretended
revelations was no other than the man,
Sidney Rigdon. We make these claims,
just as we made claim to the truth of
the assertion that the DANTE gang was
of official Mormon origin at Far West,
Missouri, and we invite a similar inves
iiuatinn