The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-28
THE KEEPING OF PLEDGES.

|
evening the Deseret News had this TO
say:
Latterday Saints should be partlcu-
lar. They should regard their word as
obligation they should keep It unscrupu-
| lously 1.-THE prefix "un" Is doubtlessIy
used unintentlonally1 as a sacred VOW.
They should not break their word, They
Should be careful in promises and engage
ments. but when they are given they
should stand, If possible He who is not
particular about his word 10 his brother,
| VIII break his word to the Lord, too, and
God. ''''''0 Ose'eSS IN 'ne Ni"s"0" Oh
That is excellent teaching, and it
should be followed by all mankind
whether of ono religious faith or an
other, or of no religious affiliations at
all, 1t seems, though, that the News
was directing Its admonitions especially
to members Of the Mormon church In
view of actual conditions within that
organization, and particularly as affect.
ing the attitude Of the church organ
and the chiefs who direct its policies,
how fat that teaching must fall upon
Mormon earsi
Naturally the Mormon people look
| upon President Joseph F. Smith as their
highest exemplar as Latter-day Saints,
and upon the News as his chief mouth
piece among the public prints. AS to
keeplng sacred certain promises which
were made to the Nation in order to
obtain relief from woe and turmoil, and
also to receive the great gift of State
hood for Utah, Joseph F, Smith has tes-
tilted upon affirmation in Washington
that he has not kept his pledges as an
individual, and that he has no inten.
tlon of performing his solemn duty in
this respect. At the same time, the
Deseret News has repeatedly said that
there were no pledges given-that it
would be impossible for church body
to make a contract with the Nation
But tho fact remains that such cove.
nants Uere so made. and by all other
official agencies of the Mormon church,
aside From the News, 1t has been agreed
that sacred pledges were given as con-
ditions upon which a composition of the
old difficulties here was had And 10
seph +. Smith S confession of his per-
sonal reputation and infraction of
those pledges, he being the "greatest
Latter.day Saint of them all,' robs
the church organ s teaching of all in
tended effectiveness for good, so far
as the Mormon people are concerned.
1t is true, as the News says. that
"He who is not particular about his
word to his brother, will break his
word to the Lord. too, and is therefore
useless in the kingdom of Cod We
say that this is true as Judged by Nor.
mon standards; because when Joseph
F.. Smith officially Joined with the 9TH
er leaders of the church at that time in
making promises and giving pledges for
the entire organization, his word of
honor was also pledged to his own
brethren and sisters that the contract
thus made should be kept inviolate. In
rem and sisters he has also broken his
covenant with the Lord, according to
his own testimony; for he confessed in
Washington that he was living in de-
! fiancc of both the laws of God and the
laws of man, And what renders his
attitude the more vicious and of the
greater injury in evil example to the
Mormon people is the fact that while
giving his testimony he declared that
! he was determined to live the remain"
| der of his life out in that lawlessness.
IN that reputation of pledge. and III
j.
therefore quite as "useless in the king"
dom of God' as the teaching of the
News is ineffective in view Of its hypo-
critical and lying attitude.
AS to the understandings had with
! the Nation in behalf of all the Mormon
people, it is interesting TO revert to a
report of the House Committee on Ter
ritories concerning Utah, under date of
January "a, 1893, which recommended
our admission to Statehood. At and
previous to that time Hon. Joseph L..
Rawlins. who was Delegate to Con-
gress, and delegations of special COM
missioners from the leaders of the Nor
mon church-who spoke for the entire
body-had made such presentations and
promises to the House Committee on
Territories as to have caused the form"
ulation of a report, of which the follow
ing is an important part (see official
report, page ~;
While your committee utterly condemn
| the doctrine of poysany, and hold that
| as long as the Mormons constituted the
larger part OF the population OF the Ter
ritory Of Utah, and personally, or as
matter of faith: with or without the prac-
| tice, believed in the doctrine OF polygamy,
| then IL was proper and right for the Fed
eral Government to use all OF its vast
| powers to. secure the overthrow and de-
| struction of that practice: yet. in view
| of the foregoing facts set forth in this
| report as we'll as the concurrent testi-
mony OF all parties interested in the vel
fare OF Utah who have appeared before
your committee at its hearings upon this
| subject during the present Congress, as
we'll as the vast amount OF testimony
/ submitted to your committee during the
F'iftieth Congress upon the same topics.
| compel your committee TO believe without
doubt or hesitation that the institution
| OF polygamy as taught by the Mormon
church. whether of faith or OF practice.
is now absolutely stamped out and eNtcr-