The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-22
THE ExPosIToR TRUTH.

Telling the truth was one of the of
fenses committed by the Nauvoo Ex-
positor, which the Deseret News calls
"the most infamous sheet of paper
ever printed under the American flag
Here is one of its editorial anounce-
mcnts
We have watched with painful emotion
the progress of events in this city, for
some time past, until we We're sick with
the sight; injury upon injury. HAS been
repeated, Insult has been added to insult
until forbearance has ceased 10 oe vir-
tuous, and we now have the proud pr!vl-
lege, we have long wished for OF defend
Ing ourselves against their foul aggres-
sioRs and aSpersions and of informing
the public OF things as they really are.
That promise to describe conditions
in Nauvoo Just as they actually existed
in other words, to tell the truth
probably furnished the greatest incen-
tive to the tyrants in control OF the
community to destroy the Expositor. 1t
was the custom there, as it is here,
for church officials to endeavor, through
personal utterance and through their
official organ, to hide up rampant evils.
w.
HAll Is well in Zion - And then as
now, all was not we'll, for the church
officialdom rocked of the most filthy and
disgusting practices. They were en-
gagged In defiance of the law, and exer-
ised the most outrageous tyranny in or
der to protect themselves in their in
famies. Men who openly complained
against the numerous existing wrongs
were prosecuted in every conceivable
manner. Some of them were even
texts; while the favorites who were
caught in wrongdoing were given the
advantage of that notorious habeas
corpus ordinance that had been en-
acted under the Nauvoo charter. Mar
ried women and young girls were in
constant danger of receiving indecent
proposals from some Of the chiefs, to-
gether with threats if they refused to
submit TO them and exposed the scoun-
drels. Pretending to be God s mouth
gagged in drunken orgies and the most
disgraceful scenes in public places, all
under the protection Of the control ex-
ercised by them over all things tenn
poral and spiritual. In later years it
has been confessed by the Utah church
that some conditions existed in Nau-
VOC which at the time OF the Expositor
were fatty and Indignantly denied. The
fact is that Nauvoo at that time was
yeritable sink hole Of iniquity, and
the protestors had every human right OF
decency and fairness on their side, The
very circumstance that the Nauvoo Elk.
posltor was destroyed Immediately af-
ter the appearance of the first issue of
that paper is proof ncontrovertible
that the tyranny complained of existed;
and the truth of the other charges
made is demonstrated in the same oc.
currence.
1t has been the course of the church
officials all through the history of that
organization to deny evils while they
exist and to confess them later when
time has removed the danger of re;
prisal. It is so today with respect to
the polygamous recrudescence, with
rather certain prospect that in the safe
future the renewal will be admitted.
together with boasting as to the large
number of saints who succeeded in
Giving their religion in spite of all
opposition.