Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-20
CONCERNING soRMoNIsN.

We find in the Los Angeles Times, Of
Dec. Is. the following strong argument
against the incorporation in the Con-
stitution of the United States, of an
amendment against polygamy, law
to enforce such amendment, 1t IS point
ed out, would have to be uniform and
OF general application. il would have
to give TO the courts OF the United
States jurisdiction over all crimes
against chastity. and the Times doubts
that such law could be enforced. In the
same article "Mormonism' is discussed
with intelligent understanding of the
situation here, and. what IS to the point,
with an evident desire to be fair, even
IL some OF the statements made are not
strictly in accordance with facts we
copy the entire editorial:
when men are engaged in either
Il religious or II political crusade they
do not always take the trouble to veri-
fy the truth of the information upon
the basis of which they attack their
opponents. They disregard the maxim
which declares that even the devil Is
entitled to receive his due, Since the
election some Of the New England in
sUrgent newspapers have dropped
their assaults on Uncle Joe Cannon for
the time being and trained their guns
on the Mormons 1t is asserted that
these whlom devotees Of inordinnte
domestic felicity have not, since Utah
achieved statehood. abided by the
promise which they then gave TO
abandon polygamy, but have to GER
tain extent resumed its practice.
This assertion is strongly denied by
the Latter-day Saints. They said that
1t is absolutely untrue. They admit 1t
was only after twenty years of des-
perate struggle that they abandoned
polygamy as n practice and they claim
that when they did surrender it they
did so publicly, regretfully, wrathfully.
but earnestly and in good faith. They
claim that since Statehood there has
not been a single polygamous marriage
solennscd IN Utah There Is, of
course. no way Of verifying the
truth OF their statement, but on the
other hand there does not seem to
have been any evidence advanced to
controvcrt it.
1T is not assorted by the Saints
themselves that all who we're living
In polygamy when Statehood was OBJ
tained have since then Invested them
selves OF their plural helpmccts. 1t
Is said that In 1896 when Utah was adj
mittcd there was but $500 nolygamnus
families there. or these 1000 heads of
families have since died. The remain
ing Soonest of them old men--may
vet secretly maintain their former re-
latIons. This In a population contain
Ing 100000 married males Is not II
very large percentage Of iniquity.
Probably there are fcw Christian. or
Jewish. nr hcathcn communities any
where IN the world that would not
show up Il larger average az lmmor-
nlity.
"'rhe virn Of Mormonsm that fcn-
turc of 1t which cxcites the hostility of
Puritan New Englanders, and causes
them to cl;,ruor for nm amendment to
the Constitution of tho United states
is not pnlygnmy, II Is tho great sue
crHs az tho Mormon missionaries IN
bringing in shiploads of converts eincr
polygnn,y was eliminated from their
practice, If not from their faith.
"'rhis success is probably attribute
able to the fact that Morm0nisn Is
something more than n crank the
ology. IT is II cooperative industrial
society It Is an educational, social,
| and mutual Improvement, and busi-
ness, and benefit society, 4 not only
| promises spiritual benefit to It's fol-
| lowers. but it promotes their temporal
| welfare. 1t taxes ltS converts out OF
| the slur,s and garrets Of England,
aud brings them to free and fertile
| Utah 1t supplies the em!grants on
crcdI, with piece OF land, cabin,
| u COW. u pig and chickens II finds
| hum employment. II rstruCts him
| how and where to work II sees that
| he docs not want for food. shelter and
| and clothing. II furnishes them with So
/ ciety and amusement. Nowhere Is the
| druma or tho concert better patroniaed
| than IN Utah, Every little town has It's
| Thcspian society, and the local drama
| tie and musical entertainments arO
| above mediocrity
The Mormon faith iuculcates tenn
| pcrunCc. truth. honesty and sclt-sncri-
! ilcc-HS indeed most religious faiths
| do, Because one believes in tho under
! wing principles of Il creed 1t does not
/ follow that there Is an acceptance of
| its cmditios, its Misrepresentation it's
| misconstrlctnrs, or the literal truth OF
| It's alogorics. One may respect the vir-
| 'uog az buddhism without believing
| that God Is spiral staircase of whirl-
| Ing atoms. One may conccdc the tenn
| perancr and the spiritual devotion of
| the followers OF Mahonlct, and vet con-
| cedc that suffragettcs have souls. One
| may take off his hat to rabbi with
| out believing that the walls of Jericho
Were really blown down by one of Gid
cons mastery cornet solos. One NAV
know that n Christian Science practI-j
toner can cure rheumatism and vet