The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-09
THE MoBBlNG OF THE EXPosIToR


On Thursday morning last The Trib-
upc printed the preamble and resou.
tions made public by the seceders from
the Mormon church at Nauvoo. and
as printed in the Nauvoo Expositor OF
June I, 1914. The matter was presented
merely for the purpose of permitting
the people to Judge as between the
righteousness of the causes as espoused
by those soceders and the polygamous
cult that brought destruction TO this
public expositor. And now. and in con-
frmation Of the matter printed by The
Tribune on last Thursday morning, we
have received from one of the Utah
pioneers-a man who lived in Nauvoo
at the time Of the smashing of the Nau-
VOC Expositor, the following letter:
Editor The Tribune;-I read with inter
est your extract from the Nauvoo EX-
positor. / remember having seen COPY
Of that unfortunate sheet, and have
passed by the building where II was
printed When small boy have picked
up types outside that Office. where they
were thrown by the Mormon thugs who
destroyed the Office fixtures. ! remem-
Der the time and place quite well.
{ was in pursuance Of the command
of Joseph Smith, the founder of Nor
monism. that criticism OF him within
the church must cease. that he ordered
the smashing of the Nauvoo Exposition.
II was but three days ago that con-
scientious member Of the Mormon
church told n representative of The
Tribune that is was a good thing that
the period of today was not shifted back
TO fifty years ago, and with Joseph +.
Smith as president Of the Mormon
church
In view of the recent protest Of Presi-
dent Joseph f. Smith as against criticism
Of his acts. and especially by members
of the church, the words of our informer
probably contain more Of significance
than will be ordinarily appreciated. II
is true that, given the extraordinary
power that was reposed in the hands of
Brigham Young-witb no manner of let
or hindrancc in the exercise of that
f. Smith IS natural dispo-
sition to the exercise of tyranny by any
means would have led to sanguine re
suits. Brigham Young was an autocrat,
but he had some little wisdom in the
exercise Of his autocracy. He was a
material man, and he bent his efforts
to the material benefit of the new com.
munity that he was chief IN establish
through with some care, it will be found
to oxhibit Brigham Young principally
as cooniZer and builder. his priestly
and power being bent chiefly
in that direction. OF course, as may be
seen in many Of his sermons, he threat
ened to use the bowie knife, and TO en-
force the old Mormon doctrine of blood
in the event that his com
mands were not obeyed; but in the
church in Utah at that time Brigham
had bad lot to deal with. Many of
them had participated in the DANTE
raids OF Missouri and Illinois, wherein
the sole object was TO spoil the Gentics
and to play havoc with all their zen.
emics' generally. In one sermon par
ticuiarly (Which may be found in the
Journal of Discourses, volume 4, pa ges
70 to S0) he distinctly said that among
the elders in Israel were men who
could "beat the world at any game, -
from the avocation of the card sharper
to that Of the highway robber. Consid-
ering the rough lot that Brigham had
to deal with in the church, it was alb
5olutcly necessary for him to himself
take firm hand in the game. Under
that condition he suppressed criticism,
because the criticism was usually from
elders who had small consciences that |
permitted anything from killing the
neighbors' chickens to Sitting men IS |
Lhroats.
But today the Mormon people have
advanced beyond that stage. They are,
rs a rule, law abiding, industrious and |
thrifty, They are capable of giving
expression to fairly Just views in secu-
lar or religious matters They have |
come to point where they are ordi- |
narily competent To Judge the actions
expressed views antagonistc
TO the confessed lawbreaking of THEN
chiefs. AT this time there is no neces-
5ity for the Mormon leaders TO proceed |
upon the ground that their followers are
criminals in the main, and that re-
,traint must be exercised as if against
hcathens. In reality, the situation is
hat the leaders have remained station
lry in the old barbarism, and the Nor
non people have advanced beyond them.
II is for that reason that the bierarchs
now desire to have criticism of their
acts squelched. 1t is case of the peo-
Die exalted dcnouucing the leaders de-
graded, and the discountenanced chiefs
attempting to suppress criticism by I
means of priestly authority that be-
ougs in an age that The world counts in
Is long-ago history.
The Nauvoo Eyrositor was only the
spokesman tor (. thought and segment
,f the Mormon people in Nauvoo which
we're advanced beyond Joseph Smith as