The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-17
RoosEVELT'S WARMING.

IN MS lcTlcf 10 MI. isaac huSScll,
published in Collier 5 Weekly Of April
18th. Colonel Roosevelt conveys an ON
phatic warning against the revival of
| poIygamy IN the Mormon church. After
dealing with the matter of the alleged
| political bargain between himself and
the Mormon leaders in his usual vigor-
ouS form of denial, and giving his GU
! logy of Smoot and the favorable i'm
preston that Smoot made upon him
while he was President. concluding that
shcre was 10 Mormon church interfer
cnce in his appointments in all this
region, and summing mp the points
which he claims to have disposed Of
Colonel Roosevelt continues;
Sn much Tor these ISLANDERS. Now n
word To the Mormon" people them
selves, lt The accusations made against
the Mormons" are rs false the ac
cusatlons upon which have touched
above. there is no need OF my saying
anything. But let me most earnestly in
sist on the vital need, Ii there is the
slightest truth In any of these accusN-
lions, Of the Mormon people them
selves acting with prompt thorouehness
in the matter Any effort. openly or COW.
ertly, TO relntroducc polygamy In the
Mormon" church would merely mean
that that church had set its face toward
destruction. The people OF the United
states Will not tolerate polyeamy. and
IL II were found that. with the sanction
and approval or connlvancc OF the
Mormon church people polysamous
marriages are now being entered into
among "Mormons," or Il entered into are
treated on any other footing than higam-
Gus marriages are treated everywhere in
the country. then tho United States gov
ernment would unqucstionably itself in
he end take control OF the whole cues
iion OF polyCamy, and there could be but
one outcome 20 the struggle. In such
event, the Mormon church would be
doomed. and If there be any "Mormons"
who advocate In any shape or way dis
obedience 10, or canceling Of or the eNad-
ing of, the manifesto forhidding all fur
thcr plural marriages. that Mormon is
doing his best To secure the destruction
of the church.
He then proceeds with an encomium
upon those Mormous who raise large
families, bringing them up in the nur-
ture and fear OF the Lord, being not,
able examples of manhood and woman
hood, and insisting that the Mormon
has the fullest right TO his religion and
10 the Observance of the rites thereof,
so long as they do not conflict with the
law, and passing eulogy upon the
Young people of the Mormon families.
which shows that he needs good deal
of enlightenment upon this point, and
expressing his belief that the monoga
nous home is the true ideal. and that
he believes the Mormons themselves
are fully converted to that view, and
that polygamv is altogether a thing
of the past, the Colonel concluded,
IT, on the other hand, the Mormon"
reintroduce polyGamy. then IL has marked
itself for destruction. and has become
an ally of the forces Of evil so potent as
to obige ali decent citizens TO join
against it. The "Mormons" who realize
this fact and stand as YOU do. and rs !
have every reason to believe Senator
Smcot does, on these matters. are not
only fighting for the best interests uf the
Mormon church. but are performing
well the highest duties OF American cit
izenship.
Ii is a curious tumble of half truth
and almost complete misrepresenta-
ton. But one thing is certain, and
that is that the warning which Colo
mel Roosevelt gives against the re.
introduction of polygamy is a warning
that is much needed, for there is no
question in the world bat that there is
an immensely strong influence at work
in the Mormon church, chiefly in sc.
cret, in favor of the revival Of po-
lygamv; and the list of upwards of
two hundred and thirty new polyga.
mists printed in The Tribune hereto
fore is ample evidence OF the power of
the poygamous sentiment. In spite of
the manifesto. in spite Of anything that
has been said and done ostensibly
against polvgamv, by various of the
leading priesthood Of the church. the
practice continues, and the secret whis-
per that poIgamy must never be aban-
doDcd, but that there must always be
ga chosen seed' to cXemplify this
great principle, is so well known and
understood, thar successful denial is i'm
possible. SO that the warming which
Colonel Roosevelt gives, that all de
cent citizens are obliged to Join against
this revival of polygamy, is at once
emphatic and true. Those engaged in
the ncfarlous effort to revive that las
civious practice would do well to take
notice. and govern themselves accord
ingly.
Accompanying the Roosevelt letter