The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-08
UNDER THE BAN.

UNDER THE BAN.
, Now that President Joseph T. Smith
| of the Mormon church has been brought
to the point that he puts polygamous
marriages entered into since the Mani
/ festo of President Woodruff distinctly
and clearly under the ban of the church
1T is hoped that the church authorities
will show more vigor in repressing
those marriages and Furnishing those
guilty OF participating in them more
rigidly in the future than has been done
in the past. President Smith s state
ment that eleven hundred marriages
were contracted last year not in ac-
cordance with the law of God certainly
does not mean altogether polygamous
marriages 1t is likely that he means
by this, all marriages not strictly per-
formed according 10 the rites of the
church. Possibly he might mean all
marriages not performed in the tenn
| pie. But, however this may be, his Mt
tcrance and computation show that the
church authorities keep a very strict ac-
count of these matters. When we find,
as we do by this statement Of President
Smith s. that the church keeps such
strict roster, and is so keenly solicitous
| about the marriage rite and record, it
seems little disappointing to say the
| least, that he should say with respect
to plural marriages, that it is difficult
to trace them, but that ''wo will deal
with the offenders when they are To-
Gated -
The doctrine of the church with re-
gard to plural marriages is, that there
is but ono person on earth, and that
the president Of the Mormon church.
who holds the key to this ordinance,
and who is authorized TO perform cere-
monies In accordance with it, All plural
marriages, therefore, not celebrated by
President Smith or by his authority
must necessarily be spurious, even from
the polygamous standpoint, Necessa-
rily, therefore, they are under the ban
of the church. and President Smith in
he would so consider them, was strictly
in line with church theory and prece.
dent
At the same time, it is known that
the church keeps very close genealogi
cal records. and those participating in
plural marriages that are under the ban
Of the church will have a good deal of
difficulty later on in Strengthening out
their family relations. The rule is with |
respect TO such marriages that they
should be celebrated in one Of the tenn
pies, or, where this is not possible, that
the marriage shall be reported AS soon
as possible to headquarters, with the |
view Of making the record complete |
The hundreds Of persons, therefore, who |
have entered into these plural mar
riages since the Woodruff Manifesto of |
1890, are left out in the cold so far as
the church genealogy is concerned; and
in so far as such marriages are sup
posed TO give exaltation in the next
world, that exaltation will fail by rea.
son of the defective record kept by the
church in this world. The Saint pre-
senting himself before St Peter with
out due record of his exaltation through
will be subject to such cold
as Will chill his spirit.
But the tangle will be serious enough
in this world, for, under this proclama
ton by President Smith, no record of
marriage Will be received,
or entered. The progeny of
such marriage will be ostracized by the
church. as it is by the civil law. With
this order Of President Smith s taken in
good faith and accepted at its full face
value, as we presume the Saints will be
obliged 10 do, it is difficult to under
stand how any new polygamy can be
entered into with any sort of show of
authority, protection, or pretense of
piety or purity. The persons guilty of
such marriages are plainly adulterors
from the church standpoint, as from the
civil law standpoint, without protection
or recourse of any sort
With this declaration Of President
Smith taken, as the faithful are accus-
toned to take conference declarations,
at their full face value, we do not un-
lerstand how it will be possible for
my new polygamists TO claim any sort
IF exemption, consideration, or respect
All such are under the ban
If the church as well as under the ban
If the law. There is nothing for them
out to face a future of ostracism as
'ugitives from all law, both human and
livine. Those of this class who fail
% report to the church are in Just
IS bad case as those who so report.
Neither has any standing, neither is en-
titled to any relief or protection. 1t
,nly remains TO see with what vipor
md certainty the church punishment
will be visited upon those who thus