The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-06-30
|MORMONISM
AMERICAS
MENACE
Strong Lecture by Mrs.
Lulu L. Shepard We'd
nesday Night

| Lulu L. Shepard We'd
nesday Night
Declaring that polygamy still
existed as a part Of the Mormon
doctrine and was still practiced By
the Mormons Mrs. Lulu l.. Shen
ard of Salt Lake Citv addressed 6
large audience at the North church
Wednesday evening and gave
many startling facts as to the
Fspread and power of sect whose
founders were natives of Vermont
| Rev F. B. Richards conducted a
brief devotional service and then
introduced the speaker who. is a
lady Of much platform experience
and through Is years in Salt Lake
City is thoroughly familiar with
her facts. She declared that Nor
mon missionaries were everywhere
and that there were some in her
audience while she was speaking.
Mrs. Shepard began with a vivid
history of the early days of Nor
monism, how Joseph Smith left
Sharon in his boyhood, went to
Pennsylvania where he stole from a
Congregational minister the man
uscript of a story which Smith af-
forwards adopted as the Mormon
bible and how after his death the
leader of this new cult became
Brigham Young, another Vermont
ef
Mrs. Shepard declared that the
power Of Mormonsm Law in their
propaganda, their immense wealth
and their political power. She said
that 5000 missionaries were en-
ployed annually 10 secure converts
and that they were very success
full in all parts OF this country and
Europe. She declared that the gov
eminent consisted of a hierarchy OF
26 bosses with a kingdom under
priestly jurisdiction. Every Nor
mon has to give one-tenth of his
or her income to the church and
the Mormons control the great cor
porations of the state which is
larger than all New England and
half Of New YORK. They also own
a million acres of wheat fields in
Canada, the largest cocoanut grove
in the world in Samoa. and rich
agricultural and mineral posses
sions in Cuba, Australia, Argentina
England, China and Japan. Mrs.
Shepard spoke of how the Mormon
church, which controlled the sugar
beet industry, profiteered during
the war and were the ones that
raised the price of sugar to such
a high price Twelve of its leaders
were later indicted for nrofiteer-
ing on % different counts, but
none of them were ever prosecu-
ted.
Mrs. Shepard described how the
salt from Great Salt Lake was al.
owned by the church and said if
they had nothing to support the
church but the wealth Of this lake,
which was "a per cent salt, they
would be rich as Croesus.
Mrs. Shepard referred to the
fact that there were two Mormons
in the United States Senate, Smoot
and king and that perhaps one
eaSon that Senator Smoot was urg-
ing an insurance feature in the
soldiers bonus bill was because he
was heavily interested in large life
insurance companies.
Mrs. Shepard startled her aud
fence by revealing the power which
the Mormon church has in its mis-
who, she declared, |
sought pretty girls for converts
She also told of lhe wealth of the
Mormons, their possessions all
over the earth, and the titles which
every member of the Mormon
church is forced to pay.
Mrs. Shepard made some start
ling statements in regard to the
Mormon's influence over Utah, the
railroads of the country, the press
and the political parties. She hui
morously described the huge Nor
mon department store in Salt Lake
CITY, which sells she said, eerything !
from whiskey to silk stockings and |
has a sign over the door-"Holi-
ness to the Lord" Mrs. Shepard |
andeavored to prove her assertions
IN regard to the presence of poly |
gamv in the Mormon church by |
reading extracts from the Nor
non bible in a support of poly |
yamy and also by Joseph F.
Smiths declaration to the U. S.
Senate in 1906 that he had five
wives.
In closing she urged the support
IF a bill which would really pro-
libit polygamy, witch had been in
reduced into Congress by Speak
II Gillett, and said she was soon
eaving for Germany and a year
alter would attend the worlds CON
'erence when she hoped to be able
o report that United States had
brewer prohibited polygamy and
10 longer stood with Turkey as the
4 L.. |