John Henry Smith letter book, 1884-1894

Page 758

~'· : ~.;;; :.::~ :;,;.:._;: ·" d /.s,-e-{· ~ <" ~ • • -~·-~- ~~ . -~~;, ·~({:!~~·~;-:~~~ l )::K:BjG; ES~ :&lMINST THJP"T..A'l'T~J#t .,YD.A.Y ~11!~~ - ~;~·!· /.,." , ![0 mE EDD OF- m:ti DAILY POST, ·· Sm,-'l'be Echo of the 29th ul.t. and the lest issue of the Daily Polt oontamed a acandaloua article about the Mormona, copied from the New 1 York Sun. which I trwat you will grant me the ~~!'1: ~~deenv~~:! ::mb:S off ~*hbaJ::t any statement thezein ma.de. No tmch condition ·~~~tlb!reM~!~!sre:!'iltb~o:;e t::u!f:;t~~ej, , It is a base fabrication, and, like the play of , .. The D!!onites," which is now being performed ·here in Liverpool, wl\8 written with the vilest of motives, TLe object of the writem is to create a ~~f~~:.en~cn~ri~g oploO::o~~~ atR:opJ:n::,n~b: "Vengeance of the populace. The effect of such villainoua writings is illustrated in a brief article 1 which appeared in the st•me issue of your papers already referrd to entitled " The Mass!l.cre of r;~r;;:;t~ ~!~:sp;c!~~~ds~~~;~b~~~n;b~rr::~~~~: a mob of masked men, forty in number, attacked a private bouse in Tennessee, in which a "Mormon" meeting was being held, on a Sabbath day, and f:!~~ t~~u~~{~~o~:n:fJ::S afi~&~ Ut~'r. ";~is{! but ()De of the numerous outrages of 11 aimilar character of which the "Mormons" have been the "Victima, and which have resulted from the false reports that have been circulated about them, If ~~~ ~?i~tu!h~r:;~ech:~e~~il!;h;f a!~e t~!;n:~: puniahed in accordanco with · Jaw.f,• l'bey are amenable to the laws of the land in Utah and else· where, and bold themselvea in readiness to be 1 'judged by it and' abide the consequencc.s. Laws 1 have been 'fmmed · specially with a 'view to 1 :~~ u~hreu~: : o!nlheihe.!:ligi~~;~· .l~!r,c::~!: !::!ely 11 b; ~~::~e~~ 1a:pof:~lfo:ti~n;:'~b'! Mormons; ·No man or woman who does now or ever did, · even in the diatsnt past; practice polygamy is allowed to vote, bold office, or serve on juries, and in the proseeution ·of Mormonelt is , usual to exclude men of their own ·creed, or even sympathisers with them, from the jury. What l more, in the. name of cooaoience, can be aaked for in the shape of facilities to prosecute aud convict tba.t proscribed people 1 If convictions are not ·obtained, who are to bla.me? Surely not the Mormons, They have nothing to do with . the execution of tbe Jaws, If llln.. Paddock knows of , the existence of aur.h thing• aa abe writes about, ~ I why does she not go before the grand inry and testify to the facta? She, a.nd tbouu.nda of otbere, in their, anxiety to destroy Mormonism, would t:~!ili~tad to ~~ .•o ,if ~~~~.h~~ ~ny a~cb (~eta ·; It is absurd to suppose that the union existing ·among the Latter Day Saints is the result of a system of terrorism exercised by the Ohuroh offi·, cialt. Such a thing woold be impossible. Utah is not isolated,· Ellll'en different cailroads traverse it, and erlend to other. parts eaat, weat, and north. Any person can come and go on tboae rail· 1 ~~t!f~:i:!d. fre~o.:y~::,~:! !.b;~!~ !\ the Marmon faith, and even oppose it, and atill remain · in Utah, in the enjoyme:lt of perfeot i liberty-even more liberty tba.n the Mormons thf'maelvea pouess ; for, .as before intima.ted, they are under disabilities on .account of their religion. People of variona creeds, and infidels alao, live there in perfect fr~dom-never interfezed with by <the Mormons ; and many of them hold oat induce­menta to Mormons to relinquish their religion. I ' Now. if the wives among that despised people were as unhappy aa !rlrs..l'addock represents them to be, [ :e t~~':taha~~ul:OO~otin be tb~~e~fe tone:'::~~t the 'Mormona,' of imprisoning women in . the Penitentiary for month& in a vain .endeavour to ext.ort from tbem · testimony tba.t would criminate their husbanda. . The failure of the 'courts' to find ·dissatisfied . wivea among the Mormons willing to complain of their husbands, is . a strong proof that they are contented and ha.ppy, The truth is the Mormons are not only mia· represented, but very generally misunderstood. · The Ron. J. W. Barclay, M.P., who visited Utah lut year, declarCS: in an article in tht: :Nin.eUm.th' Century, " that the liiormons are the subjects of a greater amount of misrepresentation and unjust abuse _than ~ny other community with which I a.m 60f::;!:;tio~·with t~e ~ny -~th~r ~~~ionari~s £rom· Utah who are now acattored throughout urop~, I am prepared to give authentic informa­l .tion concerning U tab 11nd its people, their doctrine8 \ a.nd practic011, aud I will not ask the public. to a.ocept bare 088ertions, but will furnish ·au who desire to lt'am the -truth on the aubjec:t evidence that cannot be controverted:-Youre, &c.i, · · .• · t . : · .. : -' Jomr HENRY Sllfi'l'H · J ,,.. President of the Ohurcb of J.esua Ohrlst oi · ·' Latter Day Saints throughout Europe. , 42,· Islington, Liverpool, · I ·. · • Sept. 2, 188~ · ,_ ·· · ·· · ____ .,, ,. . - .. - - ~T"'I. -~- p ~-