MORMONISM.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2737, 29 December 1881, Page 2

MORMONISM.

For nearly half a century (says the S.F. “ Weekly Post,” the Mormon leaders have been sowing their hellish seed. The Utah Legislature consists of thirty-nine high priests, thirty-six of whom are living in polygamy. The Gentiles constitute but a little more than one-tenth of the population, which includes 130,000 Mormons. There are 70,000 Mormons in the adjacent states or territories of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada. Brigham Young has been succeeded in the presidency by John Taylor, an Englishman, with a profound hatred and contempt for all kinds of republican institutions. Mormon women enjoy the right of suffrage with the men, and are linked with them in the defence of an institution which is blacker than ever American slavery was. The Mormon Church has thus long virtually controlled the government in Utah. It already controls legislation in Idaho It is quietly working for supremacy in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. For eight years Utah has been represented in Congress by a polygamist who is an unnaturalized foreigner. More polygamist marriages were contracted in Utah in 1880 than in any single year previous since . the settlement of the territory. The Salt Lake “ Tribune ” has an offhand way of talking about the Mormons that causes them to gnash their teeth with rage. Every word it utters touching the question of polygamy, or, in fact, any of the workings of the church, is aimed right at the bull’s eye, and generally makes an undoubted score. A few days since a train load of converts from Europe reached Salt Lake and the pilgrims were thus welcomed by the paper mentioned : “ The train load of Mormon slaves gathered in Europe for the unholy priests aod polygs of Utah, arrived in Zion last evening. The chains will be riveted in due time and their collars will be properly adjusted by the church. The unhappy creatures will find the so-called representatives of Christ in Utah an ugly lot of old plugs who should be serving terms in the penitentiary." Mormonisra has some redeeming features. For instance it doesn’t throw the burden of supporting a husband on one woman. —“ St. Louis Post Dispatch."