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Show RESISTED TO THE LAST DITCH. Referring again to that declaration which was officially issued and adopted by the Mormon church in its April conference con-ference of 3907, wo present the following follow-ing excerpt from that document: When every means of Constitutional defense had been exhausted, the church abandoned the controversy and announced Its intention to be obedient to the laws of Luc land. Somo importance attaches to tho fact that this is a direct admission that the Mormon church has becu antagonistic to the law. There is more weight, howevor, in tho implied confession that abandonment abandon-ment of the controversy bv tho church was a practical plea of . I of formor wroDg. And if the practice which gavo rise to that controversy were wrong at any time, it certainly is wrong now. As to whether or not the church may bo depended de-pended upon io faithfully observe its supposed repontancc, and what reliance may be placed in any announcement it may make as looking toward observing the law, there is plenty of evidence at hand. Even whilo tho controversy against the law was being prosecuted by tho Mormon church, and which was pursued pur-sued by that organization up to tho year 1S90, this following law stood in the "revelation given through Joseph, tho seer, in Zion, in Jackson county, Missouri, Mis-souri, August 1, 3S31:" "Let no man break the laws of the land for he that keepelh the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of tho land." (Doctrine (Doc-trine and Covenants, page 219.) Although Al-though that commandment was in existence, exist-ence, tho laws of tho land wero broken with impunity as carl3 at least, as 1S43, and continually disregarded for forty-seven forty-seven years, as various authoritative' Mormon documents will show. It was in the year 1890 that tho church "announced "an-nounced its intention to be obedient to the laws-of tho laud." In 190-t (fourteen (four-teen years subsequently) tho supreme head of that organization confessed to tho world that he was a lawbreaker, and that he preferred to take his chances ugainst tho law, rather than to rcspoct tho announced intention of tho church to become obedient to the statutes. As to the more word, 'church," it cannot break the law nor observo it. Only the conduct of individual members p the organization may bo taken as a gauge of bohavior of tho body. The following individuals have not denied that they havo broken tho marriage laws since 1S90; and they aro not only all Mor-mous, Mor-mous, but they range in official 'standing iu tho church from apostles down to stako presidents, high priests, bishops and oldors: Frank Y. Taylor Joseph Silver Georgo M. Cannon John Silver Lewis M. Cannon Henry S. Tanner John M. Cannon Samuel Newton Angus J. Gannon Alpha J. Mlggs Walter C. Lyman Joseph II. Dean Edward J. Wood Thomas Hilton Arthur W. Hart Ephraim Bench Benjamin Cluf' Joseph W. Musser Lycurgus A. Wilson J. II. Grant Bishop Wrathall Fred Becsley Alma Stevens . Thomas Chamberlain William Guyman David Black No:well Young Morloy Black William Young Amos Cox Joseph C. Bcntley Orson Brown George McClellnn Bishop Nagle Daniel Skowseii Miles P. Romney Charles Whipple Miles A. Romney Ilelaman Pratt James Skowsen Guy Taylor John Robinson Joseph Turley Anson Call Heber Bennlon George S. Romney Joseph M. Tanner John Slovens Ezra T. Hyde 1 Tho church maintains, these men in position; it fellowships them; it gives support to them in a material way; it compels its monogamous members to countenanco their crimes; and by means of its political power it rentiers tho non Mormon public powerless to tako puni tivo measures against them. With respect to announced intention of tho Mormon church to be obedient to law, the promise of that organization, as officially expressed, docs not amount in value io that of tho ashes of a ryo straw. Tho church officially promisos, and the official members of tho church break that promiso; and when the church is accused of being nntruo to Its word, it is pleaded that the church must not bo blamed for what its officials do. And when theso officials are repudiated for their misconduct I hey howl that the church is being attacked. |