Letter to the Editor of the Illustrated American, 9 January 1891
Editor Illustrated American:
My attention has been called to arti-
cles in your magazine of December 27th
and January 3rd concerning the "Mor-
mon" Church. I have neither the
time nor the inclination to notice the
numerous misstatements and vile as-
persions that frequently appear in the
public prints in reference to the "Mor-
mons." They have been common for
more than half a century, and the
later productions are chiefly mere
echoes of the falsehoods refuted years
ago. There is nothing new in the
articles that have been published in
the Illustrated American except this:
The writer claims to be a "Mormon"—
"the oldest Mormon in the Rocky
Mountains;" to have been connected
with the "Mormon" Church for nearly
sixty years; to be a resident of this city
now; to relate true "Mormon" history
and to express the present views
and intentions of the "Mormon" peo-
ple. Thus the old untruths and the
current misrepresentations in reference
to our people are presented under a
new guise, and that which might pass
unnoticed if published in the ordinary
way or over the signature of the com-
piler, is likely to attract attention and
obtain credence because it purports to
be written by a "Mormon." This is
why I devote some attention to these
articles.
That the person who has gathered
from various sources scraps of purported
"Mormon" history, fragments of sup-
posed "Mormon" doctrine and fig-
ments of imaginary "Mormon" senti-
ment, is not and never was a member
of the "Mormon" Church, and that his
whole pretension is false, is evident to
every one familiar with the subjects on
which he attempts to treat.
In professing to relate how Nauvoo
was settled, he speaks of "how Joseph
Smith, our leader, became possessed of
a large tract of land in Hancock Coun-
ty, Illinois," and says, "The angel
who revealed it to him bade him call
the city Nauvoo, which he said meant,
'The Beautiful.' "
When the place on which Nauvoo
was built was first occupied by the
"Mormons," it was called Commerce,
and at that time Joseph Smith, instead
of becoming possessed [o]f this "large
tract of land" was suffering illegal im-
prisonment in the State of Missouri. It
was never claimed that an angel re-
vealed the place to him. It was offered
to the Saints who had fled from their
inhuman persecutors in Missouri, by
the owner, and was purchased and paid
for in an ordinary business manner.
No "Mormon" would make the mis-
take that is here conspicuous.
He states that he was in the jail at
Carthage with Joseph Smith and his
brother Hyrum when they were assas-
sinated. That he put his head out of the
window and watched to see if there
were signs of life in the man he loved.
That he expected to be shot the next
moment, etc. It is a matter of undis-
puted history that when Joseph and
Hyrum Smith were murdered, only
two other persons were present in the
prison where the attack was made.
They were Willard Richards, who died
March 11, 1854, and John Taylor, who
died July 25, 1887. Their accounts of
the tragedy have been published many
times since 1844, and the words used
by this pretended "Mormon" are the
identical language of Dr. Willard
Richards.
This plagiarist betrays himself in an
equally conspicuous manner in his ac-
count of the exodus from Nauvoo and
the enlistment of the Mormon Bat-
talion at Winter Quarters. It is stolen
bodily from the celebrated lecture of
Gen. Thos. L. Kane before the His-
torical Society of Pennsylvania, which
has been in publication for forty years.
He states that Col. Steptoe was in
command of troops sent to the "Mor-
mon" capital at the time of the famous
so-called "Mormon War," in which,
by the by, not one drop of human blood
was shed. No "Mormon" or person
acquainted w[ith] Utah history could
fall into such [a] blunder. Col. Steptoe's
visit occurred many years before, was
of a pacific and civic character, and he
gave due credit to Governor Brigham
Young and the people here for their
fidelity to the Government and their
peaceful and industrious life. He also
recommended the reappointment of
Brigham Young as Governor of Utah.
This pretended "Mormon," forgetful
of some facts he previously presented,
says in his second article that, "every
member of the Territorial Legislature
is a high dignitary of the Church; all
local and municipal government is un-
der the same control; and thus it comes
to pass, in America, a church absolute-
ly governs a Territory."
The truth is that no high dignitary
of the Church occupies a seat in the
Legislative Assembly; that no poly-
gamist can hold any office or vote at
any election in Utah; that eight mem-
bers of the last Assembly were "Gen-
tiles;" that Salt Lake, Ogden, and
Park cities are entirely controlled by
non-"Mormon" municipal officers;
that instead of the Church governing
the Territory, the Governor, the
Judges, the Prosecuting Attorney
and other territorial officers are pa-
pointed by the United States Govern-
ment as well as the Postmasters, and
that even the registration officers and
judges of elections are appointed by a
Commission appointed itself by the
President and Senate of the United
States. No "Mormon" would so mis
take the situation because this anti-
Republican condition of affairs is a con-
stant source of "Mormon" complaint.
And no well informed anti-"Mormon'
would commit such a palpable error
which the writer himself refutes in
the sixth chapter of his first contribu-
tion.
Minor inaccuracies still further
prove the compiler of these articles to
be a person unfamiliar with actual
"Mormon" life, however diligent he
may have been in culling anti-"Mor-
mon" literature. He speaks of "The
United Order of Orderville" as a pres-
ent organization, when it has not
existed for many years. He quotes a
notice issued over forty years ago in
this city by a Bishop long since de-
ceased, as being now posted in all the
settlements. He says that in each town
besides the ward Bishops there is a Pre-
siding Bishop, which is not true. He
entirely misrepresents the functions of
the ward Teachers, and by many er-
roneous references shows that his
statement that he is "a 'Mormon' of
nearly sixty years' standing" is trans-
parent and wilful fraud and deception.
This of itself should, in the eyes of
all reasoning readers, vitiate his entire
contribution to the literature of the
day. But there are some statements
artfully interwoven with the fabric of
his story which require specific refuta-
tion. Others may be dismissed with a
general denial. He puts remarks into
the mouth of the late President Brig-
ham Young and other Elders of the
Church which they never uttered, at-
tributes acts to them which they never
performed, repeats stories that are
taken from anti-"Mormon" works as
though they were utterances of his
own, and expresses sentiments as
entertained by the "Mormons" which
are entirely foreign to their belief and
feelings and intentions. These all lead
up to the main object of the articles.
That is to deceive the American pub-
lic and foster the latest scheme for the
disfranchisement of the monogamic
"Mormon" people, by conveying the
idea that Polygamy is still taught and
entered into in Utah, that the Church
dominates the State, and that the
"Mormons" are under military dis-
cipline and ready to fight against the
Government. To this end the oft-re-
futed and spurious story of the Moun-
tain Meadows Massacre is told, as
fabricated by Utah romancers, and
the Blood Atonement fiction is repro-
duced after the style of the dime
novelist. As to the former, while the
general public believe that the tragedy
was perpetrated under the sanction, if
not by the direction, of Brigham
Young, the evidence elicited at the
trial which resulted in the conviction
of John D. Lee, demonstrated the en-
tire disconnection of President Young
and the Church over which he pre-
sided with the awful occurrence that
has been so widely misrepresented for
evil purposes. The United States
District Attorney officially and pub-
licly announced this at the trial. He
declared he had received all the aid
he could ask for from the Church au-
thorities to get at the root of the mat-
ter and the accused was convicted of
murder by a jury composed principal-
ly of members of the "Mormon"
Church.
It is a fundamental doctrine of our
creed that a murderer cannot be for-
given; that he "hath not eternal life
abiding in him;" that if a member of
our Church, having received the light
of the Holy Spirit, commits this capi-
tal crime, he will not receive forgive-
ness in this world nor in the world to
come. The revelations of God to the
Church abound in commandments
forbidding us to shed blood. There
are no people living who have a great-
er horror of this offense against the
law of God and of man than the Lat-
ter-day Saints, commonly, but errone-
ously called "Mormons." This Church
was no more responsible for the mas-
sacre at Mountain Meadows than any
Christian Church is for the atrocities
that may be committed by persons
professing to be its members. It is but
just to the memory of President
Brigham Young to say that the evi-
dence against his complicity with this
dreadful crime, as accessory either be-
fore or after the fact, is abundant, con-
vincing and complete.
It is part of our faith that the only
atonement a murderer can make for
his "sin unto death" is the shedding of
his own blood, according to the fiat of
the Almighty after the flood: "Who so
sheddeth man's blood by man shall his
blood be shed." But the law must be
executed by the lawfully appointed
officer. This is "blood atonement" so
much perverted by maligners of our
faith. We believe also in the atone-
ment wrought by the shedding of
Christ's blood on Calvary; that it is
efficacious for all the race of Adam for
the sin committed by Adam, and for
the individual sins of all who believe,
repent, are baptized by one having
authority, and who receive the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of authorized
hands. Capital crime committed by
such an enlightened person cannot be
condoned by the Redeemer's blood.
For him there is "no more sacrifice for
sin;" his life is forfeit, and he only
can pay the penalty. There is no
other blood atonement taught, prac-
ticed or made part of the creed of the
Latter-day Saints.
We do not believe, as stated by the
pretended "Mormon," that "divulging
the secrets of the Endowment House,
marital unfaithfulness on the part of
the wife, leaving the "Mormon"
Church," are unpardonable, or that
"the only atonement that can be made
for any of these offenses is the atone-
ment of blood." The statement that
"this doctrine is part of our duty" is
another proof that the writer is not a
"Mormon," and that he does not un-
derstand or else that he wilfully mis-
represents the faith which he pretends
to explain.
The connection drawn between this
alleged doctrine and the murders com-
mitted at Mountain Meadows, also
proves the falsity of the claim that the
writer is a "Mormon," and demon-
strates his misapprehension of his own
subject. The company that fell victims
to Indian ferocity and white venge-
ance and rapacity were not "Mor-
mons." They had revealed no secrets,
they had not left the Church, they
had done nothing to justify their
slaughter, even on the false theory of
Blood Atonement copied by the writer
in the Illustrated American from old
newspaper fiction. This should be evi-
dent, even to the casual reader.
Another statement is equally absurd
and obviously untrue. Speaking of
the "Mormons" said to have partici-
pated in the massacre, he says: "Some
of them are alive today. They nod
to me familiarly on the streets of Salt
Lake City, and I nod back to them. The
United States government knows who
they are, knows what they have done;
and yet it has never dared to arrest
them or interfere with them." This
is as great a libel on the officers of the
United States entrusted with the en-
forcement of the law as it is upon the
"Mormon" people. The whole ma-
chinery of the courts—judges, juries,
prosecutors and peace officers, also the
municipal government and its police
are in the hands of anti-"Mormons,"
who would all be eager to punish a
participator in that crime, and most of
whom would be glad to avail them-
selves of the opportunities for slander
and excitement which a revival of this
dead issue would afford. The nonsense
of his statement, then, is only equaled
by its falsehood, and in attempting
once more to make it appear that he is
a "Mormon" he only affords one more
proof of his imposture.
As to the power and disposition of
the "Mormons" to fight and the ne-
cessity of a resort to arms he is equally
ridiculous and erroneous. There has
been no militia, "Mormon" or Gentile,
in the Territory for more than twenty
years. There are no "Mormons" un-
der arms. There has been no drilling
or military training. Peace and equal
rights with other American citizens is
all that the "Mormons" desire. They
do not believe they will be required to
handle the weapons of war. They
have profound faith that God will
fight their battles. There is not the
slightest whisper of a carnal conflict
among them. There is no pretext for a
collision between the "Mormons" and
the government. The only dispute that
has arisen of late years between them
was a question of law. That has been
settled by the decisions of the Supreme
Court of the United States and the ac-
tion of the Church in general confer-
ence. Plural marriage has been judi-
cially decided to be unlawful. The
Church has accepted the decision as
legally final, and by my official advice
as President of the Church, has in the
most solemn and authoritative manner
decided not to enter into any marriages
in the future that are contrary to the
laws of the land.
What folly then for this assumed
"Mormon" to say: "We must fight or
we must perish." "We would rather
die than give up this article of our
creed." And what absurdity to say,
"In every endowment house in Utah
plural marriages are being secretely
celebrated today." There never was
but one endowment house in Utah and
that, by my orders, was taken down in
1889. If the temples are meant by that
term, I say most emphatically the
statement is false, and that no plural
marriages are or have been celebrated
in Utah to my knowledge or that of
any of my associates for some years.
And I cannot conceive how they could
be performed without my sanction and
official consent.
I object to the publication of the
articles in the Illustrated American
chiefly on the ground that they pre-
tend to be written from a "Mormon"
standpoint, and that thus the public are
misled and the people whom I repre-
sent are correspondingly injured. For,
while objection might reasonably be
made to the many misrepresentations
those articles contain, yet they are
principally old stories retold and they
have been often disproved. But when
they are attributed to a "Mormon"
source, their falsehood becomes doubly
shameful and they can only be charac-
terized as cowardly and contemptible.
The editorial remarks that have ac-
companied them follow the line and
lead to the end they have in view.
They credit the "Mormons" with lives
which are "models of decorum."
Yet they assert that the "Mormons"
massacred men, women and children
at Mountain Meadows. The same
people who are held up to admiration
for their honesty, truth and fidelity to
their religion, are accused of "a policy
of deception," and while yielding to
the demands made upon them at a
great sacrifice of feeling, they are
charged with defying the government,
"flinging down the gauntlet," and
wanting and preparing to fight.
All this is a libel upon the Latter-day
Saints. They have no such belligerent
feelings or intentions. They are not
deserving of the imputations cast upon
their veracity. They intend to obey
the law and sustain good government.
They revere the Constitution of our
country and desire to promote republi-
can institutions. They are under no
church obligations or restrictions
which interfere with their perfect
freedom, whether in politics or in
business. Their faith is different from
that of the orthodox sects and they
claim the right to worship as they
choose without hindrance from any
earthly power, while conceding that
right to all who differ with them. If
any one of their number violates the
law he is amenable to the law. But a
community should not be condemned
for the unapproved wrongful acts of
individuals. That our views on the
subject of civil government as it relates
to religion may be understood. I
quote from the Doctrine and Covenants
of the Church, which with the Bible
and Book of Mormon forms our stand-
ard of religious principle.
"We believe that religion is instituted
of God, and that men are amenable to
him, and to him only, for the exercise of
it, unless their religious opinions prompt
them to infringe upon the rights and
liberties of others; but we do not believe
that human law has a right to interfere
in prescribing rules of worship to bind
the consciences of men, nor dictate forms
for public or private devotion; that the
civil magistrate should restrain crime,
but never control conscience; should pun-
ish guilt, but never suppress the freedom
of the soul.
"We believe that all men are bound to
sustain and uphold the respective gov-
ernments in which they reside, while
protected in their inherent and inalien-
able rights by the laws of such govern-
ments; and that sedition and rebellion
are unbecoming every citizen thus pro-
tected, and should be punished accord-
ingly; and that all governments have a
right to enact such laws as in their own
judgment are best calculated to secure the
public interest, at the same time, how-
ever, holding sacred the freedom of con-
science.
"We believe that every man should be
honored in his station: rulers and magis-
trates as such, being placed for the pro-
tection of the innocent, and the punish-
ment of the guilty; an that to the laws
all men owe respect and deference, as
without them peace and harmony would
be supplanted by anarchy and terror;
human laws being instituted for the ex-
press purpose of regulating our interests
as individuals and nations, between man
and man, and divine laws given of
heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual
concerns, for faith and worship, both to
be answered by man to his Maker.
"We do not believe it just to mingle
religious influence with civil govern-
ment, whereby one religious society is
fostered, and another prescribed in its
spiritual privileges, and the individual
rights of its members as citizens, denied.
"We believe that all religious societies
have a right to deal with their members
for disorderly conduct according to the
rules and regulations of such societies,
provided that such dealings be for fel-
lowship and good standing; but we do
not believe that any religious society has
any authority to try men on the right of
property or life, to take from them this
world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy
of either life or limb, neither to inflic[t]
any physical punishment upon them,
they can only excommunicate them from
their society, and withdraw from them
their fellowship."
The following are the Articles of
Faith of the Church as published for
many years, and re-affirmed and
adopted at the last General Conference:
1. We believe in God, the Eternal
Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and
in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that man will be pun-
ished for their own sins, and not for
Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atone-
ment of Christ, all mankind may be
saved, by obedience to the laws and or-
dinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that these ordinances are:
First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
second, Repentance; third, Baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins;
fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of
the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called
of God, by "prophecy, and by the laying
on of hands," by those who are in author-
ity, to preach the Gospel and administer
in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization
that existed in the primitive church, viz:
apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers,
evangelists, etc.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues,
prophecy, revelation, visions, healing,
interpretation of tongues, etc.
8. We believe the Bible to be the Word
of God, as far as it is translated correctly;
we also believe the Book of Mormon to
be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed,
all that he does now reveal, and that He
will yet reveal many great and important
things pertaining to the Kingdom of
God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering
of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten
Tribes. That Zion will be built upon
this continent. That Christ will reign
personally upon the earth, and that the
earth will be renewed and receive its
paradisic glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worship-
ing Almighty God according to the dic-
tates of our conscience, and allow all men
the same privilege, let them worship how,
where or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings,
presidents, rulers and magistrates, in
opeying, honoring and sustaining the
law.
13. We believe in being honest, true,
chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing
good to all men; indeed, we may say
that we follow the admonition of Paul,
"We believe all things, we hope all
things," we have endured many things,
and hope to be able to endure all things.
If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of
good report or praiseworthy, we seek
after these things.—JOSEPH SMITH.
I am eighty-three years old. I ex-
pect before very long to meet my Maker
and give account for my earthly acts
and words. In view of this I testify
before God and all mankind that the
foregoing articles of faith and discip-
line are the true doctrines of our
Church, that God has established that
Church by revelation and has given
authority to His servants to adminis-
its ordinances; and that it will prevail
against the errors and forces which are
used for its destruction. But its wea-
pons are not carnal, it claims no civil
authority, it wields no political domin-
ation, and it seeks no quarrel with any
[e]arthly government. All men and all
nations are reponsible to the Almighty
for their acts, and with Him I am wil-
ling to leave the issue between us and
our enemies and defamers.
WILFORD WOODR[U]FF,
President of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
