HORMON WOMEN ON MORMONISM.

Southland Times, Issue 1247, 6 May 1870, Page 3

HORMON WOMEN ON MORMONISM.

The women of Salt Lake City have teld a mass meeting in the Mormon Tabernacle to protest against the bill for giving efficacy to the Anti-Poligamy Act, which was recommended some time ago to the House of Eepresentatives by Mr 8. C. Cnllom, chairman of the Committee on Territories. A brief report of the meeting is given by the Salt Lake correspondent of the New York World, of 24th January. Mrs Kimball, on taking the chair, declared that they had not come thereto defend woman's rights, but to advocate man's 'rights to an inheritance upon the United States territory. They rebelled against a bill which deprived them of the privilege of being landowners, and of selecting their own husbands. Mrs 18. Smith, after reminding her hearers of the past persecutions of the Mormons, ascribed the present movement to Vicepresident Colfax, instigated by land Speculators. Sister Eiter remarked that they were not assembled, as the women of other States, to protest against the wrongs done them by their husbands, brothers, or fathers ; they did not ask for franchise, or more law, liberty, or rights ; they were there to teach, honour, and practice celestial marriages as one of the requirements of the Gospel. One of Brigbam Young's numerous wives protested against a measure which left them only the alternative of apostacy or destruction by fire and sword. She denounced the corrupt priesthood and corrupt Press that slandered the Saints, and said that in Utah they were taught to preserve, not to destroy their children ; whereas adultery, prostitution, and infanticide were, directly or indirectly, the results of monogamy. Another lady of the name of Smith called upon the audience to " stand by the truth if we die for it." Mrs Snow protested against the statement that the Mormon women were vassals and in bondage. They could escape at any time. The idea of their being in slavery was a burlesque on common sense. Then she went on to compare the spirit raging against their faith with that which compelled Herod to persecute Christ. After some other speeches to the same effect, eight resolutions were unanimously adopted, in which they protested against the Cnllom Bill, and all bills of a like tendency, as " foul blots on the national escutcheon, atrocious insults to the Government, and malicious attempts to subvert civil and religious liberty ;" declared their attachment to the Constitution ; pledged themselves to exercise every moral power to prevent the passage of these bills, which indicated a degeneracy of the great men of the nation and presaged the downfall of freedom ; and declared Mormon institutions to be the only Bafe-guard of female virtue and innocence, and the only protection against jproslitutiozi.