Part 1

Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage

A DISCUSSION

Correspondence between ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

AND

MR. RICHARD G. EVANS, Second Counselor in the Presidency of the "Reorganized" Church

* * * * *

"To correct misrepresentation, we adopt self representation."

--John Taylor.

Correspondence between ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH, (JR.,) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and MR. RICHARD C. EVANS, second counselor (1905) in the Presidency of the "Reorganized" Church. A conclusive refutation of the false charges persistently made by ministers of the "Reorganized" Church against the Latter-day Saints and their belief. Also a supplement containing a number of affidavits and other matters bearing on the subjects.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

INTRODUCTION

The correspondence in this pamphlet was brought about through the wilful misrepresentation of the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints and the unwarranted abuse of the authorities of the Church by Mr. Richard C. Evans, in an interview which appeared in the Toronto (Canada) _Daily Star_ of January 28, 1905. A copy of the interview was placed in the hands of the writer, who, on February 19th following, replied to Mr. Evans in an open letter which was published in the Toronto Star on or about the 25th of the month.[1] This open letter was answered by Mr. Evans in a personal letter, and on the 23rd of May, a rejoinder to his reply was sent to Mr. Evans at his home in London, Ontario, Canada. In all, four communications--including the interview--have passed between us, and all of these four communications are here reproduced _in full_. A copy of the open letter which appeared in the _Star_, was also sent to Mr. Evans who acknowledged its receipt. Nothing more was done in regard to this correspondence until August 17th and 24th, when an article containing a portion of it appeared in the _Zion's Ensign_, published by the "Reorganized" church at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, under the title: "Statements Authenticated," in which it was made to appear that the full and complete communications were reproduced. But this, however, was not the case.

In a letter from Mr. Evans to the editor of the _Ensign_ which accompanied the above mentioned article, he said:

Believing that good will be accomplished by the publication of the entire matter, I herewith mail you the referred to matter.

From this it would naturally be supposed that the _complete_ correspondence would be given. However I was not surprised to see that Mr. Evans' side of the controversy was _in full_, while a large portion of my first communication had been purposely suppressed; and that my second letter _did not appear at all_! And thus was the "_entire matter_" given to the readers of the _Ensign_ that "good" might be "accomplished." (?)

The parts that were purposely left out of my communication by Mr. Evans, were most vital to the subject and have been indicated as they appear in the body of this work by being placed in italics, excepting a few minor matters which he omitted that I have not mentioned, nevertheless matters that throw light upon the subject.

One of these quotations was in relation to two articles in the first volume of the _Saints' Herald_ which were important, coming, as they did from the "enemy's" camp. Here is the omitted part:

If you believe your statement to be true, will you kindly explain the following passage in the _Saints' Herald_, your official organ, volume I, page 9,--it would be well for you to read the entire chapter, which is entitled "Polygamy." The quotation is as follows:

"The death of the Prophet is one fact that has been realized, although he abhorred and repented of this iniquity (meaning "polygamy") before his death. This branch of the subject we shall leave to some of our brethren, who are qualified to explain it satisfactorily."

In the same volume, page 27, what is meant by the following: "He, (Joseph Smith) caused the revelation on the subject (polygamy) to be burned, and when he voluntarily came to Nauvoo and resigned himself into the arms of his enemies he said that he was going to Carthage to die. At that time he also said that if it had not been for that accursed spiritual wife doctrine he would not have come to that." Kindly read the context.

There is more evidence that can be produced, but if you will explain this it may suffice.

The first half of the succeeding paragraph was quoted but the second half was omitted. I quote in full with the part suppressed in italics:

In the light of the knowledge I have received and the evidence at my command, I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith made no such statement as the above, and that he did not have the revelation burned. _There is, however, value in the above statements from your "Herald," for they bear witness to the origin and introduction of the principle of plural marriage and revelation concerning the same_.

It is easy to perceive that Mr. Evans felt "that good will be accomplished by the publication of the 'entire matter'"; and for that reason he omitted this evidence which the leaders of the "Reorganization" have been trying so successfully to destroy for lo these many years. The two articles in the _Saints' Herald_ have caused the leaders of that sect no end of trouble, and today they are in the same fix in regard to plural marriage that the first editor of that paper was when he wrote, for they cannot explain the Prophet's connection with the principle "satisfactorily," and never will be able to until they acknowledge the truth.

Another of Mr. Evans' ommissions that "good" might be "accomplished" (?) is the following paragraph in reference to President Brigham Young:

It is true that President Young was elected president at Kanesville; but on what grounds do you charge him with holding the office in trust for the "dead president's son?" Do you not know that such a statement --contrary to the written word--was antagonistic to the teachings of President Young, as recorded in the _Times and Seasons_, as well as since that time?

Will you please explain on what grounds you charge President Young with being "under suspicion at the time of Joseph Smith's death?" Am I to infer by this that you mean to convey the idea that Brigham Young was in any way responsible for the death of Joseph Smith? The Prophet never had a truer friend. You know that at the time of the martyrdom Brigham Young was on a mission away from home. If this is the inference you wish to convey, it is not only contemptible but viciously false.

It appears from the actions of many of those who fight the Latter-day Saints, that they fully realize their inability to successfully oppose the doctrines of the Church with truth as a weapon of attack, and, therefore, resort to falsehood, vilification and abuse, attempting to blind those who are not acquainted with the facts. The doctrine of the Church has survived all such onslaughts and continues to spread throughout the earth, as a witness against those who have adopted such base methods for its overthrow. It will continue to spread, bless mankind and prepare all who accept it, and follow its teachings in righteousness, for an inheritance in the kingdom of God.

The Reorganite ministers are generally in the front rank among those who oppose the Church and resort to tactics of a doubtful character. They travel from place to place, never losing an opportunity in private, on the rostrum or through the press, to "explain the radical difference" between their organization and that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in denouncing "the Utah Mormon and his iniquities." On such occasions they will quote garbled and isolated extracts from sermons and from writings by Elders of the Church, taking particular pains to cover up the context in order to prejudice the uninformed mind. In this way many a harmless, inoffensive passage has been made to do great execution in some quarters and among a certain class. Nor is this all. Nearly every crime that was committed within a thousand miles of Utah in early days and many that were invented out of whole cloth, are brought to bear against the "dreadful Mormons," the Church and the Gospel, that they may be stigmatized and made to appear vile and hateful before the world. So much of their time is spent in this way that they can surely have but little left in which to tell the world what they themselves believe.

No reason except that of misrepresentation and jealousy can be assigned for actions of this kind. These men oppose the truth in a spirit of jealousy and to cover up their own false position, and by such an attitude prove that they are ashamed of their own faith, being conscious of its weakness.

The supplement following the correspondence is composed of a number of affidavits and other testimony bearing on the subjects under discussion, which, it is hoped, will be of interest and perhaps of value to the reader.

JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR.

Salt Lake City, Utah, September 5, 1905.

Footnotes

1. As I did not receive a copy of the _Toronto Star_ I cannot positively say that my article appeared in full, but if it did not Mr. Evans is still without excuse for not considering the _entire matter_ for he received personally a duplicate copy of the article sent the _Star_ which contained those portions he has failed to include in his "entire matter" in the _Zion's Ensign_.

MR. R. C. EVANS' INTERVIEW IN THE TORONTO, CANADA, "DAILY STAR," JAN. 28, 1905

LATTER-DAY SAINT VISITING TORONTO--MR. R. C. EVANS, WHO IS PROMOTING THE GROWTH OF HIS CHURCH IN CANADA, NOT A BELIEVER IN POLYGAMY--DENOUNCES THE UTAH MORMONS.

The name Mormon does not please Toronto's six hundred baptized Latter-day Saints, not to mention the fifty thousand others scattered over the globe.

This fact was emphasized today, when R. C. Evans, one of the three members of the Presidency, explained the radical difference between the two denominations. Mr. Evans, who reached Toronto a few days ago to spend a month here, denounces the "Utah Mormon and his iniquities."

"We do not believe in polygamy, blood atonement, and kindred evils," he said to the _Star_ last night at 142 Peter street, where he is visiting, "They are an abomination to the Lord. The term Mormon is offensive to us, because it is associated in the public mind with the practices that I have specified. The other night, while I was holding a service here, four Utah Elders came to me. I referred to polygamy, and they defended it. 'We endorse it,' they told me, 'but we don't practice it.' Three women were with them, and I said to one, 'Do you believe in polygamy?' 'I do,' she replied, 'and I know that God will punish the United States for prohibiting it.' I understand that there are five Utah elders in Toronto at the present time, and in addresses here I will expose polygamy and blood atonement."

BORN NEAR MONTREAL

Mr. Evans is forty-three years old, but doesn't look his age. He is rather below medium height, strongly built, wears his black hair short, and his round, slightly olive face is clean shaven. He is animated in manner, and though his English is occasionally at fault, he speaks fluently and well. He was born at St. Andrew's near Montreal, but his ancestry is not confined to any one country, Irish, Welsh and German blood flows in his veins and his somewhat nasal voice is typically American.

"I was baptized in 1876," he said, "ordained a priest in 1882, became an elder in 1884, entered the quorum of seventy in 1886, was chosen one of the twelve apostles in 1897; and in 1902, was selected one of President Joseph Smith's two counselors, the other being his eldest son, Frederick M. Smith. I was the pastor of the London, Ontario, church from 1882 to 1886, and have given particular attention to Canada. We occupy a rented church on the corner of Sumac and St. David streets, a new church on Camden street, and another at Humber Bay, practically three congregations in Toronto."

The Latter-day Saints and the Utah Mormons, according to Mr. Evans, are frequently confused, greatly to his regret.

TROUBLES OF THE SECT

"My President Joseph Smith," he explained, "is the oldest son of Joseph Smith, who, when a boy of fifteen, was directed to the mound wherein he found the golden plates from which he compiled the Book of Mormon.

"He organized his church in 1830, when 25 years old, and between 1830 and 1844 his following numbered 200,000. In 1844 he was shot and killed for his anti-slavery sympathies,[1] and with him died his brother Hyrum. John Taylor, a Toronto convert of 1838, was wounded, but recovered. Joseph Smith's city of Nauvoo, Illinois, was wrecked, and in 1847, at Kanesville, Iowa, Brigham Young was elected president, though he still professed to hold the office in trust for the dead president's eldest son, also, Joseph, whom the father had consecrated as his successor.[2] Brigham Young reorganized[3] the church, rebaptized every member, including himself, and in 1848 (1847) he reached Salt Lake City. With him went the widow and children of Hyrum Smith, whose son Joseph F., is now president of the Utah church. The widow of the first president had refused to follow Young, and her boy Joseph was brought up in his father's footsteps, hating polygamy and other impurities. 'Young Joseph,' as he was called, connected himself with the Saints, who had rejected Brigham Young, and was elected their president. He was then 28 years old. In 1872 he was called to Washington, a report having reached the Government that Mormonism had again sprung up in Illinois. He disproved the charge of polygamy and blood atonement, and demonstrated that Latter-day Saintism was in keeping with the law and supported by the Bible. Incorporation was granted, and we have prospered.

UPHELD DEATH

"Brigham Young, who had been under suspicion at Joseph Smith's death, introduced polygamy and blood atonement at Salt Lake City. Blood atonement meant death to anyone who left his church. Brigham Young's argument was that the apostate whose throat was cut from ear to ear, the favorite way, saved his soul, but his object was to keep his people under his iron heel. Young was a shrewd, bad man.

"I spent a day and a half with Joseph F. Smith at Salt Lake City three years ago, and he gave me a group photo of himself, his surviving five wives, and thirty-six children. His first wife was dead. She died broken-hearted and insane. Personally, Joseph F. Smith is a genial, kindly man, but he and I differed on Polygamy. I told him it was vile and wicked, always had been, and always would be. In appearance he resembles his cousin, my own president."

Mr. Evans is married, and has two children. The three faces look at you from his watch case. He has recently returned from the northwest. His faith has several thriving churches there, he says, while the Utah Mormons are settled in one part of Alberta.

Footnotes

1. Mr. Evans' declaration that the Prophet was killed for his anti- slavery sympathies is rather surprising, when we consider that he was in one of the anti-slave states, and the mob at Carthage was largely composed of men with very strong "anti-slavery sympathies." The fact is he and his brother Hyrum were martyred for their religion of which Celestial Marriage, (including Plural Marriage) formed a part. One of the charges made against them was that of teaching "polygamy."

2. In proof that the Prophet did not ordain or consecrate his son as his successor, the reader is referred to the affidavits of John W. Rigdon and Bathsheba W. Smith.

3. As the Church was never disorganized, it could not be reorganized. Mr. Evans has made a mistake. It was the Quorum of the First Presidency that was disorganized at the Prophet's death and which was _reorganized_ when Brigham Young was elected President, and not the Church.

REPLY TO R. C. EVANS

The following letter was published in the Toronto _Daily Star_ in answer to the false charges which appeared in Mr. Evans' interview.

Salt Lake City, Feb. 19, 1905.

_Mr. R. C. Evans_,

_Counselor in Presidency of Reorganized Church_.

Sir:--I have before me a copy of the Toronto _Daily Star_, bearing date of January 28, last, in which there is a column on the front page, purporting to be an interview, by a representative of that paper with you, in which I desire to call your attention.

In doing so I desire to be fair and dispassionate, and also candid, and I would like it if you would receive and reply to this communication in the same spirit and manner to me personally.

You are reported as not being "pleased," nor Toronto's six hundred baptized members, with the name "Mormon." "This fact," says the _Star_, "was emphasized today when R. C. Evans, one of the three members of the Presidency explained the radical difference between the two denominations. Mr. Evans * * * denounced the Utah Mormon and his iniquities." Then you are made to say: "The term Mormon is offensive to us, because it is associated in the public mind with the practices that I have specified." That is, the alleged practices of the Utah "Mormons," namely, "polygamy and blood atonement."

Did you know that "the term Mormon" has always been applied to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? That the name attached to the Church with the publication and promulgation of the Book of Mormon? That it was first applied by the enemies of the Church as an opprobrium; but that during the lifetime of Joseph Smith the Martyr, and ever since it has been a term accepted by the Church because of popular custom, as an appellation?

If, then, the name is so distasteful to you and your fellows in Canada and throughout the world, although it be on the grounds you have named, why do you not discard the Book of Mormon, from whence the name is derived, as well as the name. Is not the term _Book of Mormon_ as closely associated in the public mind with "polygamy and blood atonement," as is the _name_ of the Book? How are you going to disassociate the book itself from the name as commonly applied to the Church, since this name has been attached to the Church from the beginning, and before the alleged "practices" of the "Utah Mormon" gained such publicity? _Really, I think it would be quite proper for those holding the view which you are said to have expressed, not only to renounce the name "Mormon" as applied to the Church but also the Book itself_.[1]

You do not believe in blood atonement. Is not this the more reason why you should discard the Book of Mormon? Are you not at issue with the teachings not only of that book, but also with those of the Bible on this matter? If so, why not discard the Bible, and while you are about it, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants also? Both of these, as well as the Book of Mormon, teach the doctrine of "blood atonement," and they are all "associated in the public mind" with the alleged "practices" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Let us consider this subject of "blood atonement."

Book of Mormon:

Mosiah 3:11.--His blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam. Verse 15.--And understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood. Verse 16.--Even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.

Alma 21:9.--Now Aaron began to open the Scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind, save it was through the death and suffering of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.

I Nephi 12:10.--Their garments are made white in his blood.

II Nephi 9:7.--And if so, (not an infinite atonement) this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

From the Bible:

Mark 14:22-25.--And as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed and brake it, and gave to them, and said: Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many.

Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.

From the Doctrine and Covenants:

Section 45:4.--(Utah edition) Saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed--the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified.

Section 74:7.--But little children are holy, being sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and this is what the scriptures mean.

Section 76:39-41.--For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made. And this is the gospel, the glad tidings which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us. That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.

Section 29:1.--Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins. Verse 17.--And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not.

STATEMENT OF AN ENEMY

But the report says: "This doctrine was introduced by Brigham Young" and that it meant "death to anyone who left the Church * * * that the apostate whose throat was cut from ear to ear * * * saved his soul." Why you made this statement you best know; but were you not aware that it was but the repetition of the ravings of enemies of the Church, without one grain of truth? Did you not know that not a single individual was ever "blood atoned," as you are pleased to call it, for apostasy or any other cause? Were you not aware, in repeating this false charge, that it was made by the most bitter enemies of the Church before the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith? Do you know of anyone whose blood was ever shed by the command of the Church, or members thereof, to "save his soul?" Did you not know that you were embittering the people against the "Mormon" Elders, and that just such malicious charges and false insinuations have made martyrs for the Church, whose blood does not "cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth?"

Never in the history of this people can the time be pointed to when the Church ever attempted to pass judgment on, or execute an apostate as per your statement. There are men living in Utah today who left the Church in the earliest history of our State who feel as secure, and are just as secure and free from molestation from their former associates as you or any other man could be.

EFFICACY OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

The Latter-day Saints believe in the efficacy of the blood of Christ. They believe that through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel they obtain a remission of sins; but this could not be if Christ had not died for _them_. If you did believe in blood atonement, I might ask you why the blood of Christ was shed? and _in whose stead was it shed_? I might ask you to explain the words of Paul: "Without shedding of blood is no remission."

UNPARDONABLE SINS