| 573 Christ of Latter Day Saints, whose duty it shall be to sign all documents authorized by general provisions of General
and the Book of Covenants, books accepted by the polygamists themselves, expressly forbids to one man more than one living wife.
2. That the law contained in those books is the constitution of the church; that no law can obtain in the church in contravention thereof, and that therefore the pretended revelation on polygamy is illegal and of no force.
3. That in the "Remonstrance" presented to Congress from the polygamists of Utah, dated March 31, 1870, the non-publication of this pretended revelation till the year 1852 is admitted in the following language: "Eighteen years ago, and ten years before the passage of the anti-polygamy act of 1862, one of our leading men, Elder Orson Pratt, was expressly deputed and sent to Washington to publish and lecture on the principles of plural marriage as practiced by us. . . . For ten years before the passage of the act of 1862, the principle was widely preached throughout the union and the world, and was universally known and recognized as the principle of our holy faith."
4. That the plea of polygamy not being at variance with the law of the land because not expressly in violation of any law on the statute book of the Territory of Utah, is not admissible, for this reason, the polygamic revelation claims to have been given in 1843, when the church as a body was in Illinois, in which State bigamy, or polygamy, was then, as now, a crime.
5. That polygamy, being a crime against the law of the State of Illinois, could not have been authorized by revelation from Him whom polygamists themselves affirm gave the revelation found in Book of Covenants, section 58, paragraph 5 (old edition see. 18), which declares, "Let no man break the law of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land; wherefore be subject to the powers that be."
6. That the pretended revelation on polygamy was not published till 1852, is strong presumptive evidence that it was not in existence; but even if it were, it would still be of no force in the church, as it contravenes revelations previously given to and accepted by the church, and is therefore precluded from becoming a church tenet by that clause of the church law before quoted, which declares, "Neither shall any thing be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants."
It is known throughout the nation, and in many parts of the old world, that there is an influential and rapidly growing organization of Latter Day Saints, separate and distinct from, and in this matter of polygamy, in church polity, and in the relations of the church to the government, entirely dissimilar and opposed to that which the Cullom Bill requires Congress to legislate upon.
This organization, known as the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," is now being represented in conference at Plano, Illinois, by delegates and visitors from many of the Eastern, Southern, and Western States, from the Pacific States, the Territories, Including Utah, and Great Britain. Your memorialists are a committee appointed by this conference, and as such, would respectfully present to their Excellencies, the President and Vice President of the United States, and to each of the honorable members of the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled, our views on the questions herein set forth, and accompany them with an abstract of the faith of the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in relation to governments and laws in general as published in 1835 and in 1845, and affirmed by the
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