enty-two years old at this time. He had been with
the Church nearly from the beginning, having been an Apostle for forty-two
years. He had filled many missions both in the United States and in Europe,
had written much on gospel subjects, and was in reality as some called him,
the "Champion of Liberty." You will remember that he was with Joseph and
Hyrum at the time of their martyrdom in Carthage jail and was then severely
wounded.

The year 1880 was the jubilee year of the Church, being fifty years since
it was organized. As was the custom in ancient Israel, it was a time of
forgiveness. The Church remitted many debts of the poor, besides giving
them many sheep and cattle. "While God is blessing us, let us bless one
another," said President Taylor; and thus much good feeling was manifested
among the Saints.

But another storm was coming. A trial of another kind was in store for the
Church.

In the days of Nauvoo, in 1843, Joseph the Prophet had received a
revelation from God, saying that it was right for good men holding the
priesthood to have more wives than one. By the time the Church had been in
Utah a few years, quite a number of the Saints had obeyed this law and
entered plural marriage. The enemies of the Church call this practice a
great sin, even though they can read in the Bible that good men of old whom
the Lord loved had many wives. In 1862 Congress passed a law against plural
marriage or polygamy. As many thought it was an unjust law, it was not
enforced for many years. Elder George Reynolds offered to be arrested and
tried under the law in order to have it tested. This was done, and Elder
Reynolds was convicted and sent to prison. His case was taken to the
Supreme Court of the United States where the law was decided to be
constitutional.

But this law was not hard enough on the "Mormons" to suit their enemies.
Sectarian preachers and politicians who wanted some office began to spread
falsehoods all over the country about Utah and its people, all of which had
its effect on Congress. Notwithstanding the protest of the "Mormons,"
another law was passed against them, (March, 1882), called the Edmunds Act.
This law provided that no polygamist should vote or hold office; and if
found guilty of polygamy a man might be fined five hundred dollars and put
in prison for three years. If a man lived with more than one wife, he could
be fined three hundred dollars and imprisoned for six months.

Officers were now se