Charles with. Nibley

[_Markk]

Stumbled on this...interesting fellow...

"Charles with. Nibley was one of the most liberal industrialists of his time. But he had to compromise. Thus to finish the Hotel Utah, it was necessary to borrow $2,000,000, so President Smith sent Brother Nibley to Barney Baruch in New York to raise the money. He succeeded, and President Smith was delighted; but he was also alarmed when he heard the terms: it would all have to be paid back in two years. "Charley, what have you done? How in the world will we ever pay it back in that time?" Not to worry, they would have the whole thing paid off in two years. How? "I'm going to build the largest and finest bar in the West in the basement of the Hotel, and will see that we will pay off every penny of that debt." President Smith went through the ceiling; which was it to be, the Word of Wisdom or fiscal soundness? The dollar won" (Hugh Nibley).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_W._Nibley

[_I have a question]

For LDSinc the dollar always wins.

[_grindael]

It has totally amazed me how Mormon "prophets" have never given a crap about how hypocritical it is to preach the word of wisdom and then sell the stuff they are decrying for profit. It just goes to show you how little these men cared for their fellow men (the Gentiles) who they considered "enemies", and thanks go to Jo Smith for that, because even before they got to Missouri he gave a "revelation" which stated that "Zion" was in the hands of their "enemies" and that they would be "consecrating the riches of the Gentiles" to themselves when they got there. Young tried to control the sale of items to compete with the "Gentiles" in Utah, and that failed... they failed to stop the booze from flowing in Utah, and so greed and avarice took over. They simply could not let those pesky Gentiles make all the money, so they justified being hypocrites with the logic that it would fill their own pockets with the enemies money. ZCMI sold liquor. Joseph F. Smith approved it.

It took a guy who totally hated alcohol, and advocated prohibition, Heber Grant to shut it all down. By that time though, the love of money and getting it at any cost had taken firm root in Mormonism. And then there was the hypocrisy of Smith stating that anyone who did not live the word of wisdom could not hold church office, but continually violating it himself, and with him, most of his Apostles, well into the Utah years. So really, all the stuff about the "Gentiles" was just an excuse. Mormon "prophets" were hypocrites. They still are.

[_Markk]

Not to mention Heber running a saloon and gambling house, selling BY distilled liquor.

I also remember reading a story about how BY started a winery in southern Utah, and was having problems with the folks drinking too much wine so he made a law that the folks could only buy a gallon at a time...BY approached a elder that was drunk on his wine and asked him why he was drunk, and he told Brigham that it was because he couldn't buy just a glass. I may have butchered that a bit but I think I am close.

I wonder how many of the early leaders we closet heavy drinking...and social drinkers at the Masonic halls and such.