Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1854-10-21

]
territory of Utah into the Union as state, is des'
tined to make good deal of noise in the world n
no very distant day we present to our readers the
following Views Of one of the ablest papers Of the
Southwest:
From the Louisville Journal.
The subject of the admission Of Utah
into the Union as a State is beginning &c
attract u good deal Of attention, Several
papers treat as absurd the idea of admit.
ting State with n constitution allowing
poligamy. OF course the people Of Utah
will not think OF such thing as the adop.
ton of a constitution with clause author.
izing poligamy. At this time they have
poIigamy, but they have neither constitu
ton nor laws authorizing it. They have
poligamy, simply because it is agreeable
10 their taste, and because there is no law
among them prohibiting it.
When the papers referred TO above scout
the idea Of the admission Of Utah as a State
with a constitution allowing poigamy
those papers must mean TO imply that Con
gress will not admit Utah unless with q
constitution prohibiting poligamy. But
this, il seems to US, is very preposicrous
When Utah shall apply for admission into
the Union, she will present horseffor ad
mission, as every other territory has done
with constitution saying nothing about
poligamy. There is not q State inlhe
Union that has a constitution either auth.
orizing poligamy or prohibiting il. OF
course Congress cannot insist, as con.
dition OF Utah's admission, that she shall
come with a constitution different from eve.
ry other in the whole republic. Unques.
tionably she will come with constitution
exactly similar in substance to those oil
the thirty-one States that now constitute
the Union, and we do not see how Congress
can well reject her for doing so.
A southern paper now before US thinks
that stop can be put to polgamy in Utah
by passing law Of Congress that poliga.
my shall not exist in the United States.--
But Congress has no constitutional power
TO pass any such law. The institution oil
marriage is one that every State has al.
ways regulated, and must always regulate
for itself. Kentucky or any other State
might pass law authorizing polygamy,
or, what would be the same thing, repeal
any law prohibiting it, and the general
government would have no power 10 pun.
ish the offence. Disgusting as the polig.
amy in Utah is, our impression is that
Congress cannot well refuse, on account
Of ii, 10 receive her as a State when she
shall present herself for admission with a
republican constitution, having strictly
complied with all the conditions prescribed
by the constitution Of The United States.
Sill, we do not undertake to decide
that, if We were in Congress, we should
feel bound, under all circumstances, 10
vote for Utah's admission even if she were
to comply with the acquisitions of the
United States constitution. If the people
of Utah are, as they have been rcprcsen.
ted TO be, mere aggregation Of Williams
and scoundrcls, who regard theft, murder
ttornication, and adultry as godIy duties
and il we should be fully convinced of the
fact, we should be very likely, upon their
/ application or admission intothe Union, tc
reflect that the constitution says that new
States "n'ay' and not that new State:
shall, be admitted.