Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-03-03

or that it bad given Brigham Young power
of attorney 10 have forty wives for himself
and proportionate number fr the rest Of bis
crew? Laughter If the Senator Mr.
Douglas was correct, the people Of Utah had
full power 10 regulate their domestic institu.
tons, then was not this establishment of DO
lygamy under the kind auspices of the
Chairman of the Committee on Territories
The Senator was not alone in his ideas. 1t
appeared that in council Of war held on this
bill by its friends, il had been solemnly deci.
ded, upon due considerations, that the acts oil
so gave the tahpeople full power to regu.
late their domestic institutions, tha; Brigham
Young and all his crew may practice poyga.
my and have as many wives as they pleased.
II was to be hoped the President Of the Sen.
ate was not in that council. Loud laughter |
he intended 10 expose this business Of poyg.
amy and explain its modus operandi Loud
and long continued laughter What he
meant was that he intended tn explain how it
was that Mr.. Yonug and his crew prac,ced
polygamy. Renewed laughter] lfapy one
supposed evil from any suggestion of this, he
desired II TO be done on that persons respon-
sibility, and not on his. Loud and bolster.
Gus laughter, continuing for several minutes I
The CHAIR appealed to ak present to
to preserve order and avoid demonstrations
unbecoming the Senate.
Mr. SMlTH-Suppose the Legislature of
Utah should, among their legislative acts, send
to Congress bill formally establishing DO.
lygamy, and giving Brigham Young forty and
all others fifteen wives, would the Senator
from Illinois suffer it to be approved in 81.
lence? Would he not rather pick it I'D it'll
pair of longs and thrust il out of the win
dow? If he did this-and it would be moth
ing more than could be expected by the
Christian and moral sense of the Union
would not the Senator be viola ting that prin
cple OF self-government and Congressional
non Intervention in the domestic institutions
of the Territories? Well. supposing that po
fygamy is thus established, and they 20 on
lncreasing-yes, increasing, multiplying and
replenlshing the earth most rapidly, as they
can and will do with poygamy aug ghter, and
they apply for admission into the Union, are
they TO be admitted? If they do not provide
for poIygamy in their constitution it may form
part of their common law, and are they TO be
admitted with this domestic institution. {"
regulated by themselves, as the Senator can
not deny them without denying his own DO
sitlon and now the people of the United States
are to be told that the establishment of polyp.
amy and the exclusive right over the subject
has been put into the hands Of Brigham Young
and his crew, and they are to be admitted
into the Union without objection because Of
some hidden, unknown principle contained in
the Compromise Of 1850, and never heard OF
until discovered by the Senator from Illinois.
If admitted, and the Senators and Represen.
tatlves came here, were they 10 be allowed
TO bring their forty wives each with them.
Laughter. The Senator would not pre-
vent man having his wives with him, GER
tainly. Laughter. If they brought them
here he would above all other things, like to
see the Senator from Illinois in one corner of
an omnibus and Brigham Young's forty wives
in the other. When Brigham came here as
Senator, with snooks his colleague, each
with his forty wives, would the Senator from
Texas. who was so gallantly disposed towards
ladies, move to admi. them to the floor Of the
Senate, to hear the Senator's speeches
Laughter. Would not this lead to change
in the system of compensation and mileage
He had long experienced that the present pay
and mileage Of Senators, who had but limit
ed families, was altogether inadequate, and
that some just and equitable discrimination
should be made between them and those who
experienced profound solitude; but il this were
the case under present circumstances, what
out not to be done in behalf of those who had
establishments numbering forty or fifiv wives :?
Present pay and mileage would be altogeth.
er insufficient. The least the Senator from
Illinois could do would be to propose to give
each wife two dollars day. 1Laughlerl
Was it not manifest that the idea that these
people were entrusted with the sole and ex-
elusive power of regulating al! their domestic
institutions, was an absurdi,y? He referred
TO the ia C! that New Mexico had sent hither
Delegate who could not speak one word of
English. and that proposition bad been grav-
ely made in the other House to employ an in
terpreter to explain to him the turing-ins and
turning-ouls of the proceedings of that body
He would appoint him sole orator on negcla.
tions, and have man armed with Colts re-
vovers to shoot down any other man who
would open his lips on that subject. With
the power to appoint the Governor Of these
Territories. lie could keep (under the opera
ton of the veto) Slavery out of the Terrific
ries forever.
He denied that Mr.. Douglas amendment,
extending to 36 deg. 80 min. to the Pacific in
ls4s. was defeated by Northern men with
Free Soil proclivilies. The whole Northern
sentiment was against it, and all Northern
votes with few exceptions. against it, 1t could
not be charged that they who voted against
it were men with Free Soil proclivities. In
1850 it was as right to extend the line to the
Pacific as it was in ls4S. Yet the Senator,
upon two propositions to run the line, voted
against them. The Senator now proposed to
blow up the Compromise. because il was not
agreed to 1913. Why did he vote against il
in 1850? The whole policy of The Compro
mise Of 1850 was to leave the question Of
Slavery in statu quo just where Congress
foundit The present Secretary of War NOV
ed to amend by declaring null and void all
w nF0hihiiinfx Al .f.