The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-11-24
Congress-.

Monday next, and as the political game has
been played and the stakes taken-and as no
new organization of the House is required,
members will be ready to proceed at once to
serious business. The most interesting and
important matter to come before Congress will
be the admission Of Utah, which with Min
nesota will this winter claim the right to be-
come States. The Constitution of Utah was
adopted last winter and forwarded to Wash
ington last spring. But those in charge of it,
thought it expedent to withhold it till the
Kansas contest was settled. 1t will now be
one Of the earliest subjects brought before the
House. The constitution that has been adopt
ed by the Polygamists is succinct, very gene
raj in its provisions, and unexceptionable in
form.
The political polity of the applicants, being
subordinate in their minds to their ecclesias-
teal, the external form Of the former is not
matter of much consequence. The whole
authoritative, covering power is in the church
organization; that is virtually the sole power
in the State, and through its organs and in
huSlSS W III tIlO COMMUNITY DG ACTUALLY IulSu
The political organization will be but sham to
conceal the priestly rule under the episcopa-
cy; The more general and indefinite the pro-
visions of the Constitution, the more easily it
can DO extended, and construed to sanction
the usurped powers more space to be I'LL
ed by another authority Their political Con-
stltution and civil laws are all plausibly sound
and equitable, and as the frame work Of Dem
ocratc institutions, unobjectionable in form.
But they are not the means through which
the powers that govern the people will oper-
ate. The actual, efficient power that will d-
rect and restrain individuals and society, acts
through another medium, and will be indepen-
dent of civil law. The mandates of the church
and the edicts of Brigham Young will over
ride the law and be the operative force to con-
troll the people, while the law itself will be dead
letter. And under a pretended Demo-
cratic organization there will be established
hierarchy more despotic and tyrranical than
ever ruled the states of Rome, and be maintain
ed as one of the States ofthe confederacy.
And the question now is, can Congress 60
behind the written constitution that may be
presented to it for its sanction. 1t is said,
it cannot; and that there is no remedy for this
strange anomaly. Under the garb of political
freedom, there can be established the worst
and most depraved ecclesiastical tyrrany, that
ever degraded and corrupted man; and yet
there is no power in the Federal Government
to arrest or correct it; DO right to exclude
such State, because it would infringe the
rights of church, and invade the rights of
religious opinions.
The rights of conscience and Of free religi-
GUS opinions are, under our Constitution, in
dividual rights guaranteed to the man
they are purely personal rights, and the spirit
of the Constitution is against the exercise, not
only of all civil power-but all external, ex-
traneous influences over the personal convic-
tions of every man. 1t is as much against the
spirit Of the constitution for any body ofmen to
impose any creed or ecclesiastical power upon
the man or his conscience, as it is for the civ
il authority to attempt to prescribe his belief
or to coerce him. A church organization has
no more right to set up a rule over men in
matters of faith and discipline, than the town
or State, and their power is as much an usur-
patton. Religious corporations can claim no
rights under the constitution, and it is as
much the duty of the constitutional authorities
to put down and forbid their usurpation. as it
would be their duty and right to suppress the
usurpations Of the subordinate civil power,
from its encroachments on that sacred prov
ince of individual freedom. AS we shall have
ample opportunities to discuss these matters
at length, we attempt now only few hints.