Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-04-12
Polygamy.

On Thursday last the House passed the fol
lowing bill for the punishment of polygamy BY
a vote of l49 to 60:
Bill to punish and prevent the practice of Poly
gamy in the Territories of tile United States
and other places, and disappearing anC
annulling certain acts Of Legislative Assembly
Of the Territory of Utah, and which set
forth
Whereas, 1t is admitted that polygamy il
permitted by the Municipal regulations of one
of the Territories of this Union, and is sought
to be Justified On the ground that this abomina'
ton in a Christian country is religious rite Of
the inhabitants Of said Territory and
Whereas, No principle of self government OF
citizen sovereignty can require or justify the
practice of such moral pollution; therefore,
Resoired, &C., That if any person or persons.
being married, and an inhabitant of any Ter
rltory of the United States, OF other places over
which the United States possess exclusive
jurisdiction, shall ntermarry with any person
or persons, or cohabit with any person OF
persons, or live with any persons, as partners,
acknowledging conjugal relations, tie former
husband and wife being alive, he, she, or they,
so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a
fine not exceeding $500, and be imprisoned not
less than two years, nor more than five years
prOuided, nevertheless, that this section, or any
thing therein contained shall not extend to any
person or persons whose husband or wife shall
absent himself or herself one from the other, for
the space Of FIVE years the one of them not know
ing the other to be living within that time, nor
toany person or persons who shall be, at the
time of such marriage, divorced by competent
authority. or to any person or persons whose
former marriage, by sentence of competent
authority, shall have been declared void.
Sec. 2 Be it further enacted, that the follow
ing ordinance of the Provisional Government Of
the State of Deseret, so called, namely " An
ordinance Incorporating the Church Of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day reenacted, and made valid
by the Governor and Legislative Assembly Of
the Territory of Utah by an act passed Jan. 10
in the year 1855, entitled " An act in relation
to the compilation and revision of the laws
and resolutions in force in Utah Territory their
publication and distribut iOn," and all other
acts and parts of acts heretofore passed by the
said Legislative Assembly of the Territory OF
Utah which establish, support, maintain, shield
or countenance polygamy be, and the same
hereby are disapproved and annulled PrOuided
that this act shall be so limited and construed
as not to affect or interfere with the right Of
property legally acquired under the ordinance
heretofore mentioned nor with the right to
worship God according to the dictates Of
conscience" but only to annul all acts and laws
which establish, maintain, protect or counte.
nance the practice of polygamy, evasively called
spiritual marriage, however disguised by legal
or ecclesiastical soemnities, sacraments, ceremo-
mics, conservation or other contrivances.
There seems to have been deal of lodging to
&C. rid ofthe doctrine of popular sovereignty -
and to prevent admitting that Congress has
power to prohibit slavery in the territories.
II this bill shall pass the Senate and become a
law, we shall regard the mission of the Repub-
lican party not wholly futile