, 1870-04-14

" AHiittT0E: SUMMARY o. &tf %o13 GTF<sE1sS AAA
full sypopait VI Conversational proceedings |
The MCFARLAND TRIAL: Dctaled rrrost. day by day.
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AnsIH55s1xErA- I
TIE ABOLITION OF PoLYoAAY.
We suppose that If prophet should
arise with pretended revelation from
Hesren permitting horse stealing, aud
should proceed to organize a church of
Lurse thieves, very few persons would be
found in doubt whether civilized govern
mcnt might put the prophet in jail without
doing violence to the cause Of religion. Or
if the Hindo superstition OF the Suttee or
burning Of widows, or the Babylonian
custom, according to Herodotus, of reauir-
ing young girls to submit to ded1ement by
strangers at the entrance of their temples,
or the obscene exhibitions made by the
women of ancient Egypt, in celebrating
the mysteries Of Isis and Osiris, were made
features OF pretended divine revelation,
we do not perceive that the wickedness Of
the crime could be effectively covered by
throwing over it mantle Of blaspho-
my. The test which governments
md societies will spply to all
pretended religions is, "Do they promote
that which the average conscience of the
people, and Of the law-making powerhold to
he immotal?" If, under the pretence Of
serving God and saving souls, they lead the
souls Of men nnd women into the lowest
depths Of lust and crime, then the would
be .sprophets" nuzt be sent to the Peni-
tentiary, not for their religion, but for
their crime. It is no defence that deluded
devotees voluntarily consent to such
crines. The Hindoo widow is not allowed
by Christian government TO be burned
because she thinks it her duty to burn.
When superstition takes the form Of
murder, the murder is to be prevented or
punished, regardless Of the superstition.
Because men may pursue their religious
dreams into the widest fosns uf vagars, it
does not follow that they may therefora
peEpetrhte, uupunished, all the crimes to
which these vaga1ies uAr lead A Salt
Lake correspondents OF the San Fraucisco
Reporter quotes The following illustration
Of the incestuous workings OF polygamy:
"GeorHe D. Wsu, chnrch reporter, who has At
California the subject Of silk culture 1n Utah,
married hIa tait-Estet. johnson, the Mormon
Bishop At spEngTille, haa four nieecs emong his
net, and respectfully connected In the city Of New
YORK, being the son Of one OF its Wcll-tnoHn old
Ge5chants, married sao Tomen, who are mother
three w1Tes who Rre kald to bear to each other the
relation Of grandmother, uothet, and daughter
The s.me letter info<ns Us that prom-
inent Mormon named John Eldridge, hav-
ing two wives, seduced, among other girls,
three Of his own children, tho youngest
only II years Of age. He was brought be-
fore Brigham Young, who, instead OF pun
ishing him, simply told him to leava the
Territory, punishment from which ho viii
recover as soon as the brief indignation of
Mormon virtue has puded itself out md
cooled.
Mormon Po1ygamy is no other or higher
order Of bestiality thnn any other form Of
indisc1iminate lust, It is lcas respectable
than free 1--we, because IN Mormonisua the
women are not trse, while the lust il just
,na COARSE, physical, and indiscriZninase,
Laws cannot lcgaliza it. Revelations can
net give it decency. Its prophets are o nc,
Of shystering, clustering den1agogues, whe
haven't even the merit of fanaticism. Brig
hAm Young knows he has ha1em and
doubtless believes in it a. good thing, bui
he also well knows that all his pretended
revelations are lies As well might 8 hozse
hief claim to believe that be is dvinely
commissioned to effect more equitable
distribution Of horsedesh, The people oj
be United St.tea, outside of Utah, are
morally aud politically responsible for Nor
non polygamy, and they have the sa1n.
>owcr to break it up Us to suppress gant
Il counterfeiterA. Il will lower the tont
nd standard Of morality throughout til,
-nited States, BY the denial it hu.is a
utilization, uutu II il uprooted and over
brown. The constitution vests in Con
1esa the s1me Legislative power over tn,
''erri,ories that our State Legislature ha
; ver Illinois To deny that Congress- car
rohibit polygsmy in Utah is to deny tha
ny State could snppress it in its own midst
+ it il lawful IN Utah, it is lawful throug gh
ut the Union.
The Republican party. at its first Nationa
'ouvention, in 1856, at Philadelphia, do
a1ed the true doctrine on poiygany, a
lovs:
tRtsotred, That the constitution confcrs upo
'onErssH roTerelgn power osrr the Territories q
serntted sta:ess for their government, aud thai
ID The duty of consreks @ 70 prohio1s IN he Tss1
F.e1 those twin rtiica of hazpaIfsn -polyEan
d s!aresy.7
Slavery, which bad ten thousand time
estrength Of po1ygamy, has been obltel
ed In the Territories md in the States
ae overwhelming Influence OF this enat
patton has gone forth upon the world, an
- moved forward by long strides the csus
reform everywhere, in Russia, Englaut
:~znce, Spain, Cuba, Brazil Through OF
,ndict not only viii chastel slavery BOO
tse to exist IN the world, but millions vi
ia the ballot who have never beheld OF
q, We are now coming into moral COZ
~ with vast seni i-hazbaruoa, pol5agmo.
:ler Of society IN China and Japan The
list have no advance guard
/. centre Of cur host in the form 1
;1enic barbarisu in Utah. When We .
opt to sssinilate and convert their poly
;ous hosts to monogamy, As they Lar
our shores, and at least compel them
ictice to respect our civilization, vha
II may be their theories, VIC cannot afos
:ease whole Stste open for their occa
ion as poiyga1nists.
II history shows that the fundament
.inction between different grades a :aa1
ID, the savage, barhsrous, and civilized
;vB out Of the relation OF tie sexes. Il
,sriminate intercourse fssavAgery. Poly,
!; is barbatisrn under all circumstance
ether among the ancient Hebrews or u
:lesn MozmouA Monogamy alone
,iization-
'se rejoice, therefore, thss the cullo
as passed By the House, has tcen z
led ,xith strengthening Amendments
d. Senate. We have done everythi,
ut polygany except to puniah and d
il. It has thrived and grown, Ii
err, under mere mob violenee and 70
indignation. Nov let il feel, Ii
.vp, the crushing hand OF tbs goTe1
%!