New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-31

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regular Mormon machinery Of government.
Men who made themselves obnoxious to the
hierarchy have been murdered, and parties OF
Gentle emigrants have been put to death at
the command-as everybody believed-of Brig
ham Young himself. Indictments have been
found for these crimes, but no court has been
able to try them. and no judge who showed q
determination to press the cases has been al
lowed to remain in the Territory. 1t is absurd
therefore to pretend, rs one or two sentimental
newspapers in New-York are pretending, that
to arrest men for murder committed fourteen
years ago savors too much of persecution
They have not been arrested before, merely
because the Federal authorities in the Terri
tory have never before been strong enough 10
punish them. Now the law has vindicated lts
supremacy; and the mere fact that the aliegeu
perpetrators of the DANTE murders are 20 10
brought to trial inlicts blow upon the des-
potism of the Mormon church from WHICH IL
never can recover
Nor can we sympathize with the foolish ten
derncss which condemns prosecutions 1Or poiyk-
amy as cruelty to the Mormon women ho
can sympathize with the innocent wives Wno'
like the wife of Hawkins, followed their law"
ful husbands into the desert, only TO De turneu
out of their rightful place as they gre" oiu'
and supplanted by younger WOmen-WiVeS WIN
never consented to the infamous system or
copcubinace under which the Mormon "reyela-
"t;ons - CONDEMNED them to live and we believe
If ia n inst and humane law which enables them
70 osscrt their proper position and drive ont
the intruders. We can syInpatllize less heartily,
IL ;oti,, Of n marriage
who NAV thus be set adrift in the world; but
our first feeling should be for the true wives.
The others may be sincere; but they are 1oolS,
and the law cannot undertake to protect peO-
ple from the consequences. of their own folly.
If they have entered into immoral and dis
graceful relations. it is not our duty to extend
10 those relations a legal recognition because
great suffering will result from breaking them
off. The wife and children of ROseEzwcig will
doubtless suffer terribly through his seven
years Imprisonment at Sing Sing; but nobody
proposes to pardon him ON that account.
But it is objected, you cannot punish all
the polygamists; why then should you punish
any7 Why not let the practice die QUIT Be-
cause it will not die out until, by imprison-
ing few of the guilticst of the leaders, the
men whose influence has done most to cor
rupt the Mormon community, and whose re-
spOnsbility Is greatest, VIC have shown that
we mean to treat polygamy rs crime. Then
the new generation Of the Saints, and the i'm
migrants who are coming into the Territory
every day, will comprehend that whatever
theory their religion may teach as to tho mo-
rality of plural marriages, the practice of biga-
my is q privilege which the United States
will not permit them to exc else. When
polygamy becomes merely a speculative be-
lief and Brigham, with his Elders, Bishops.
and Apostles, arc stripped of their usurpcd
secular authority, the imposture which has
threatened us SO many years on the shores Of
the Great Salt Lake will 10 longer be sub
ject of anxiety.