Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-15


The following Is a copy of the petition that
the women OF Utah have sent to Mrs. Gen.
Grant on the subject of poIygamy: Hon
ored LAZY neemlng ii proper for woman
to appeal to woman, we, Latterday Saint
ladies Of L tab, take the liberty of prefer
ring our humble and earnest petition for
Your kindly and generous aid not merely
because YOU are the wife OF the chief mag
i>trate of our great nation, but we also are
induced to appeal to you because of your
nigh personal reputation for nobility and
excellence of character. Believing that
YOU, as all true women should do ltor in
our estimation every wife should I'LL the
position OF counsellor to her husband, D pos
s-ss the confidence OF and have much in
tiueucc with his eNcellency, President
Grant, we earnestly solicit the exercise OF
that influence with him in behalf of our
husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, who
are now being exposed to the murderous
policy OF a clique OF federal officers intent
on the destruction Of an honest, happy, in
dustrious and prosperous people. We have
broken no constitutional law. violated no
obligation, either national or sectional we
revere the sacred constitution Of our coun-
try. aud have ever been an order-loving
and law-abiding people. We believe the
institution OF marriage TO have been or
dained Of God, and therefore subject to
His all-wise direction. 1t Is a divine rite
ana not a civil contract, aud hence no man
unauthorized Of God can legally administer
I'm this holy ordinance. We believe also
in the Holy Bible, and that God did an
centIy institute the order of plurality of
wives. and sanctioned and honored 1t IN the
advent Of the Saviour of the world, whose
birth on the mother side was In that pO-
.gamous lineage. as He testified to His
servant John. on the Is'e Of Pamos, say
ing. :. [ am the root aud the offspring of
David" And we not only believe but
most as>ured.y know that the Almighty
has restored the fulluess Of the everlasting
gospe. through the prophet Joseph Smith,
and with ii tine plurality OF wives. This
we accept As a purely divine institution.
With Us 1t Is a matter of conscience, know
ING that God commanded its practice Our
territorial laws make adultery and licen-
tlou>ne>s penal otfenseS, the breach of
which subjects the offender to fine and im-
prisoumeut. These laws are beng basely
9ubverted by our Federal officers; who, al
ter unscrupu.ouSly wrestling the territorial
offices from their legitimate holders, IN or
der to carry out suicidal schemes, are
substituting Iicentiousness for the sacred
order of marriage and seeking by these
measures TO incarcerate the most moral
and upright men Of this territory. and thus
destroy the peace and prosperity of this
entire community. They evidently design
to sever those coniugal. parental and fra
ternal ties which are dearer to Us than our
lives, We appreciate our husbands as
highly as it Is possible for you. hon
ored madam, to appreciate yours. They
have no interests bat such as we share in
common with them. Ii they are Persecut-
ed, we are prosecuted also; if they are I'M
prisoned, we and our children are left un-
protected. As a community. we love peace
and strive to promote it. Our leaders are
peace-mak kers. and Invariably stimulate the
people to pacific measures, even when sub
jected TO the gr0ssest injustice. President
Brigham Young and several of his aSSo-
ciateS, all noble and philanthropic gentle
men, are already under indictment, to be
arraigned before a packed jury. mostly
nou-residents, for the crime Of licentious-
ness, than which a more outrageous ab-
surdity could not exist Under these for
bidding and cruel circumstances. dear
madam, our most teryent petition to YOU is
that through the sympathy ofyour woman
ly heart you will pers iade the president to
remove the malicious disturbers of the
peace, or At least that he viii stop the dis
graceful court proceedings, and send from
Washington a committee Of candid, intelli-
gent, reliable men. who shall investigate
matters which involve the right Of proper
ty-perhaps Of life ard more than all, the
liberties Of more than l00,-
600 citizens BY doing this you will be
the honored instrument, in the hand of
God, of preventing a foul disgrace to the
present administration, and an eternal blot
upon our national escutcheon. For which
your petitioners will ever pray