Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-02-27
The Presidents Message on Nor
mon Affairs.

OQ FlQdy laSG, 1feSlQonC OraDt
communicated his anticipated mes
sage on Mormon affairs to Congress,
urging special legislation to secure
the efficient administration of justice
in Utah by the United States Courts.
The experience of the courts in the
trials which took place year ago,
showed that the conflict of jurlsdic-
ton between the federal and terri
torial laws and authorities could not
be remedied without some further
act of Congress, either restricting the
powers of local tribunals, or enlarg-
ing those of the federal courts. The
territorial legislature has given pro-
bate courts the power to issue writs
of ha6eos corpus, whereby persons
charged with crime have repeatedly
peen released from the custody and
taken beyond the jurisdiction of the
United States courts. This, the
President urges, is wholly inadmis-
sible, an abuse of territorial powers,
and a final bar to the successful en-
forcement of any laws obnoxious to
public sentiment in Utah. a further
difficulty has arisen from the late de-
cision of the Supreme Court, holding
that the organic act establishing the
territorial government requires that
jurors to serve in United States
courts in Utah shall be selected in
fsuch manner as the territorial leg
islature may see fit to prescribe. Up
on these points the President says ::
.'Public opinion in that territory,
| produced by circumstances, too mo-
torious to require further notice,
makes it necessary. in my opinion,
! in order to prevent the mis- carriage
| of justice, and in order to maintain
the supremacy of the laws of the
United States and of the Federal
government to provide that the Sc
lection of grand and petit jurors for
the district courts, if not put under
the control of the Federal officers,
shall be placed in the hands of per-
sons entirely independent of those
! who are determined not to enforce
any act of Congress obnoxious to
them. And also, to pass one act
which shall deprive the Probate
courts, or any court created by the
territorial Legislature, for any power
to interfere with or impede the actor
of the courts hela by the United
States Judges. I am convinced tha
so hong as Congress leaves the Sc
Election of jurors to the local author
tiles, it will be futile to make an,
effort to enforce laws not acceptable
to majority of the people of tn
territory, or which interfere with 10
cal prejudices or provides for tn
punishment of polvgamy or any of it
affiliated vices of@crimes."
These recommendations of th
] President are made in pursuance o
the we'll known policy of the Admin
istration to put check upon poly
gamy and ultimately to cxterminat
it altohether. In following up thi
policy the government will be sus
tanned by the sentiment of the cour
try. The federal law against plut
ality Of wives ought to be execute
IN Utah as well as in Wyoming G
any other territory. The prevalenc
of polygany there creates no vail
plea for exemption. Unless som
vigorous measures of repression ar
J, made, the vice will be continue,
: indefinitely. and the social institutio
= ofUtah will be permanently fixe
upon the Mormon theory and pra,
i tice. II is certain that Utah ca
J. never be admitted to the Union wit
constitution toleratiug polygam,
1t is time. therefore, that a beginnin
n should be made toward abolishin
u that last relic of ba'rbarism, prepa
atcry to the organization of a soci
'ty and government in Utah whit
can be recognized bysuch admission
y C. Leader.
l