Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-10-28
A Possible Crisis I'm Utah.


ic news from Utah for the past fortnight,
chronicllng briefly the indictment of e.
der Kicks of the Mormon church, by the
grand jury of which he was member,
for polygamy and murder, the indictment
by the same jury of Congressman Cannon
on the former offense, and the summons
of Brigham Young before the jury to tes-
tify. All of these movements are part
of the enforcement Of the Poland law.
passed at the last session of Congress,
and constitute the latest experiment and
attempt in the way Of supprcssing poly.
gamy by United States statute. The &C.
casion is worth, therefore, review and
representation of the exact status of at.
fairs in Utah.
The population of Utah is now estimat-
cd to be about 1000, of whom 10000
are Gentiles, 5000 are disaffected Nor
mons and $4,000 are simon-pure follow
ers of Brigham Young. The adult male
population of the last named class are
about Is, 900, the female 10000, while
tour-Gfths of the Gentiles are men. The
right of suffrage is shared with the wo-
men, and Delegate Cannon was reelected
to Congress, recently, by 1000 male and
$4,000 female voters. Under the terri.
torial law, all married persons are reck-
oned of voting age, SO that Norman wives
of scarcely Is years have been to the
polls, The Mormon women, without one
exception, it is said, have voted in the
Mormon interest. This result is not to be
wondered at, or to be made the basis of
argument against the general proposition
of woman suffrage. for, without attribut-
ing to the Mormon husbands any uuusua!
strictness in the subsection Of their wives,
we may safely say that the mere social
pressure brought to bear In Utah politics
has no parallel elsewhere in American
rolitics. Every voters ballot is register
ed against him. under the law requiring
numbering and marking Of the ballots, SO
that the male vote is nearly as servile as
the ieuale. A correspondent Of the Gin
cinnati Commercial. who claims to be ia
mlliar with the Mormon problem from
residence in Utah and close observation,
says that law of Congress, an inch long,
securing the secrecy of the ballot, aud
enforcing registration, would double the
Gentle vote and largely reduce the Nor
mon.
Woman suffrage in Utah is now claimed
to have been the device Of the law part
her Of Fitch Of Nevada, when that states.
man was the champion Of the lIormons in
the House. This law partner, by the
name of Mann, was then secretary and
acting-governor Of Utah, and at his sug-
gestion the territorial legislature (of the
Saints adopted it, and he signed the bill
in the absence of Gov. Shaffer, and
against the protest Of the Gentiles. The
result was slow in developing, but it is
now found to nave increased the Mormon
vote vastly more than the Gentle. In
Salt Lake City it is claimed that a male
vote would now carry the city for the
Gentlles, although at tho recent municipal
election the Mormon vote of both sexes
was double the Gentle.
The rigor of Mormonism in the rela-
lions of society and business continues its
most formidable barrier to all assaults.
it stands, and will, doubtless, prove the
source of the greatest weakness when the
time of dissolution comes. The constant
watchfulncss required to prevent the or.
rant affections Of the maidens from lead.
ing them into the Gentle ranks, where
women are comparatively scarce, is an
open fountain of bitterness. The apps.
tate, also, has no relief from the petty
prosecutions of his late associates but to
fly to Salt Lake City and minge with the
gcnties. In all matters pertaining to
property the tyranny of the majority, as
nodded by the apostles, is equally sharp.
In the southern part of the territory all
the improved land and the whole Mormon
population have been swept into the "or-
der of Enoch." Cooperative housekeep.
ing and farming are being tried on great
scale with the property all held in COM
mon, and With greatly increased produc.
ton, as most always happens in these COM
munlstic ventures, before the enterprising