The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-05-14
Good Eve POIygamy.

J. II. Bcade writes from Salt Lake t.
the Cincinnati Commercial rs follows;
1t is now fitting that set forth some
facts which support the other view OF
the ReyEolds case. There is certainl y
great shaking among the Mormons on
the subject Of polygsmy; and while such
old fanatics Us Orson Pratt, and such
schemers as Cannon declare they will
never. never never yield, there Is grow
ing conviction among the people that il
must be given up. Fear and disgust
combine to produce this feeling. Its
most bitter, nay, remorseess and unfor-
( giving enemies are the children reared
/ in il. Ii ever the reader should come TO
Utah, he will ut once ask this question,
Is polygamy on the increase or dying
out? And from the oldest Gentle resi-
dent, and from those presumably best
posted he will heartwo fatty cOntradic-
tory answers each violently maintained.
Plenty of men will tell you that it is
practiced more frequently and defantly
than ever. But it Is clear To my mind
that the other view is correct. can
say of my own knowledge that while
the new converts from Europe still lean
toward the institution, the young people
brought upin this part of Utah are vIo-
lenty opposed to it. In fact, | lacl,
words to describe the deadly bitterness
Of their feeling on that subject. In nu-
mcrous instances 1t finds vent in cruel
and uniustitable words and acts.
could name many families here in which
the offspring of the legal VIII" utterly
refuse to speak to or recognize the child
rem OF the others; aud no amount of
parental pressure can make them do ii.
The girls are especially bitter. And
yet there is singular movement now in
progress among few Mormon women
looking to an appeal to Congress to give
special legislation putting all the wiye,
IN II legal equality. | was present It few
evenings since in the parlOr Of the
Townsend House, when Mrs. Charlotte
Godbo read lecture entitled the "Ques-
ton If the Hour. Sheis, or rather va,
before her husband apostatIZcd, It fourth
wife. and now seeks to organize the Nor
mon women into 4 sort Of sen-pOliti-
cal society. which Will first secure this
equality by law, and then quietly get
out Of poly gamv in the easiest ana most
honorable way possible. She seemed 10
think IL too many women reformer, do
that all that was needed was law TO
that effect, and the plural and legal
wives would De equally well off OF
course the end aimed at by special legis-
lation Is mpo,,ible-unless, indeed, it
NAV result IN dividing the property
equally. Congress might just as reason
ably enact that the atmosphere shalIcon-
si-t of two parts nitrogen to one of OK
ygen us tina. the legal wife and the !
concubine shall stand in equal regard. /
Monogumic ideas are organic in the /
American pcople-us much part Of
our daily life rs the air We breathe. The |
social pressure agair,t polygamy is but /
fairly begun. 1t must increase with /
every day intercourse between Utah and /.
the world, and, terrible " ar@ some of /
the results. destined 10 be still more 7.
crushing, Vet no act Of Congress can .
intervene between The people and tho .
natural consequence" Of their own and |
their fathers folly.