The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-08-10
THE MORMoN CHURCH.
B5igham Toung's saeossor-The Prophets
Marital Relations Political Pro-
c16uitfaB Of ths aEorln0Fass
San Frnnr{zan Chronicle.

1 uR6uiffaB of fae 1MeFsEobass
san Francisco Chronicle.
In view Of the bills pending before
congress, prohibiting polygamists from
voting and jury service, the territorial
legislature, at its recent session, repealed
the act of 1852 furnishing '1ascivious
cohabitation," and the church officials
preach in favor of abolishing the GER
emony of marriage, as performed ac-
cording to the rites ofthe Mormon faith.
This would defeat the objects of such
congressional legislation, as, having
abolished the marriage system, they
would have no wives at all, and could
not be prevented from voting and serv-
ing on iuries, as they would not come
under the head of pOlygamists, and
having repealed the territorial statue
Furnishing Iascivious cOhabitatiOn, they
could not be punished for that either.
This would also virtually secure their
safety from punishment under the Poland
bill of 1862, as they would not then be
living with these women as wives, or
claiming them to besuch. Undoubtedly
the Mormon church will soon make this
new covenant, and the prophet Brigham
will have revelation" abolishing the
marriage ceremonial, and substituting a
kind of free-love Plymouth church
system.
no WIDOWS MITE.
Underline civil statutes a woman is
not entitled to a dowry, no matter how
much property she may have had at
marriage. She can get divorce, but
goes empty-handed. On his death
man can win all his property to one of
his widows, to the exclusion of all the
others, and yet that property may have
been brought to him by the now dis
inherited one. When a woman marries
she loOses all title to and control of her
property, which is paying pretty dear
for q part of a husband. Generally,
discOnsolate widows are provided for by
their deceased husbands brother, who
marries two or three of them-if his
family be not already too voluminOus.
This he considers both a charitable and a
church duty. The children by this
union are placed to the credit of his
brother, and revert to him in the next
world, as also do the widows he left
behind. This latter, it would be well to
state, is q part of the Mormon faith, and
not provision of the territorial statutes.
Some few instances are known where
brave saints married their mOther-in-law.
This is a novel way of abOlishing that
much-dreaded institution.
POLITICS AND RELIGION.
The great majority of Mormons are
democrats, except when it is a demo-
cratic administration, and then they
belong to the opposition. They can
always be counted on as on the side
against the government; but a Mormon
will vote for a church member though
he be opposed to him in politics.
Church first, politics afterwards, is their
line of action. A Mormon democrat
will zealously spouse the cause of a
Mormon republican candidate, as against
the gentle democratic candidate. The
Mormon votes in Utah is about $4,000;
the gentiles 5000. Women are entitled
to vote. Very few gentle women avail
themselves of the privilege. The
Mormon women never fail to vote-early,
If not often; and here some women have
an advantage over men--as usual. Men
Of foreign birth must be naturalized be-
fore they can vote; but the alien women
can vote without naturalization, as the
naturalization laws are silent ON the
woman question. A man must have
lived in this country three years before
voting; a woman six months. Suffrage
Is based ON a property qualification.
This il done with view TO exclude the
miners, who are transitory class, from
the polls.
BUPERsTTTEONs.