The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-07-22
THE WORJfON CHCRCH.



cfirifies oJ the Mo,nons.
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 repealed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 "lascivi, IS
cohabitation," and the church officials
preach in favor of abolishing the GER
emony of marriage, as performed ac-
cording to the rites of the 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 juries, as they would not come
under the head of polygamists, and
having repealed the territorial statue
Furnishing lascivious 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 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 a
man can will 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 part of 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 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 we'll to
state, is 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 novel way of abolishing that
much-dreaded institution.
POLITICS AND RELIGION.
The great majority of Mermons are
democrats, except when it is a demo-
cratic administration, and then they
belong to the opposition. They can
always be counted on as OH the side
against the government; but Mormon
will vote for church member though
he be opposed to him in politics.
Church first, politics afterwards. is their
line of action. A Mormon democrat
will zealously espouse 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-tew 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; woman six months. Suffrage
is based on a property qualification.
This is done with view to exclude the
miners, who are transitory class, from
the polls.