Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-06-24
lsrsorAL DISPATCHES TO rHs ooLD HUI
DAILy NEws.l
oood Biii for Utah.

journment Of Congress, submitted 3 re-
port which has just been printed. concern-
Ing . bill originated by Senator Christi.
anoy. but Of which . copy was introduced
In the House Of Representatives by Lut-
trell. TO regulate elections and the elective
franchise In Utah. The bill As intro
duoed. provided among other things. that
NO person who has prscticed polygamy
since the date Of the enactment Of tho Fed.
erai law OF 1862 should DO allowed to vote
n any election. Tho committee strike
ont this provision Of the bill, but recon-
mend the enactment Of all its other princi.
pal features which, in brief. restrict the
right OF suffrage x tho male citizens OF
tie age Of 81 years. who have resided In
tho Territory six months, and substitute
for existing Territorial regulations con.
corning the manner OF holding elections.
an elaborate system OF safeguards. very
similar 10 those OF the California State
law. The committee In their report ex-
press . very decided view upon the subject
OF polygamy. and strongly condemn the
failure OF the Mormon population OF Utah
10 obey and enforce tho Federal law OF
1862, providing for the punishment Of the
crime Of bigamy In all Territories. The
committee say the so.called religionists'
| plea Of the Mormons hat the constitution
protects them In disobeying this law. on
the ground that polygany Is part OF their
| religious faith. IL too monstrous to be So
riously considered. The report continues.
:. bigsmy had . well defined position In
| the catalogue OF crimes when tho provision
was made by our constitution for the trial
| Of all crimes, In section two, article three.
The audacity and publicity Of the violation
Of this statute. singularly enough, has had
the effect 10 lessen the enormity OF the
crime In the minds OF many. while In the
Judgment Of your committee Its public
condemnation ought TO DO strengthened
| thereby" The committee then say that,
although their views concerning polygsmy
arc thus positive. they nevertheless
cannot consent to visit punishment
or impose disabilities upon persons ac-
cused Of the practice. until their guilt shall
have been determined by tho constitution
al mode. namely, trial by Jury. The re-
port concludes a. follows /: Z" This bill, with
the amendment above suggested, u enact
ed without any discrimination against any
class Of citizens except females, will furnish
the means OF q fair aud free election. The
territorial law, as II now stands, author
Tres female suffrage, and discriminates
largely In their favor. Males are required
10 be native born or nAturalized citizens
and taxpayers, while q multiplicityo Of alien
born wives may vote without being nstu-
rallied or taxpayers. Our law dos not
recognize more than n woman rs 0 nat
u~ralizcd citizen. by reason OF the naturaii-
zation OF any one man, and cannot recog-
| pize any more than ono alien woman as .
naturallzed citizen by reason OF being the
wife OF . native born citizen The COM
mittee Ut this point quote the form OF oath
required Of voters by tho Utah territorial
law, and proceed TO say that the manifest
purpose and object Of this law IL 10 au.
| tborixo plural wives TO vote. without ref.
erenco 70 their native or foreign birth. by
means Of q registration made by the Nor
mon officials. A registration law In . new
| country is cumbersome and useless. Be
sides there arc many objections to tho de-
| tails Of tho law, chief among which Ia the
provision that the assessor shall visit every
dwelling In each precinct, etc. In q new
country whore many arc tented In the vii.
| derness or desert, and new settlements are
| constantly being made, II will be found I'm.
| possible 70 register voters In that way, and
under such . system II would bo very Con.
yenient for the assessor not to know and
not be able 10 find persons opposed to him
In politics for registration. IL IL tho opin.
ion Of your committee that II Is the duty
| Of Congress not 10 allow women. many OF
them alien born, aud who cannot speak
| the English language, In CONFIRMATION Of
| the general rule prevailing in the States.
10 yote at public elections In Utah. u by
| their votes TO foster the practice Of polyga-
nv In which they themselves are engaged
In An open violation of the statute Of tho
United States. The bill. a. thus reported.
Nss placed on tho calendar. aud will he
| called up for action early next session with
strong probabilities OF becoming o law.
That Internal Woman.
WASHINGTON. Juno 23.-The surprising
testimony given by Mrs. jerks yesterday
continues 10 DO the prominent topic Of
conversation in political circles. and its
conclusion tomorrow 10 awaited with
much interest. Her emphatic statement.
however, that Sherman had no completely
| with the Anderson.w Weber guarantee. and
her limitations that she did not deliver
| Anderson and wcber's request to Sherman,
aeem to foreshadow that she will to.mor.
row testify that she wrote the so-called
Sherman letter herself.
Nrw YoRg, June ga TriJuns's Wash.
ington special on Mrs. jerks says: Some
| OF Butler's friends say that he has tho
documents 10 convict Mrs. Jerks Of per.
Jury. The examination Of Mrs. Jerks will
DO resumed tomorrow. She Ia In high
spirits, and seems to enjoy her notoriety
very much.
Mrs. jerks 10 S~cotch.Irish by descent, aud
was born In tho North OF ireland. Her
fathers name 10 Murdoch. and ho was
drowned In the Confederate army at New
Orleans. Her mother was . doctress, and
praoticed quite extensively among the
poorer classes In Feliciana. Tho idea OF
her French accent created considerable
fun hero, at Potter's knowledge OF our
Creole dialects. She has been intimately
associated for . number Of years with
prominent radical leaders.
The Worid's Washington special says
the testimony Of Mrs. jerks that she die.
tated the sherman letter will DO very
thoroughly exploded on her cross-eIamin.
alton. Republicans arc not at all satisfied
with her story.
The San's editorial on Mrs. jerks says
"She covers herself with fraud. forgery,
duplicity and treachery. II her story Is
true. How likely . woman without any
apparent motive would DO 10 do such an
eccentric thing. the public will Judge.
We do not suppose an intelligent person
10 the world will believe this story. II
Sherman had not previously condemned
himself BY his wi testimony. this fool
hardy attempt 10 palm of such Q ridicu-
Ions statement a. the truth would DO suf-
fcient 10 condemn him."
The Rorid's editorial says: MRS.
jerks, like Artemas Wards kangaroo. 10
. 'amoosin. but unprincipled little cus:.'
Her testimony relieves the waste OF WASH
ing politics like an outburst OF opera
bouffe. II We consider her as q contribu'
tor 70 history and . witness 10 . state a..
fair Of Importance. u must DO said thai
she reveals truth in every other way A.
most. except BY telling IT,"
The Hraid's editorial says;"We 40