Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-08-17
Ysnes SAYS

"It is reported from Washington
that Delegate Cannon, who ia now in
Prison on=the4 charge of robbing the
estate or the late Brigham Young, has
declared that the Intention of the
frandnl lent A dmfnistration to punish
Offenders against the law OF 1852 for
past oftenses smaeks SO strongly of
persecution that the people might re-
he has Z Been iustIy " famed el
No twaddle about Fraudulent
Administration" will blind the Amer
Haac people, p the real importance of
the Issue which the Mormons have
forced upon the country. 1t was a
Democratic President, James Buch-
anan, who sent an army against the
rebellious Mormons, in 1857, under
the command of Albert Sidney John
ston, Then, as now, the Mormons
fvapofed greatsdeal concerning their
destructive attentions, and Brigham
Young fnlminsted against Johnston's
army, forbiddihg il to ENTER y tab.
Nevertheless, the heads Of the mush@
room rebellion accepted amnesty by
lsnrrendering themselves to Federal
authority; and the army remained in
Utah until May, 1850, the Mormons,
meantime, though chatting under re-
straint, being as dOcile as so many STALL
fed cattle. They boasted themselves
of the money they made by supplying
stores to the army of occupation.
"The new grievances of the Nor
mons are the conviction and impris-
onment of Reynolds for polygamy,
the murder of Standing, the Mormon
apostle, and the imprisonment of
George O. Cannon, onesOf the execu-
tors of Brigham Young's estate.
These things, it is said, have caused a
bitter. feeling; and, though il is not all
legged that hostilities are imminent, it
lis signif cantly said sthatnthe Nor
mons have a good military organiza-
ton, and are mostly well armed" We
have heard something like this before,
1t is an idle threat, and Is not worthy
of serious Consideration Rebellion is
)" played out" In this Country. Rey-
nolds was tried and convicted of a
crime against society, and it does not
matter that be and his fellows claim
that concubinage is with them relig-
ious ordinance. Is there any special
outcry against the Pocasset child
killer, Freeman, who is immured in a
dungeon for having obeyed 1.-THE divine
to sacrifice his offspring
The assassination of Elder Standing,
by certain Georgia prOtestants against
Morm0nism, was simply local affair
"a South ern way of disposiDg of q
knotty csse. The prisonments of
MIR. Cannon lie at the instance of GER
tain of Brigham Young's heirs, who,
having brought suit for moneys alleged
TO be frauduIently retained by Canno
have had him sent to Jail, the suit
having gone against him.
"All good citizens will rejoice that
the Mormon hirearchies are FESTIVE
and troubled. The offensive ulcer
which they have so long cultivated
must be removed, sooner or later. We
have not much faith in the efficacy OF
diplomatic circulars sent forth to IN
woke the aid of foreign Governments
In drying up the channels by which
Mormonism is largely fed from abroad
The assassination OF Nor
mon missionary by Georgis
ruffians, and the imprisonment of {
Mormon dignitary on civil suit hav'
nothing whatever to do with the attl'
tude of the Government toward the in
solent bigamist of Utah Territory. Blu
1
enforced in that Territory, just as they
are in Arizona or Idaho. The law o
1862 is merely a re-enactment into
United States statute of the common
law against bigamy. To say that it
enforcement is prosecution is the wild
est folly. And to plead that religion
belief sanctions concubinage, and
therefore. exempts the offender, is t.
an argument in the mouths of an.
who may object to the laws of an!
civilized community, and who urg
the,rights of conscience in extenuation
The fight against the practices of Nor
monism is not new one. The com
plant that the Mormons will be com
PEELED to abandon one feature of thei
religion or to fight is well.grounded
They must accept the alternativ
! sooner orlater. s + 4E1 uc eT32E
The sentiments here espresso
, will be endorsed generally. It
no persecution Of any people to en-
|, force well known law. If the
persist in its violation they mus
take the consequences. They viii
perhaps, never give up their big
, amous practices without resistance
but if they resist, that is no reaso
t for not enforcing the laws a.