The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-08-23
THE TWIN RELIC"

| The first meeting of the new born republican
party ever held in this city re-echocd the pro
nouncement of the first republican meeting II
Massachusetts,, against the twinrelics OF bar
barsm, slavery and polygamy.' The cam
palgn against slavery was prosecuted through
seas Of blood to a successful issue, but though
the party has been IN undisputcd and unre
stricted possession of power for nearly fifteen
years since then, the campaign against the 9th
er "twinreic" has singuIarly Jagged There
may have been a reason for it in the peculiar
situation of many prominent leaders OF the
hemoralty-and-d ecency party There
would have been, for instance, grotcsque
inapposltencss in anything like crusade
against marital impurity and delinquency by
a party under the leadership Of such pattern
husbands and eXemplars Of moral purity as o.
p. Morton, or Matt Carpenter, or Brother Kali
loch. or Thad. Stevens, or Brother Beecher or
Simon Cameron, &c. But these jolly old iel-
lows having had their day, the time has come,
in the apparent estimation of Mr.. Hayes, when
stress is to be LAID on the other half of the orig
NAL republican pronouncement "rcScrlpt
was sent from Washington to Utah not long
ago directing the courts and other authorities
there to be especially diligeAt in the enforce
ment of the L. ;. statutes against polygamy
and Secretary Evarts was induced about the
same time to send a circular TO certain Europ-
can mowers from whose domains Mormon con-
ycrts have been coming to the |. =, calling
their attention to the tsct that the MormOns
were polygamists, and that polygamy being
contrary to the laws of tins country, emigrants
coming here to violate our laws could not be
tolerated and the powers aforesaid had better
keep them at home.
The result of this strange movement IN be-
half Of a higher morality" promises to be no
less notable and striking in Europe than in
Utah In the latter quarter 1t resulted IN an
immediate yell of defiance and call on the
saints to arm in defence of "relig ious freedom"
say the Mormons, there are in the whole ter
'itory of Utah less than twenty-five polygam
rus families, averaging but two or three wives
o each, while there are in Washington city
hree hundred female clerks who are the mis-.
reSses of members Of congress and other high
Of the government. "Whe'her
I is better to have three wives and no mistress
$, or one deserted wife and six mistresses, say
'c Clean your own skirts" The answer of
he foreign powers approached on the subject
; equally pointed The Mormon converts
from our borders are guilty Of no
,olygamous practices here and have violated
10 laws on account of which we are justified
n OBTAINING them If on arriving in America
hey violate your laws against polygamy or
ommit any other offence, it will be your bust
css to punish them. We certainly cannot
unish them in advance on Suspicion
However, it is to be hoped there Will be no
elaxation on the part Of his fraudulency in his
rusade against the "relic" There is peCu.
ar appositeness IN the movement just now, q
'hen the subject OF marital ntidelity chal-
,nges public attention with uncommon EN- :
hasis in consequence of the SpragueC onkllng
candal Really if nothing is done about 1t !
Don the White House itself may not be safe .
ON invasion by some lccherous Conkling :