The weekly miner., 1879-08-19
THE MORMON CkAkE.

| \ few days ago came Il dispatcl, reportin.
| that the Secretary Of State had prepared a,
anti Mormon letter which was read at Cab.
met meeting short time since and that copies
ot this letter were to be sent TO the govern
ments of several European countries protest.
ing against the action taken by those govern
ments in permitting their subjects to leave
for the United States rs converts to the Nor
mon faith. At first sight this ponpo,lsly
heralded letter was recognized in IT'S true
character by all in the least acquainted with
the Mormon problem. by them it was secl,
merely as brut,nn .ful'nen, "A sop to Cerberus,
Il harmless little piece Of buncomc thrown
out from the head centre Of wire-pulling as Il
bait at once to quiet popular tumult and to
rivct popular attention while said head centre
busted itself in little Irregularities, sach as
the recent stump-spcaking tour through
Maine of II Cabinet officer, in preparing for
the next Presidential election. The ulten-
ton, though, bestowed upon this letter not
only throughout the United States, but also
III England, teaches us that the matter has
been taken az Scrieur, so it may be worth
while to consider how utterly impracticable
is the suggested course of Withdrawing from
the Mormons the right of landing a any of
the United States ports.
The Mormon religion is one thing, the
practice Of polygamy quite another. it it is
true that the Utah polygamists are all Nor
mons, it is equally true that all the Mormons
are not polygamists. No, nor do one-ith of
the Utah Mormons practice polygamy, how
ever firmly they may believe or pretend to he
licve in that tenet of their religion. Further
more, there is very considerable section of
the Mormon church by which polygalny is
totally and entirely rejected. Those who
thus rcpudiate polygamy are believers in the
Book of Mormon, equally as we'll as the imi-
tators of Brigham Young, yet so long rs their
usages and customs are not an outrage to the
moral sense of the civilized world, who cares
what they believe: What is it to lis if they
choose to believe in the Bible, or the Koran or
Book Of Mormon, SO long as they behave
themselves. Religious tolcration is incorpor-
ated into the very foundation OF our instit,l-
tions, and So long rs no moral detormity ull-
dertakcS to disguise itself under the name of
religion, that federation will be and ought to
be extended to every form of belief. no mat
ter how widely its doctrines may differ from
those finding acceptance of ourselves. Plainly
then, it is against polygamists and not
against Mormolls, us MornlOlls, that the th,,n-
ders of our Department of State are launched.
But since not one in ten thousand Of the Nor
mon immigrants arriving at the port Of New
York is II practical polygamist, how is the pol
icy Of exclusion to he made against them: Is
it because they may become polgamists upon
reaching Utah: That would b. trying Il
man on suspicion Of Il crime he Intended to
commit, and furnishing him for it before the
crime itself was perpetrated.
The fact Of the matter is that AS long :as
polygamy is openly practiced in a Territory
Of the United States, Territory directly
subject to the authority of Congress, so long
as Il notorious polyGamist is permitted to
enter the halls OF the National Legislature as
the chosen iep, p,esentative Of his so-called
!" religion ju.t so long will the United States
be made ridiculous by the periodical fits Of
virtuous indignation into hhich our govern
ment manages to work itself every now and