Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-09
Thursday Morning, Dec. g, 1880.
THE HORIZONS.

|
 l What the President said concerning the
 Mormons and polygamy in his message gives | great satisfaction to right-minded people all
 over the country. In the following he set l forth, with directness and clearness, the chief
 difficulty of theproblem and the wisest meth cd of it's solution: t'The Mormon sectarian organization which upholds polygamy has
 the whole power of making and executing
 the local legislation of the Territory. By it's
 control of the grand and petit juries, it pos
 sesses large influence over the administration l of justice. Exercising, the heads of this sect do, the local political power of the Ter | ritory, they are able to make effective their hostility to the law of Congress on the sub
 ject of polygamy, and, in fact, do prevent it's enforcement. Polygamy will not be abel- ished if the enforcement of the law depends l on those who practice and uphold the crime l It can only be suppressed by taking away the political power of the sect which encourages and sustaiHs it' He therefore recommends that the government of the Territory of Utah be reorganized, and that if it be not thought best to change the existing form of
 local government the right to vote, hold of
 flee and sit on juries in Utah be confined to
 those who neither practice nor uphold po-
 lygamy.
 Naturally, this part of the message has
 made some stir in Utah. The Mormon pa-
 pers in their comments upon it exhibit
 spirit that will not help their cause. The
 Deseret NeaoS says 50 far as the recom-
 mendations concerning Utah are concerned,
 they need give no Latter-day Saint any uneas-
 mess; they are too impractical and un-Ameri-
 can for serious consideration by statesmen, and the Lord rules on the earth beneath as well as in the Heavens above.'' The Her0Ed Nor
 mon) says: 'FWhatever there may be that is
 wrong or unlawful in the Territory must be. cured by lawful and regular methods. No
 extreme measures, and especially such as are
 monstrously vicious, wicked and unlawful in themselves, will accomplish anything. Con- gress, perhaps understands this if Mr. Hayes does not We need have no fear that pro- visional government for this Territory will be provided, or that the l5O, 900 persons in this and other Territories against whom the President raves will be deprived of any more of their rights"
 On the other hand, the Salt Lake Tribune, Gentle paper, which has always been bold and uncompromising in it's attacks upon Mormonism, is much pleased with the Presi- 1 dents strong and sensible words, and thus discourses
 The Mormons affect to look with horror 1 upon the proposition to have Congress re- yoke clause of the organization of this Ter | ritory, and to govern the Territory in way which shall compel obedience to the laws of | the United States. They call this retroac- | tive proceeding They seem to forget that | the object is to attack 8 practice which has | been dead among civilized peoples for 300 | years. It was suggested by the cunning | founder of the Mormon faith in order to | minister to the lusts of imbruted men. So l far as the power to do as the President sug gests is concerned, Territories the mere | creatures of the Federal Government. It | can grant, revise or revoke an organic act | as it pleases, and can prescribe the form l of government which shall prevail. Whether l the people at large will indorse severe meas ures toward particular Territory depends 1 solely upon the condition of affairs in that Territory. The Mormon sect in Utah have increased until they have become a menace to free institutions in the West. Perjury is taught virtue when necessary to eyade | laws and system as despotic and slavish as ever prevailed in Mohammedan countries is swiftly becoming a tremendous power here- The truth is, the time has as certain as anything in the world that were polygamy abandoned nine out of every ten Mormon women in Utah would praise God. Polygamy has imbruted men enough and broken the hearts of women enough to justify any means to destroy it. Hence we rejoice at the Presidents words, and shall look after Congress to see whether hereafter the corruption fund of the Mormon Church can prevail any more in Congress or not. The plan suggested is legal one, easily effected, and the only peaceable one.
 As the President says, the power of Con- gress to enact suitable laws to protect the Territories is ample It is to be hoped that Congress will not fail to exercise its power to abolish polygamy and make Utah place fit to live in