The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-03-29
The Twin Relic.

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENTS.

Day Saints, Is not more than half |
50 sharp as his name implies. The
argument with which he under
takes to back up polygamy is the
shallowest of sophistry. Silence
would be far better calculated to
secure tolerance for that twin relic
than an attempt to justify it as "a
religious observance" Lust is al |
ways detestable, but it becomes
hideously hateful when it calls |
itself godliness. Vices that are
tolerated when not Haunted in the
face of decency must be denounced
and punished when they put on
airs and assume TO rank with vir-
tues. Polygamy would be bad
enough if it were secretly practiced
and humbly apologized for. Even
if it kept itself out Of sight, and
seemed impressed with due sense
Of its unftness for the nineteenth
century, it wonld still require a
stretch of forbearance not to stamp
/ it out. But when this repulsive
device for the qualification of lust
claims the protection of law ON the
ground that it is an element of a
religious faith, there Is no excuse
for further forbearance. Bishop
Sharp recently remarked to an IN
terviewer that '1all thinking men
among us maintain that every Nor
mon who enters into polygamy
does it because it Is his re-
ligien. We assert that we have a
right 20 the religious belief, and If
not protected in It, we at least
should not be interfered with.
T Public opinion and the laws of
this country, and of all lands
where christian civilization is
known, condemh polygamy as a
felony. 1t is classed with burglary,
robbery and other felonies of high
grade. 1t is not necessary to 60
into any argument in support OF
the Justice of those laws or the
views in which they are founded
Society claims the right to regu-
late marriage and the relations OF
the sexes. Those who dispute this
right make war on society. The
Mormons are, in this regard, out
: Ld,os. They may prate about the
Z. example of the patriarchs unit
: doomsday, that viii not help them
1--WE have changed all that" We
build penitentiaries now for the
n occupancy of men who follow the
example of "holy men of old
T, The married man who takes an
other woman or other women t
+ his bed and board, and saws tina
5 he does so because at is his reli
e gioR," is as insolent to society ant
. as insulting to the law as he woul,
: be if he had stolen his neighbor
e sheep or money and claimed tha
d he should be protected becaus
r stealing "is nv religion" Stealing
y and bigamy or polygamy ar
Z equally under the ban of the Law
/, Not only do the statutes of all tn
Y states declare that bigmay is
felony, but the laws of the Unite,
a States thunder against it with tn
IS same force. 1t is conceded tina
II the MormOns are industriou.
o They have transformed a deser
d into a garden. They have som
le admirable qualities. Some {
'e the bad features of tn
he church have been materially i'm
y proved. But all this amounts {
5, nothing. Industry is no defenc
III against this crime or any otht
1t violation OF the criminal law
e, When man is arraigned for burg
st larry, he does not escape convictio
I'd OH proof that he is temperate an
lis frugal. Utah has sufficient popr
al lation for admission into the famiI
v of states. But for polygamy 81
"a might have been admitted Ion
IN ago. She aoiH neUer come in mt
Mt this curse is erddicdted. II
ld civilization of the yattar na