Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-26
UTAH.
A GOVERNMENT PROBLEM OF
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS STAND
ING, AND STILL UNSOLVED.
THE GENrILEs STILL UNHAPPY.

nv SuibOl VI bho hllaholphla Hct
r ord has fired q blank cartridge al
Mormonism, His production reads
well, but he suggests no remedy
Read what he says
In attempting to suppress Mormon.
ism on the account OF the existence OF
, polygamy in Utah, New Mexico, Wy
oming and elsewhere in the great far
West the Civil Government is brought
face to face with the momentous prob.
lem Of ecclesiastical authority and the
rights Of conscience, However patent
| ly immoral or essentially irreligious
this institution ofplural marriages may
be IN our conception Of it, there can
be no doubt Of the sincerity Of the
great mass Of the misguided people
who adhere to it, Apart from this
institutions, it must be conceded that
Mormonism has a right not only to
federation but to protection. With the
subject Of primary and paramount al.
legiance to spiritual authority, no mat.
ter how imperious its claims may be,
neither the State nor the Union has any
warrant, in either written or unwrit.
ten law, to interfere. Government,
Local or National, Can properly deal
only with practical results. Actual
iniractions Of the regulations it estab-
fishes for the peace and order of soci.
ETY. and for the security ofthe individ-
ual may be punished, but the civil
power can rightfully wage no crusade
upon mere principles, however ms
chievous in their tendencies and how
ever menancing by reason Of being
thoroughly systematizedand organized
IL must wait for some overt act There
can be no persecution for opinions.
Even the worst intentions are not pun.
ishable unless accompanied by some
attempt to execute them. Our law of
conspiracy is carefully guarded against
abuse in the hands Of the magistracy,
and something must be done in pur.
suance Of an unlawful combination be.
fore its participants become indictable.
Section 3 OF the fourth article of the
Federal Constitution empowers Con
gress to "make all needful rules and |
regulations respecting the territory or
other property belonging to the United
States " and section A of the same ar.
ticle prescribes that "the United States
shall guarantee to every State q Repub.
lican form Of Government" The first |
of the ten amendments, which became
operative almost tconcurrently with the
adoption of the Constitution, declares
that Congress shall make no law re-
spocling an establishment Of religion
or prohibiting the free exercise there.
Of" A thoughtful consideration of
the scope and import OF these features
Of the organic law Of the Union can
hardly fail to emphasize the difficulties
and doubts which environ the whole |
Mormon question. Tho Territorial
"rules and regulations" must not be
such as TO contravene religious free.
dom. Nor can conditions involving |
such interference be justly affixed to
the admission Of new States framed |
from the Territories, provided the plan
Of Government proposed be Republi-
can in form.
1t is manifest petitiO principH to
aver that any specified system OF belief
andpractice touching religious matters,
no matter how monstrous or absurd,
is in fact irreligious, and therefore not
entitled TO "ireo exercise" as u religion.
The adoption by the civil authority of
ofsuch a censorship Of creeds would
be "a direct step toward religious
establishment" IL would be to in
stitute religious test at once. Crteria
Of this sort may be formulated by
Church, but not by the United States.
The attitude OF the American polity
is one of entire impartiality, and indeed
neutrality, toward all proiessedly re-
hgous sects. 1t does not undertake
to define what religion is, nor to mark
the boundaries beyond which lies ire
ligion. The rights of conscience and
the liberty of opinion belong alike to
the Catholic and those representatives
of the poles of religious thought, the
Agnostic, Christian, Jew and Deist
are equal in the presence OF ourpublic
law. Between Episcopalan, Presby.
terian, Baptist, Methodist Unitarian
and Quaker the Nation makes no diff
ference, though the State may thus
If sufficient majority of
It's voters so ordain. Affirmation, dis
sent and negahon as to tho dogmas of {
theology stand upon the same plane. 4
An entire divestiture of faith, a com. !
plete denial Of the sacerdotal, can be s
put under Federal outlawry no more !
than orthodoxy ofthe most pronounced !
and conservative description.
As women, by some strange and per
verse fatality, is in one way or another s
It the bottom of all the trouble in the G
world, so in this Mormon imbroglio \
he kernel of the controversy is tho u
question Of wives This the State has 4
IN undoubtcd right TO regulate; but it o
5 a moot point whether such power c
an be constitutionally exercised by v
he General Government Wives are G
good thing, and very handy to have b
bout the house but there may be o
90 much OF good thing, In none of v
he thirty.eight States Of the Union is v
my male person allowed more than n
nc wife at time. All without ex Il
option, have statutes against bigamy. v
We're 1t not for the notable fact that 81
,reat many men do not marry at all, Il
nd have no desire even for 80 much "
5 one wife it might be suspected that o
nvy had something TO do with the b
urrent uncharitablo feeling toward
he many.spoused Latter. Day Saints.
Is o consideration of natural ethics, "
bstractly viewed, and without regard a
D ecclesiastical ordinances or civic "a
tatutes, n good deal may be said in b
avor either Of single or plural matri. Il
lony. The circumstance that in civ y
ICED countries the number OF men Is 3,
bout equal To that of woman might IL