The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-12-16
and cast a solid vote wherever and

on object of interest but of dread
to those who have the well-being
of our beloved country at heart /?
Whenever directed to do SO by
the church, the mormon sells his
property and moves to any place
where his influence can be used
for the advancement ofthis same
church. The raising of children
is encouraged in every possible
way, and here is where polygamy
is n of their strong points. For
illustration, look at Brigham
Young with his II wives and Sc
children, which he left at his
death. Out of a population of
100000 in Utah, 10000 are chill
dren under eight years of age.
Missionaries are sent under the
direction of the church not only
all over the United States but to
almost every known country un-
der the sun, and they return fol-
lowed by hundreds every year,
not of the best and most intelli-
gent, but generally the most ig-
norant and debased, these so con-
stituted as to yield a blind and
implicit obedience to the powers
that be.
Every few days we see in our
papers the notice that elder 80 and
50 passed through Cheyenne with
a band of mormon converts, and
these converts, numbering any
where from so to 500 in a band,
are the most ignorant and de-
graded of the countries from
which they are e~migrating. Much
is said and written against Chinese
immigration, and the government
is petitioned to pass laws prohibit
ing it, but mormon immigration
brings in a far worse element and
one that is destined to be far more
dangerous to our laws and liber-
ties.
Among the reasons why this
system should be utterly demol-
ished are the following: They
practice polygamy in open de-
fiance of the United States laws,
and yet the secrets of the endow-
ment house, where these so-called
marriages are performed, are so
closely guarded that it is next to
impossible to obtain sufficient
evidence to convict in a court of
Justice. 1t places woman, who
should be an equal coworker with
man, on a level but little higher
than the brute creature, and the
offspring of these compound
unions T brought up with no
respect for any authority except
the church, and to this they are to
yield an unquestioned obedience.
Do you ask why the women of
these communities do not rebel ?
We answer, because they, with a
few exceptional cases, have not
the. requisite courage. Remain
ing where they are they bear the
name of respectable women and
their children have all the rights
of legitimate offspring. Sever
their connection with the mormon
church and what do they and
their children become?
| appeal to the women of Wyo-
ming, where woman has every
legal right and privilege accorded
to man, do you wish your sons,
your brothers, your husbands,
contaminated with this pernicious
doctrine? The time is not far
distant when, if nothing is done
to check the inroads of this sys-
tenn, to be called a resident of
Wyoming will be synonymous
with being called mormon, when
this territory, of which you are
proud to be called a voter, will be
ruled by the mormon church and
your vote be counteracted by that
of the sixteenth wife of some
mormon elder.
With all due respect for the
honor and principles of American
citizens, this system of mormon
ism will never be eradicated until
the women of the United States
take the matter in hand and raise
such a cry against this degradation
of their sex as shall compel the
government not only to enact
new laws but to enforce old ones,
and make it as much a crime to
have half a dozen wives in Utah
and Wyoming as it is in Massa-
chusetts or any other of the United
States. Upon the women Of this
western land then rests the burden
of removing this disgrace to our
country, for you cannot expect
people living 1000 miles away 20
take a vital interest in matters
which donot i~nterestth the residents
themselves. E~~ !
We feel confident that this
curse will not much longer be
suffered to rest upon our country,
and when once lifted our citizens
will have as much cause for graf
itude as when the 18th amend