The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-03
THE Debate.
COnttHuatiOn of the Cam, n
Campbell Contest in ia
House.
Mr.. DE MOTIFS SPEECH.

Mr.. Speaker: have no disposition TO
treFpsss upon the time Of the House to
discuss generally the various phases of
tnls contest. There are some points,
however, which present themselves in
sucn way that feel called upon to say
som ethlng In regard 10 them.
Ihis IL no ordinary contest, for there IL
more involved ia it than the abstract
right OF person to u seat on this floor.
While that is the technical question sub
mltted to Us. the real one is, shall the in
stltution of polygan-y continue to have
recognition In this House? There could
be no doubt, think, as TO the action at
this House II the question Of the receRnl-
ton OF polygamy Was being thrust sud
denly upon as. II q body ofpeople any
where in the United States were By
positive enactment of their own or by
asking legislation by this body attempt-
ing to establish poly gAmy and give It the
sanction and protection Of the law there
would be but one voice everywhere. All
Christendom would be aroused and the
most positive and severe measures taken
TO throttle it at the beginning. There
would be 40 one, even here, TO secure for
It brief lease Of life by dilAtory motions
and uncertain speeches. Like other evils
of its class, it has crept stesltbily upon Us.
Within the memory Of a majority OF the
members Of this House it was laughed at
Is the mere freak Of fanRtic. When
the leader Of the Latter-day Saints an
nounced to bis prosecuted deepised fol-
lowers that God had revealed to him
tnst plural marriages we're the divine
will it was scarcely deemed worthy Of
sneeI. Immediately after the announce
ment Of this supposed revelation, as il
frightened at the thought of so violent an
| innovation upon the civilization of the
age, they wandered away from their fell
low-men aud hid themselves among the
mountains Of what Was almost an unex-
| plored portion Of our national domain.
There for q time almost for
gotten, they suffered snd waited
and labured as others OF a better
faith had frequently done before. In
dustrious, frugal, aad jealous in the pro-
pagstion Of their religion, they rapidly
increaEed in numbers and in wealth,
while the outside world took no thought
Of them. The pioneer spirit Of the people
could not rest, SID in about quarter Of
q century they were no longer beyond
the border. or u?on the border, but were
in the midst Of uG. In 1852, Congress,
being controlled by that party which has
never hesitsted to grapple with evil
wherever found or however strongly in
trenched, passed laws declaring polyE-
amy q crime and prescribing punish
ment for it. So strong had the Institution
become that those praeticing it laughed
atthe idea of its being restrained by Law.
Public sentiment and the authority ofihe
Church were so strong IN its favor that
officers snd jurors could not be fouad to
execute the law against it. The Church
was the supreme power. The Church
claimed polygamy IS part Of its creed,
and claiming the law to be unconstltu-
tionsl, thsy have openly defed it for
twenty years. Now they add another
defiance to those of the past by sending
to these Halls ~ their representative one
who openly avows himself polygamist
and declares that the Constitution OF the
United States protects him in it. It is
not unnatural that be should make this
claim, reared as he has been amid the
Influences Of his Church. The most
remarkable part of this is that
he has found members on this
floor who were not reared in the Mormon
church to assert that claim for him.
-Four Of the distinguished gentlemen
upon thst committee advocate his claim,
and solemnly say to this House and to
the country that the Constitution of the
fathers protects the institution Of polyg-
amy in Utah. The distinguished gentle
men taking this position are without ex-
, ception from the other eide Of this
, House.
1t is but repeating familiar history to
J say that the greatest evils which have
cursed as as q people have always found
j 81 h. nth ID - ha
to throw up constitutional bresstWorks
for their defense, aud plead the letter OF
the law in their extenuatien. Nearly q
? quarter of a century ago 1 sat in the Sen
I ale gallery, at the other end of the Capt..
: toll, and heard brilliant democratic
senator, in the interest Of slavery, claim
that the Constitution gave Congress nc
power to prevent slavery in the terri
tories; that the provision il the Constitu-
/ ton, "ConRress shall have power to dis
pose of and make all needfui rules and
regulations respecting the territory OF
other property belonging to the United
States" now quoted and relied upon to
some extent by all the members Of the
committee, gave no other authority than
to sell or otherwise dispose Of the public
lands. Then / heard another distin-
guished democratic senator, in the inter.
est OF slavery also, insist that the clause
I quoted above made it obligatory upor
Congress to legislRte for the establish
ment and protection Of slavery in the
territories. Thus it Was that 81
every attempt to restrain or eradicate
that evil, the letter of the Law
was laid down and constitutional bsrri-
ers raised up by gentlemen from TIL
other side of the House to prevent. Thes
WAS no power under the Constitution
they told Us, to destroy that which wa
threatening to destroy Us.
a little later, when rebellion had it
grip on the national throat, q democratic
| President-and / eheerfully remsmbe
that be was the last Of his line, and IN
less bis party has changed views on tbs
subject since, I will doubtless be par
doned for hoping that he may continut
the last for all time-sst like an imbecilt
while the enemy robbed Us Of our NUM-
lions of war and supplied himself, 6eclsr
ing that in the absence Of positive legis
lation the Constitution gave no power {
} protect the government against rebel
lion.
And now comes another evil tbs
/ threatens to inoeulate our social system
n II