The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-03

is disappointed on arriving ct the end 10
fiud that the entireW0bfs woven to cover
BIT Of sentiment. The proposition
made BY the gentleman from HGssachu-
setts wsuld read we'll in q story book. A
unastsr.hRnd has tried it, and in my
Judgment be has succeeded in forming
one of the finest climaxes in literature.
Hugo describes scene at sea. A gun.
ner carelessly allowed q monster gun to
escape from its iAsteninRs As the YES.
sci rocked from side to side, with .he
waves, the gun went laundering and
rounding about the deck, threatening to
send vessel and crew to the bottom Of
the see. After an exhibition of extTaOr-
binary courage and strength the gunner
succeeded in again securing it. Calling
The crew together the commander spoke
of his brave act, and n recognition
thereof pinned upon bis blouse the cross
OF st. Louis, and then ordered him in
stsntly shot for allowing the gun to
escape. As said before, this reads we'll
in romance. As narrated by the great
novelist it is sublime, startling; but this
is no place for such things. The legisla-
ton of the country is supposed to be,and
/ believe is, the sober second thought of
the people, Rpc romantic climsxes and
elabOrAtaly clad bits Of sentiment par
take largely Of the ridiculous. What has
this man done that entities him to this
dietinction2 Has be shown an obedience
to law and an attachment to republican
principles which entitls him 70 such
rewardf On the contrary, he is an avoWed
laW-breEker.
Another thing in connection with the
dealings Of this House with polygamy
deserves = passing remark. While !
have, think, as cordial q hatred for the
crime Of pOlygGmy as any other, Am
disposed TO go as far in denunciation Of
the Mormon people Rs many who have
addressed the House recently on meas.
ures affecting them. As . people l do
not believe they deserve the harah words
that in the heat Of debate have been
spoken of them.
The history Of the past shows Us that
religious fanaticism has in ell aees
caused both the barbAreus and the civil
| lied to do many strange and unreason-
able thiDgs. call it fanaticism without
meaning 70 speak lightly or contempt
| uously of it, for in its most unreasonable
phases there is kind Of heroism about it
| one cannot help but admire. In the
| pagan world it manifests in long and
toilsUme pilerimages and in self-inhicted
torture. This is not confined to pagan
people. In Christendom the humiliation
and suferings of the Man Of Sorrows
have been initiated by devotees in all
men OF great mental power and liberal
culture, in obedience to what they
| thought their duty of God, fed from
/ in hou
places spent their lives in solitude,
divines, for conscience's sake, denounced
| the virtue of cleanliness as the vice OF
pride, and passed their lives besmesred
with fith kpd swArminR with Yermin.
In every age Of the world since the death
of the Savior, devoted, conscientious and
pure-minded men and women, in the
firm belief they were pleasing God, have
denied themselves the common comforts
OF life; have starved, scourged and tor
tured themselves, literally ''livinE in the
sgonies Of which other men die B."
| do not now recall an instance among
Christians where the demands Of the con-
science of the devotee have led him to do
anything but "crucify the fesS," except
the instance Of polygamy now under con.
sideration. If we may believe oar criticl
across the ocean, we are always doing
something unusual and startling here in
America, or doing something usual in sr
unusual manner. 1t seems to have been
left to US to first attempt to make the
Christian religion contribute to thegrati
ication OF the desires of the flesh. Th st
which all other Christian people cru
city, the Latter-day Saint would
crafty. That polygsmy at its incep
ton was the babe Of lust DO no
doubt, but it has grown into the youth o
conscience. That the few master minds
who arbitrarily control the Mormon
Church may be insincere I will not dis
pute. but would do violence to my sense
of right and propriety if I joined in ar
outcry against the sincerity of the mas
OF the Mormon people. The fact that
! they are sincere in what they term theil
religious belief does not change the Atti.
tude Of this question here. They may 3
we'll claim immunity from punishment
for any other crime IS for that of polyg
amy. Are the honorable gentlemen VIII,
are now claiming that pOlygamy is re
ligious tenet, and therefore protected By
the Constitution, willing to bear thu
Odlum OF their conclusions to which thei
| doctrines legitimately lesdf Whethe
willing or not the people will hold then
and the party they represent responsible
, am one Of those who honor the pat
, riotiGm Of the fathers. Trey we're tht
wisest and best men Of their day. The!
had no Jupiter's brain from which the!
could strike forth full grown Minerva
but they wrought SIS wisely IS they knew
and left the completion of their work K
those who came after them. have Eel
when saw the leaders of the democratic
} party holding up the Constitution as
warrant for the extension Of slavery, IS
. barrier In the wsy Of protecting the III
, Of the nation, aud as an edict robbinl
men of citizenship, that they INSULTS
3 the memory Of those grand men. fee
9 It more forcibly now, when see then
erecting 1t as shield for the losthsoa
s crime OF polygsmy. I believed in ID
earlier contests Of this generation as be
s lie7e in this contest, that the fathers pu
; no word in the Constitution and left non
r out Of it with intent to protect crime Q
: tolerate oppression. As we have coz
t quered the other evils, and saved the liz
: of the nation By striking directly at them
> | see no reason why We should hesitat
, now. shall therefore deal IS hard
: blow ss L can a. polygsmy by Yotin
= that Its representative shall not have
: seat 10 this House.
o To be continued