The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-27

A
views. and free from the form of
marriage. we would hear less about
il.
| AS a people, we have to pass
through these ordeals! 1t has been
gratifying to us to know that we are
hghting for religious liberty, not
only for the United States, but for
the world; and thank God there is
nc organization 80 capable of max
Ing this tattle. We are capable Of
sustaining ourselves. When the
grasShOppers destroyed our crops,
we did not apply to the general
government for aid but we can live
as we have done. And I tell you,
my brethren, we will continue to
fight for religious liberty in spite of
moderation and laws passed
in violation of the Constitution
and the bill of rights We
do not fight for ourselves, we fight
for the Methodist the Episcopaliap,
and the believer in the doc
trines of IngersOlI. L have
right to enjoy religious free
dom so long as l do not
infringe on the rights of others.
We are not responsible to any
power or any man; we are
amenable only to our God. What
right have other religious denOmi-
nations 10 say what we shall prac-
tice, or to say what laws shall
govern us! And what right has
Congress to yield to the clamer of
pulpltS, and to such men as Tai
mage and DR.. Newman, who have
conceived dislike for US? There
is good reason for the dislike of DR..
Newman, for he came here and was
terribly whipped in this building.
DE came here to shear and went
away shorn. And as l happened TO
have the closing prayer on that
occasion, he has never forgiven me,
and for years has tried to unseat
me. We can do as John :Bunyan
said: 81 cannot obey, but l can
suffer. We cannot give up cur
religion, but we can suffer and en-
dure for it, prison though it may
; involve. l do not make these re-
marks with view of creating a
defiant feeling. Far from it. It
would be unbecoming in me to think
of exciting opposition TO laws. 1t
would be most unwise to place our
: selves in a defiant attitude toward
the United States; but l trust we
will never give up our battle for re-
, liglous liberty, and we fight for that
OF every man, no matter what his
belief, so long as he does not infringe
on the rights of others. AS l have
frequently stated, plural marriage
is An imposSibility to any great ex-
tent. The equality of numbers in
the sexes would prevent this. Even
in our territory the males out
NUM- Der the females. But there are
men who will not marry. and these
: women have a right 10 be made
l mothers, and do not believe any
government has the right to forbid
: it. l hold it is right God gave to
every woman to become wife and q
2 mother. If L were a woman (well
l | can't say what a woman could do
{ but | believe l would rather be the
fifth wife Of some men l know thar
4 the first wife of others. Re
: garding the contest that has re-
S Gently ended, feel perfectly at ease
D So far as myself am concerned, meI
have remarked to me when l was al
S Washington: ''Mr. Cannon, you are
: the pleasantest looking man for 1
I man going through what you are
: that have ever SEEN" This remark
q has been made to me, perhaps no
|. in those exact words, many a time
Y l had larger majority than any
q man on the floor, and was the repre-
n sentative of the people Of Utah
d properly elected; it was conceded
= that L was elected properly, that
: was eligible. It was conceded aftol
t the closest, the strictest examination
: 1T might be said the most preju-
s diced eXamination-that 1 had beer
: wrongfully deprived of my rights
: That was conceded by fourteen out
q of fifteen on the committee on cleo
= tions, after hearing lengthy and
q elaborate arguments. Then why
t should | not feel strong? If | have
0 been stricken down, if have been
t deprived of my rights, the liberty
g Of republican country was stricken
e down in my person. Men have said
t to me, after having voted as they
g DISAPPOINTMENT men-that they did
: the most cowardly thing they had
a ever done in their lives. One
t man said: 81 did the meanest
: thing 1 have ever done since have
t been in Congress, in voting as did. y
: I think our position is one to be proud
e of, not to be ashamed of. The man
q who is wronged has no reason for
f the blush of shame to kindle his
s cheek, it is the man who does the
u wrong. The only way they seemed
J. able to reach my case was by the
i Senate and House passing a law and
d the President of the United
d States signing it. 1t took all the
a powers OF the government. except
the judiciary. to reach the case
III went to Washington as
f had done for four terms previous.
a Eight years previous had been at
e the bar Of the House to be sworn IN
!. the same man in every respect, had
! done nothing to violate any law, OF
S render myself ineligible. 1 had
g been sworn in four times in success
I sion and had been confirmed in my
e seat by the Forty-third Congress
i republican congress. had been