The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-25
THE ANTI-MORMON CRU
SADIE.

The offensive and impuden t IS
sumption that whoever opposes the
persecution of the Mormons under
the Edmunds law is in sympathy with
polygamy as a social system will
hardly be invoked against Judge
Black, even by the most offensive and
impudent OF the anti-Morlaon cru
saders. Judge Black hasjust made q
statement, In his clear and vigorous
fashion, 20 q reporter of Phlladel'
phia paper, which will give pause 10
all persons who are not sufficiently
infnristed against the practice OF po-
lygamy In Utah to be willing to eur
render all the safeguards of civil
liberty in order to submit the popula-
ton Of Utah TO the absolute govern
ment and control OF IAN insignificant
minority of its people, and minority
the active leaders Of which Judge
Black. With much plsnsibility, de-
scribes as "a crew OF gooless
wfetChes."
Judge Black admits the constitu
tionslty of the Edmunds bill. Cruel
as the law may be which Furnishes a
social state which thosa VINO live in it
consider to be divinely permitted and
in some cases divinely enioined, not
only by fine and imprisonment but
by Acknowledgement and q total inca
pacity to vote or to hold Office, such
q law for q Territory is clearly within
the competency OF Congress. It is
| the legislation not Of Congress but of
the Commissioners appointed under
the law Of Congress which Judge
Black denounces as infamous usur-
patton. CongreEs, supposing that the
| failure OF the august elections, by the
default not OF the people of Utah but
of the Commissioners, would create
vacancies in the Territorial Offices,
authorized the Governor of the Terri.
tory to fill these vacancies by ap-
pointment. But in fact there were
no vacancies, since the law provides
that the incumbents Of these Offices
shall hold them until their successors
are elected. Nevertheless, the Gov
ernor has issued his proclamation
muHtering ont los lawful officers and
naming their SUCCESSORS. Even this
action, outrageous as it is, is less
outrageous than the course OF the
Commissioners. The Edmunds bill
provided the punishment for polyg.
amy, and this punishment included
acknowledgements, But of course po-
Iiygamy in order to be punished must
be proved, like any other crime The
| commissioners propose 20 punish 1T
without trial by summsrlly olsirsn-
ohisipg ell persons who do 70. prove
their own innocence by making cath
that they baVe not lived in polygamy.
This Is distinctly the NEST outrageous
attack upon civil liberty which has
been MAZE in a time of peace during
the whole period OF American history.
Judge Black properly describes this
legislation Of the Conn issioners as
infamous, and gives these unsnswer-
able reasons for the description: at
is bill of pains and penalties; it is
punishment without trial; it assumed
that all men are guilty Who refuse to
clear themselves by an expurgatory
oath-reversing the rules of evidence
which lie at the foundation of civil
liberty; it is &c post facto in its opera.
ton, going back a whole generation
to disjranchise people for oienses
committed long before there was any
law to iDhict that penalty upon
them"
When an attempt is made to put
such a measure in practice against
the people CT Utah for the purpose oil
enabling an Insignificant fraction Of
its inhabitants to control the over.
whelming majority, the issue is one
which concerns and almost equally
concerns all the people of the United
Estates. The World deliberately re-
peate, what the World has already
deliberately said, that in resisting
this infamous usurpation to the death
if need be the people of Utah will bt
fighting the battle and will be deserv
|, ing of the thanks Of all the people o.
the limited Skakes .. Mem York: World